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February 8
Dr. Rene, AHDH, has posted a lengthy and very detailed summary of the mission's work in Haiti over the past several week. He thanks everyone who donated and provides details on the mission's needs. The next schedule trip is planned for during the Easter season. Let's do what we can to make sure they have the supplie...s, transport and funds to continue their work for the re-birth of Haiti -- http://haitiahdh.org.
See photos of mission at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=38390&id=1639541604&saved#!/album.php?aid=38390&id=1639541604
February 1
You can read this week's update from Dr. Charles Renee, AHDH, on the missions's work in the Jacmel region of Haiti. They have provided orthopedic care to Haitians in and around the city of Jacmel. You can see the doctors at work -- http://haitiahdh.org/Mission_2010_Feb.html.
AHDH is encountering problems shipping supplies from NO to Haiti. The update expresses a need for midwives, tents, clothing and toiletries. There continues to be much work to be done. For information on how to help -- http://haitiahdh.org/contact_us.html.
Jan. 24
Dr. Rene is finally on the ground in Haiti. The hospital in Jacmel is destroyed. St. Joseph's Medical Center in LaValle is in the mountains, ten miles north of Jacmel. The trip up the mountain is more difficult than usual and getting transportation is a challenge. Dr. Rene hopes to get a helicopter ride to AHDH's medical center in LaValle where he has a sturdy truck that can take him and other mission doctors down the mountain from LaValle to Jacmel.
The city of Jacmel has a population of approximately 40,000. Because of road conditions, the big NGO's and goernmental aid groups have yet to reach the city. The Canadian relief workers are there. With its hospital destroyed, and little or no relief from outsiders, there is much to do in Jacmel.
Dr. Rene plans to fill his truck with medical supplies that are stored at Lavalle and take them to where they are needed in the Jacmel area. Throughout their years of mission, AHDH has provided medical services and supplies to the hopsital in Jacmel. The supplies brought down from St Joseph's Medical Center will not enough. In addition to the people of Jacmel who need assistance, tens of thousands of Haitians are leaving Por-au-Prince and returning to home towns and villages. When they arrive, they have nothing and many still need medical care.
The other doctors, most of whom are Haitian, in the AHDH medical team left for Dominican Republic on Saturday, Jan. 23. See photos of Dr. REne and AHDH medical mission leaving for Haiti -- http://haitiahdh.org/Mission_2010_Feb.html.
Please wish them God's speed and blessings. AHDH will send another medical team in February. Your continued support and prayers are needed and valued.
Jan 18, 2010 7:46 am
Dr. Charles Rene and colleagues are in Lafayette, LA awaiting clearance to fly to Dominican Republic, then on to LaValle, Haiti. LaValle is outside Jacmel. Jacmel is southwest of Port-au-Prince on the southern coast of the Haitian peninsula.
AHDH's St. Jospeh Medical Center is intact, with three operating rooms, a generator and the ability to provide immediate quality health care to Haitians.
Because of Jacmel's proximity to Port-au-Prince, Dr. Rene and colleagues expect to find numbers of patients, who either escaped or were evacuated from Port-au-Prince, at their doorstep. This demand for service will require additional resources and materials, volunteers, etc at St. Joseph's.
Like many of the partner programs of adult literacy, AHDH began through grass-root efforts. You can learn about AHDH through the video, The Haiti Project - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0-E4U_WhVk&feature=player_embedded and see the people of LaValle build a water tower for the hospital - http://haitiahdh.org/Video_Theatre.html
January 16 Update
This letter is from our volunteer pediatrician from New York who has traveled to Haiti many times with AHDH. She too is Hatien. The scheduled flight for this am was canceled because of lack of clearance in port au prince to land a helicopter. The flight from New Orleans will go to Dominican Republic, then helicopter to Jacmel LaVallee for supples from our clinic. Those supplies are not enough! We must purchase additional medicines and supplies and depend on other physicians state side to open their hearts and supply rooms and donate their samples, badages and or gauze and particularly antibiotics and pain meds of all types. Please forward this note on. The schelued flight will try to leave again on Monday am. Thank you everyone for your support of this tremendous humanitarian effort. Your small and large donations are going to make a difference. This I can promise you. -Critty Hymes MD
Our hearts are overwhelmed by the tragedy in Haiti but this is not the time for tears. This is the time to pick ourselves up, be active and join the international community to help Haiti. This is the time to be generous with time and money. Those of us who cannot go, you can help by contributing money and supplies not just prayers.
Let's be brief and to the point. We know the hospitals in Port au Prince cannot handle all the injured. The Knight Templars are making arrangements for a 30 seat plane and a helicopter to fly us from New Orleans to Jacmel and then to La Vallee. We are ready to staff our
hospital in La Vallee which is intact, well stocked with surgical supplies, with 3 OR beds ready, a recovery room, post op areas, a 50KWatts generator, a water tower and an ambulance.
We need: surgeons, orthopedists, anesthesiologists, nurses civil engineers, construction people. We need: antibiotics, analgesics, anesthetics, antihypertensives, antiglycemics, IV fluids, chlorine tablets,toiletries, etc. We need: dry foods: sugar, spaghetti, beans, rice, flour, cooking oil, canned fish like salmon, tuna, sardines, canned meats like ham etc
We need money to buy supplies and if you are hesitant to send money ask your doctor or your pharmacist to help you purchase and then donate the supplies ... but DO something ... today Haiti needs more than blessings and prayers.
Projected day of departure: Saturday morning Jan 16th from New Orleans International Airport (delayed to Monday, January 18).
More details to follow
Nicole Vincent Michael MD
To donate and learn more http://haitiahdh.org/
January 15 Update
My sister, Dr. Critty Hymes, participates in this medical mission to Haiti in the town of LaVallee. The mission is planning a trip to Haiti in February. They are requesting support:
The money will be used efficiently and wisely. We are also looking for an orthopedic donate his services in LaVallee Haiti. Medical supplies, antibiotics, surgical equipment will be purchased with funds. Also money to allow overflow of patients from Port au Prince for care and food. Thanks and Merci Beaucoup
To learn more about their mission and to donate, http://www.facebook.com/l/30301;www.haitiahdh.org, read about organizaton, view video wonderfully narrated by Dr Charles Rene. Thank you for all of your help.
Read March 2009 report.
March 15, 2009
Dear Members/Volunteers/Friends of A.H.D.H.,
Greetings to All ! Un gros Bonjour a Tous!
Your AHDH is back from its Winter 2009 Medical/Educational Mission!
Just an overwhelmingly blessed 43rd !
With 11 new volunteers (which brings the total number to 155 since 1986), 13 "veterans", the support of 3 local doctors (Thanks again, Drs L. Philippe, Ritza Eugene, R. Michel), RN students from our FSIL partners (Faculte des Sciences Infirmieres de Leogane, a college of Universite Episcopale d'Haiti) (see photo # 1), and 6 recent grads from the local CNA school, our medical routine (general surgery, gyn surgery, cervical dysplasia/cancer follow up, ultrasonography etc) went quite above the routine:
Friday February 27, 2009 marks simply another great landmark in our efforts in Haiti.
Your AHDH reached another summum:
All our 3 ORs (operating rooms) were running, with 2 anesthesiologists, 6 surgeons on the premises, within 3 specialties (ophtalmo, general surgery and Ob-Gyn) !!!! (see photos # 2,3&4)
A blessed week, with close to 50 surgical procedures performed: Some visions were restored, some early cervical cancer controlled (unfortunately some still coming too late to us), some handicapping hernia and benign body tumors repaired/relieved; while some sick babies cured (with one with severe congenital cardiac defects being assisted to seek corrective surgery in the USA); quite some ultrasonographic studies, with our students in training, performed, besides pre-op and regular EKGs.
You have every reason to be proud to be part of AHDH, at one title or another.
Again, besides our volunteers to whom we are so grateful..our Social Activities Coordinator, Nicole... we were blessed also by some who, unable to make it, provided financial support (another noble way to be part of our mission) to either some volunteers or for mission support. (Dr Clark, TFMCT, the Lamours, etc.)
No words can ever describe our elation on that Friday, February 27th, 2009. And all of you, with your support throughout the years, are the legitimate authors of such a delightful day.
Some "old business" were also readily covered:
Our ambulance (photos # 5, and 6: Merci anpil=Million thanks) with AHDH's Coordinator and Past and Current presidents of CODEVA, our NGO partner), finally made it home after 6 months at the port, donation of AMED (New Orleans, LA), thanks to the lobbying efforts of our partners of IHC (International Hospital for Children, Dr Heiman and team); as well as the small, 6.5 Kw, generator.
We could enjoy also great transportation from the Jacmel's airport on, thanks to our 15 passenger van, a donation of Dr. Clif Godley and family (see thank-you photo, #7), besides our second Pathfinder, donation of the unwavering Michael family.
Our 42 foot container shipped early February, thanks to an unwavering donator who wishes to remain anonymous, reached destination and efforts are underway to recover it.
We will take the opportunity to thank the Haitian communities and American friends and supporters in New Orleans, Crowley, Lafayette, Eunice areas for an inspiring "kombit" ("get together to help a neighbor") on January 31, 2009.
Some delay, due in part to the dry season, prevented the completion therefore the inauguration of the Labor and Delivery Suite, but diligence is underway to complete it ASAP, as we are more than impatient to start the next phase - offices and education/training center, upstairs on the seconf floor- which will bring the hospital to be managed in a more rational way and the hospital to become a more self-sustainable institution:
A $63,000 challenge, that needs your support, your church, social club, neighboors support and hopefully we can get the kick off during our next trip.
Therefore, next trip/Rendez-Vous: Summer 2009 Medical Mission: July 10 to 26, 2009
Please, take note that there will be 2 teams: Team-1 leaves on July 10 with your coordinator, as group leader, to return on July 19, 2009; Team-2 leaves on July 17 with Nicole as group leader, to return July 26.bring relief also
We badly need an anesthesiologist for Team-1, as Team-2 is already well covered.
We would love to add psychiatry and urology during that trip, as the people are in dire need of those specialties. Please, share with and encourage your contacts to join us.
We already have a lot of requests besides the "vets" applying to return, but we will try to accomodate as many new volunteers as possible, but please indicate your interest ASAP, and which Team/date, as beyond 20 volunteers per team it is getting a little difficult.
It is just impossible to envisage the success of this last trip without those strong, dedicated folks ....Randal, Susan(wife) & Georges (maintenance..generator, vehicles); Diane, Vickie & Sandra (OR); Edith, Christine & RN students (Pre-Op/Post-Op); Miguel (respiratory); our surgeons-residents, Lionel & Hari; our army of young idealistic pre-med/dental/optometry students, Sean, Alex, Steven, Jenna, Van, Kirsten; unwaveringly on the ball Mike (Ultrasound plus everything else); and our untiring Michael family, Arshi, Nicole, Anika, Zishan and Erica (wife).
I know this asked a lot of sacrifice from all of you, mostly when so many more could have answered the call,
(Mat:10:37), but trust us, there won't be any crash, you are investing in the right stock market: Mat: 25:35 !
Million Thanks again to ALL of you
Cordially from AHDH,
Charles
(Charles Rene, M.D.; F.A.C.O.G.
Clinical Associate Professor, Ob-Gyn Dept., Tulane University, New Orleans
Co-founder, Past-President,
Treasurer, Coordinator of Projects in Haiti
Association Haitienne de Developpement Humain, Inc.
149 W. Lakeview Dr; La Place, LA 70068
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Tel: (985)-651-7740; (504)-957-6233/cel
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