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Coordination of the effort-by Dr. Talmor

The effort at the Hospital was being coordinated by US Aid a federal group funded by the US Government and The Clinton foundation. There seemed to be constant conflict with the Dominican Government which was anxious to return the refuges to Haiti as quickly as possible as they were illegal aliens. The day before we arrived, forty patients were acutely transferred by helicopter to a “rehabilitation center” in Haiti. The night of our arrival we were told that the government refused to provide food for the patients anymore I think they were being fed mostly rice and beans twice a day. Helicopters and ambulances were constantly coming and going with patients. The most critical were taken to Santo Domingo. A few made it to the USS Comfort before we got there. Some with surgical needs were brought in from the “rehabilitation” center. It was our hope that given the recent outflow of aid and support that the patients would receive as good or better care in Haiti, but in returning to NY and watching the news this it seems this is not likely to be the case. Many Dominicans expressed their concern that they would have to spend so much caring for the Haitians, but would not receive any aid themselves. Some implied that Haiti was always looking for a handout, and would never become self- sufficient as long as so much aid was provided. There was clearly deep animosity between the neighboring groups, though most of the Dominican we met were very saddened and willing to help us. Our “assistant” Elvis arrived early in the morning to drive us up the dirt road to the hospital each day (about 2 miles). He initially refused to take money for this.

The Nuns

This little girl, with a 30% burn, was brought to our hospital from the orphange located across the border in Haiti. The nuns from the orphange accompanied her. The patient with the nuns by her side, was later transferred by helicopter to a burn center in Santo Domingo. This child is from the orphanage that the previous plastic surgery team had visited to make assessments of the need for medical care. The helicopter that had been transporting our team back and forth from the hospital to the orphanage had crashed the day prior to our arrival, killing the pilot and owner of the chopper. This patient is one of the many the pilot and owner helped.

The Interpreters

There were many young men in their 20s volunteering as interpreters. They spoke English, Creole, French and/or Spanish. Olsen was my interpreter-very cheerful and relaxed. You would never know from him demeanor that both his parents were patients in the hospital. He asked me (T) to contact his Uncle Franklin in New York to let his uncle know that Olsen and his parents were OK. I finally reached Uncle Franklin last night; he was relieved to speak to someone who had seen Olsen and his parents with their own eyes. I am in contact with Olsen by e-mail; his mother is being transferred to another facility in Haiti and the family will accompany her. Olsen is anxious to find work. Uncle Franklin is overwhelmed as he now has 4 sisters and 2 brothers in Haiti who have lost everything. Both Olsen and his uncle stress that being alive is most important and that they have faith in God. I will stay in touch with Olsen to see how I can help him and his family in the future.

Patient Tent

This is one of the several tents behind the hospital where some of the patients' beds are located. It is very windy at the hospital. It is great for a breeze to cool off but horrible for our patients, with all the sand flying around.

The pharmacy