In the first week after the historic earthquake of Jan 12th, we collected medical supplies to send to Haiti. Annie arranged for a collection site at Antone's. She put me in touch with a pilot, Jim,who was heading that way. He put me in touch with a emergency response airplane organization. I called some of the people that they were flying to Haiti. Chris at DorsainvilFoundation.org kept in touch. He was the one who told me that he hopes the medical interest continues in March, way after all the emergency surgeries, after Haiti is no longer headline news. On Feb 28th, three of us doctors from Austin flew down on one of the first commercial flights restarted by American Airlines. Reggie, a Brooklyn born Haitian, who volunteers with the foundation, picked us up at the airport. The clinic is situated in what was once used by a political facility. This is a free clinic that has no political or religious affiliation. Dr. Dorsainvil, a Haitian-American who practices in Florida, has had an ongoing clinic in another town in Haiti. When the quake happened, he found this unaffected building in a nice neighborhood in Port au Prince. Initially they provided emergency care and surgery (on the desk!...with anesthesia) but now provide ongoing medical care to mostly tent city people who come the mile up the hill to where we are. The women who translate there are great. They themselves live in the family size,7 feet high tents on the compound with their families.
3 comments:
So glad you were able to go down and provide some help, Tony. Wish I could do that someday, though scary, on some level. Glad you're back safely.
I am thrilled actually to know you, and that you care so much that you would take the time and effort to go, Tony. I have not heard of anyone from here going but they must...God bless you for being a true lover of mankind!
On behalf of the humble people in haiti I thank you Dr.Russo
may God continue to bless you and your family
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