Nearly two weeks have past. As of today, nearly thirty Vermont-derived citizens are working or have worked at The Good Samaritan Hospital (Hóspital Buen Samaritano) in Jimani, Dominican Republic. What started as a small hospital run by missionaries was transformed into a trauma center run by volunteers after it was overrun by Haitian refugees after a devastating earthquake occurred on 12 January 2010, killing over 100,000. After a long search, and many obstacles, our Vermont teams have found a place at Buen Samaritano, and are making a difference in the lives of its patients. From smiles, to complex medical procedures and care, our Vermont Haiti Relief Teams are making great strides towards diminishing the devastation that has been brought upon the Haitian people.
Today is 1 February 2010. The Vermont Haiti Relief Team #1 has all but departed from Jimaní. Jeremiah, Bill, Susana, Joan, Sarah, Jackie, David, and Bob have already left, and are awaiting flights back to Burlington in Santo Domingo. Tomorrow, Brian G. and Brian C. will depart from Jimaní with four members of team two (Jason, Bob, Kate, and Mindy) and will make the five hour journey back to Santo Domingo for our flights back to Burlington. Mari C. will remain here and continue her work in the Orphanage and will return on Saturday. Team one and the members of team two that are returning are tired, and are ready to come home and hug their families. While leaving Jimaní will be bittersweet, team one fully expects and hopes that team two will continue to provide the standard of care we have established, and continue to represent Vermont. Team two has been working here for close to one week now, here’s an update on their progress:
Deb W. has been working hard (some pretty long days) in the area of the hospital working in the area known as the Orphanage. Her role there is multifaceted, including wound changes; she regularly acts as the charge nurse, assists with pain management, facilitates patient transfers, and much more. I have no doubt that she will continue to provide an advanced level of care, and will represent our team positively.
Rich S. has been working hard in the ICU, working as the only pediatric intensivist with the acutely ill pediatric patients in our hospital. He has consulted on two childbirths, and a number of complicated pediatric cases that our hospital would have been previously incapable of treating.
George H. (Big George) has been working as the charge nurse each day in our ICU. George’s daily job changes as the patient populations change, but George is frequently seen bopping around the OR, PACU, and our ICU regulating nursing staff, and is known as the one and only Big George.
Jason S. has assumed Jeremiah’s role as coordinator of transport for our facility. Jason’s transition was difficult, as there is a lot to learn, but he has done a phenomenal job. There are many intricacies and political caveats to Jason’s position and mastering them was difficult, and Jason is making great progress.
Mindy P., Wendy M., and Jess K. have been working nights in the orphanage as fundamental pieces of the Orphanage’s Ward A nursing staff. They all know their patients by name now, and are having a tremendously enjoyable time treating the residents of their assigned area. Each morning they have returned they have been smiling, and I frequently hear that their outgoing attitudes keeps the other nursing staff smiling during their night shifts. I’m also told that our hospital might be putting our Vermont nurses in Ward C to instill some order, facilitate better patient care, and to improve the care of its patients. Big props to our Vermont nurses.
Jason G., Peter C., and Courtney W. have also been working as key nursing staff members- Jason in the Orphanage, and Peter and Courtney in our ICUs. They have all been working tirelessly for their patients and fellow staff members while on shift.
Ken M. has been working with patient transport, and always seems to be working up a sweat each time I see him. Ken is working hard to keep our ORs busy and our patients happy.
Kate D. and Bob D. have been doing their best to cover our work down here but we have made it hard because we have been so widely distributed throughout our hospital. So far they have done a phenomenal job and working with them has been a pleasure.
This is my last post as a member of the Vermont Haiti Relief Team on the ground in Jimaní. Words cannot describe how intensely rewarding this experience has been. From highs to lows, this trip has most certainly elucidated a continuum of emotion I have never before experienced; and for that I will be forever grateful for those who have sent and supported me while here. I have no doubt that whoever takes over this blog will describe our work well.
There is a common expression often spray-painted on the walls of Haiti and towards the border of the Dominican Republic, “en solidarité” or in English, “in solidarity.” That phrase cannot better describe the spirit of the Haitian people. My trip here, as I have previously elucidated, has been characterized by transcendent highs, and unfathomable lows. The high points, which got me through the low points, were almost always related to an experience with a Haitian patient. From the feeling of a three-month-old orphan on my chest, to the resounding sound of happily singing patients in the Orphanage and numerous others, the highs I have experienced have been unlike anything I have ever experienced. While I trust that Vermont teams will continue to do phenomenal work here in Jimaní and in all our Haiti relief efforts, the imprint I have left here, and the impact this place has had on me will live with me forever. I hope that upcoming Vermonters will continue to come here- in solidarity- with unity or feeling among those with a common interest and be rewarded only by the smile on the face of their patient. Do good work, Vermonters.
-Brian C.
