Church building in Hinche used for cholera patients
Hello! I'm writing from Hinche, a small city a few hours north of Port-au-Prince. (If you click on the map at the top right and zoom in a bit, you'll see it in the center of the country just north of Mirebalais: Arrondissement de Hinche.) Cholera hit this town six days ago, and a cholera treatment area was set up next to the local hospital by using several tents and a small church. Since I am working with the J/P HRO team these two weeks, they sent me here with a group of volunteers on Friday. We plan to stay till Wednesday when another team will replace us.
Cholera has not been seen in Haiti in at least 50 years, and it can take some time even under the best of circumstances to set up a good system. This site is run by the Ministry of Health in partnership with Partners in Health (PIH). Doctors Without Borders arrived yesterday to provide technical support—they are building special cholera beds and have laid down gravel, which are critical steps. Cholera leads to profuse diarrhea, and it has been incredibly difficult to keep patients, floors, and cots clean. We have also been having heavy rains with the passing of the hurricane, and the tents we work in were very muddy before the gravel.
I'm working with a great group. We're currently sitting around not talking about work for the first time! We've realized that we've been working from late afternoon to mid-morning every night and while not at work have been strategizing. We know this isn't sustainable.
We've established good relationships with the medical director, Ministry of Health, and the Haitian and Cuban physicians who work here. We've had significant challenges working well with the national nurses, and we've been told that this is perhaps due to the government hiring and retention system, although we're also aware that we are from a different culture and are outsiders. Please pray for wisdom and good working relationships. Constant vigilance is needed with IV fluids and oral rehydration since the main cause of death with cholera is dehydration. We have a great team of cleaners who recently received excellent training and are applying it with vigilance. Their efforts have wonderfully changed our work environment.
This is a very challenging environment. We work at night with little light. We do not have all of the supplies we need; the supplies we do have don't stay stocked, and it can be difficult access supplies even when they are here. Patients have died, although thankfully not in our areas on our shifts. Whenever a patient does die the family members wail, which adds to the emotionally-charged atmosphere. There are many patients who are children, and since this site is currently not allowing family members to come in as caregivers, the children are alone.
In addition to praying for the patients, families, and staff, please pray for the efforts of community health workers in prevention of this terrible disease. Our Community Health Evangelism (CHE) volunteers have now gone to 100 villages, teaching prevention methods (hand washing, latrine usage, cleaning drinking water, etc.). However, in the areas in the north where they are starting to see cholera they do not have enough medical personnel. We don't have any CHE programs where I am now, but PIH has been training and sending out their community health workers.
Thank you for your many notes of encouragement and particularly for your prayers. I haven't had access to e-mail since arriving in Hinche, but was able just now to briefly read what you've written. People have asked about donations, and for CHE work they can go to LifeWind International (www.lifewind.org) to the Haiti Disaster Fund (code D921).
In God's mercy,
Liz
Working inside the "church."
P.S. Please pray for Odlin, a little boy I've been caring for since yesterday morning. He arrived malnourished and severely dehydrated, and it was very difficult to get a good access for fluids. We struggled again yesterday afternoon and evening, needing to place another access for fluids (in his shin bone).
Obviously we care for all of our patients, but this little boy has really touched my heart. When he's able, he talks, calls out, "Oh, God!" or "Stop, it hurts!" He also frequently reaches his arms around my neck.
Please pray for this child of God.
