Three Austin Doctors in Haiti

Our Week at a Clinic in Port au Prince, Haiti

2010-03-09T22:16:00.000-08:00

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.

2010-03-09T21:50:00.000-08:00

Volunteer health care workers stay inside the clinic. We had air mattresses and mosquito nets. I brought down a donated laptop computer that works fine with the wi-fi there. We had to have flexibility in our journey there: electricity occasionally went down but the generator for the building was available; running water was sometimes down... BUT Reggie always brought us Haitian food from a restaurant and we enjoyed a mid day get together with the staff. He took us around the city: to see the destruction, to visit some hospitals to see what their pharmacies could share, and to enjoy a late night meal a few times. The place has lush vegetation, surrounding mountains, wonderful people ... Please feel free to make comments or questions or email me. Medical assistants, pharmacists, etc could do a lot at a low key clinic like this They have a permanent Spanish / French speaking MD there 7 days a week. Who knows who you might influence to make this trip of volunteering in an incredibly beautifully place in an historic, though disastrous situation.
P.S. thanks Annie for putting the idea in my head
A.R.Russo anthonyrussomd@gmail.com; contact Chris at DorsainvilFoundation.org

Partial building collapse

2010-03-09T21:34:00.000-08:00

More photos at:

How we lived Down Therre

2010-03-09T19:31:00.001-08:00

BUT Reggie always brought us Haitian food from a restaurant and we enjoyed a mid day get together with the staff. He took us around the city: to see the destruction, to visit some hospitals to see what their pharmacies could share, and to enjoy a late night meal a few times. The place has lush vegetation, surrounding mountains, wonderful people ...
Please feel free to make comments or questions or email me. Medical assistants, pharmacists, etc could do a lot at a low key clinic like this

They have a permanent Spanish / French speaking MD there 7 days a week. Who knows who you might influence to make this trip of volunteering in an incredibly beautifully place in an historic, though disastrous situation.

HypertensionRxHaiti.com - Dr. Roehm, a cardiologist, wrote up:
Table of Contents:
1. What medications used for treating hypertension are particularly cost effective?
2. What are some of the medications previously commonly used in Haiti for treating hypertension?
3. What is the way to tell a Haitian patient their blood pressure results in a way that is understandable to the patient?
4. What are some general considerations in treating hypertension in Haiti?
5. What are some specific medications to consider using, including therapeutic considerations and equivalent dosages of other medications in the same therapeutic class?
6. Frequency of medication translated into English, French, & Kreyol.
7. What are some cost effective drug combinations for treating hypertension ?
8. HTN Rx Protocol: If Lab unavailable
9. HTN Rx Protocol: Lab monitoring available

======================================================================

P.S. thanks Annie for putting the idea in my head
A.R.Russo anthonyrussomd@gmail.com; contact Chris atDorsainvilFoundation.org

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2010-03-09T16:07:00.001-08:00

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Consultations on the Patio of the Clinic

2010-03-09T14:07:00.000-08:00

A Tent for Sophonie

2010-03-08T17:49:00.000-08:00

Rose & Carline-clinic volunteers

2010-03-08T17:38:00.000-08:00

Downed buildings everywhere

2010-03-08T03:51:00.000-08:00

Tent city patients at our clinic

2010-03-08T03:50:00.000-08:00

Tent city patients come 1 mile to our clinic in upscale neighborhood.

Gate to our Clinic

2010-03-08T03:39:00.000-08:00

Gate to our clinic. Donated by a political party

WE slept and worked INSIDE.

2010-03-08T03:23:00.000-08:00

WE slept and worked INSIDE.

Dr Russo teaches glucose testing

2010-03-08T03:20:00.000-08:00

Dr Russo teaches glucose testing to Alix and Carline

Haitian Americans treat the Wounds

2010-03-07T20:49:00.000-08:00

Dr Toussaint teaches how to take BP

2010-03-07T08:50:00.000-08:00

Dr Toussaint teaches how to take BP

Dr. Toussaint in Haiti

2010-03-07T08:19:00.000-08:00

Dr. Toussaint in Haiti

Dr. Abel

2010-03-07T07:28:00.000-08:00

Dr. Abel

French colonial architecture- I presume

2010-03-07T07:06:00.000-08:00

2010-03-07T03:58:00.001-08:00

We took a walk in the neighborhood . . . Could not get over the natural beauty, combined with quaint french architecture! ...and the cracked-opened and fallen schools and large homes. The stories: 'yes many students died here,... not there- none killed'. Walking the quiet residential streets felt comfortable - no hassles as foreigners.

French hosp roof view of hills of PtaPr

2010-03-06T16:13:00.000-08:00

French hosp roof view of hills of PtaPr

A tap-tap bus. (sorry,a little blurry)

2010-03-05T19:09:00.000-08:00

A tap-tap bus. (sorry,a little blurry)

2010-03-05T18:16:00.001-08:00

Went by some hospitals today but only came away with a baggie full of iron pills and a couple of inhalers. One of the clinic staff's uncle did take our advice yest and went to the hosp and was admitted; we visited him today. We had a catholic lenten procession on OUR street! I picked up on a significant heart murmur and sky high blood pres
in a 15 yo! Luckily eric the cardio. diagnosed and directed a follow up plan for the hospital to do. I skype with the clinic adminsrtr who is coming down from Fl. Seems to be tending to our wish list.

2010-03-05T05:57:00.001-08:00

Overcast in Haiti. . . with sprinkley rain, as the line forms: ptsd and somatic symptoms for many, while others walking around with deadly bp or diarrhea in a newborn. Where do you go when your clinic w/ your bp or tb meds has collapsed?

We took a ride around Port au Prince...

2010-03-04T19:34:00.000-08:00

We took a ride around Port au Prince... hard to describe: devastation everywhere, yet they survive and eek out an existence: not sure what's more profound: buildings, in every direction you look, are down or frozen in half-down positon. Or maybe it's seeing the citizens of this once gorgeous city, scavenging wood and metal from 2nd story level of half devastated buildings, the tarps and tents in every public square square/sidewalk/even blocked off streets. The people getting buckets of water from the gutters of oily streets. The church that has stood 150 years falls with this historic quake.

I saw no obvious reconstruction or demolition going on, and we drove extensively in the Port au Prince area. In Galveston, my home town, 2 mos after hurricane ike, it was weird seeing federal aid trucks everywhre: salvation army type trucks for free hot lunch, tide detergent stations to let you wash your clothes,demolition dozers and trucks everywere and areas piled up. In contrast i saw nothing like this going on here. i'm sure there is much of these things going on, but it was not obvious to us.

One of the local guys from our clinic, showed us where he was driving his 2 girls when the quake happened: a woman getting elecrocuted to his left, a wall falling to his right, and behind he saw a fallen building where he had just passed, thanks to a nice guy who had waved him on seconds before the quake!

Seeking certain meds from a hospital.

2010-03-04T18:07:00.000-08:00

Seeking certain meds from a hospital.

MD,PHD,MD,RN,MD

2010-03-04T17:57:00.000-08:00

MD,PHD,MD,RN,MD

..

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DSC01219

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DSC01204

2010-03-04T04:10:00.000-08:00

End off clinic hours, off to view the to

2010-03-04T04:06:00.000-08:00

End off clinic hours, off to view the town

It was so hectic bec it was temp. Airpor

2010-03-03T12:08:00.000-08:00

It was so hectic bec it was temp. Airport

DSC01180

2010-03-03T11:58:00.000-08:00

DSC01177

2010-03-03T11:56:00.000-08:00

DSC01183

2010-03-03T11:52:00.000-08:00

2010-03-03T11:37:00.001-08:00

Another good day at the clinic. 100 patients a day between 4 providers. Electricity down - and that fan made it manageable ! Skype working a bit slow. Email me if you are reading this blog .

2010-03-02T11:59:00.001-08:00

Finished morning clinic: how do you approach medical care for people who have no recorded medical care, no means for lab or follow up. The people are so patient, so appreciative. The meds supplies the volunteers bring are what we are limited to use: excess of this: none off that.
No sudafed this week ! I'm making a list and get a suit case to put on an american airline flight when i get back !

2010-03-02T02:16:00.001-08:00

More text message: did i say quiet? 4am correction- except some darn rooster. No mosquitoes, but still under the mosqu net.

2010-03-02T02:00:00.001-08:00

Arrival in Haiti. No hassles at airport or customs BUT outside -an incredible scene. Dr dorsainvil's sharp rep met us and all went well. Picture crowds of men in near darkness, reaching out to help push your heavy luggage cart over very uneven, puddle filled sidewalk . Driving, seeing the wreckage and tent cities that we've seen on cnn. Occas whiffs of some malodor , some coolness in the evening air, but the still, hot air indoors just makes you sweat .Camping out on the floor (amid stacked boxes of meds) of the open air, concrete building , in a quiet neighbor hood of central, (hilly) Port au Prince. Met the haiti amer psych. Not met the cuban dr yet.

2010-03-01T05:35:00.001-08:00

Traveling to Haiti with someone from there, brings a different perspective: when we needed to thin out the luggage, the bulk bags of splenda and other hard to get items stayed !

To Haiti via Dallas

2010-02-28T22:39:00.001-08:00

Looking for lessons in Haiti's epic tragedy (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35627157)

"Amid the misery, experts already are looking for lessons from the Haiti catastrophe ... six days after the quake, AID officials complained U.S. Air Force controllers at Port-au-Prince airport favored U.S. military flights over inbound relief supplies."

Flying out tonight

2010-02-28T06:08:00.000-08:00

News: Some towns in Haiti are flooded by the rains, killing more.
We will be arriving as the rainy season begins.

And the moral support keeps coming in: we may need it during uncomfortable times.

Watch for a new Haiti support group in Austin: Film & Music Relief .-way to go Annie... and those medical supplies we collected at Antone's are being put to good use in Haiti, I understand.

Dr Toussaint packing supplies for Haiti

2010-02-27T14:43:00.001-08:00

2010-02-26T17:23:00.001-08:00

Note This: There aren't many Haiti travel books . Note This: Cell phone dictionary works for french words also . . . But émoticons are the same.

neige is french/creole for snow

2010-02-25T20:24:00.001-08:00

Slight change of plans: We are now connected to
DorsainvilFoundation.org . Check out their website and their
interesting origin: a Haitian-American doctor honoring his parents
eight years ago. We are thankful for all our friends and families who
show sincere support of going to Haiti. Seton has allowed us to get
many needed meds at a incredible deal. Sandy's support has allowed
extra luggage to be taken on the trip, packed with medical supplies!
Other pharmacists and volunteer health care people have come with
needed supplies that wold have been left out otherwise.

2010-02-24T22:44:00.001-08:00

Haiti in the news today:
-Government there changed plans from building camps (large land owners
objected) to requiring people to leave their camp, return home (live
inside their home or camp outside) or move in with relatives,
especially before the rainy season which starts mid march.
-Government there is imposing a TAX ON DONATED GOODS, entering the
country! Big delays now, including medical supplies.
- Risk of a quake of over 5 (somewhat damaging) is 95% within one
year ; for a 6 its 25%; for another 7 it's 10%
The higher risk is the next three months (25% chance of a 6)

2010-02-24T05:38:00.001-08:00

From A.Russo:I will be in Haiti,Mar1-7.-on AmerAir. -going w/ Dr Roehm & Dr Toussaint (a Haitian-Amer,whose family will host us).my blog: anthonyrussomd. blogspot.com ; my skype: haitimedrelief .Cell will be off to avoid $$- even unanswered or voice mail! But text is cheap.

Feb 23rd Trip Preparation Update

2010-02-23T10:37:00.001-08:00

Getting a skype account, user name is: HaitiMedRelief
Got a medication needs list from a cardiologist in Port au Prince; busy colllecting meds and trying to fit them into the suitcases!

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2010-02-22T16:55:00.000-08:00

2010-02-22T14:38:00.001-08:00

Making contacts with specialists who could be part of online/ text support to docs in Haiti .

Justin Jefferson helping me pack meds fo

2010-02-22T14:20:00.000-08:00

Justin Jefferson helping me pack meds for Haiti

Cat wants to go too?

2010-02-21T08:15:00.000-08:00

Cat wants to go too?

Dr Russo in Galveston

2010-02-21T05:44:00.000-08:00

Dr Russo in Galveston

Laptop Computer on its way to Haiti. Thanks Discount Electronics of Austin,Texas

2010-02-21T05:39:00.000-08:00

Trip to Haiti

2010-02-20T09:56:00.000-08:00

Preparing for the trip to Haiti for medical relief. Thanks to Discount Electronics for their great support. Will blog more ...

2010-02-20T08:10:00.000-08:00

from a guy nathan on lonelyplanet blog: Haiti - just returnedI just returned from a month in Haiti. Here is the short list of key points.1. Travel overland from Santo Domingo, via Terra Bus or Caribe Tours, is no problem. Just show up at the station an hour prior to the departure and off you go. Caribe Tours has three large Grayhound-like buses going each direction every day. Cost is $69 each way.2. Many hotels were destroyed (e.g. The Montana), but many others are still functioning. The Kinam in Petionville is for the most part unchanged since before the earthquake except that is it full of journalists. Make a reservation before you arrive. The Olaffson was damaged and I consider their "standard" rooms unsafe, but they are still renting them out for $100/night. No reservation... The standard rooms have no running water ... The nicer rooms/cottages have running water and electr. and AC most of the time; Wireless is up -ut slow. restaurant has same menu... being in the "red zone" hurts their business. Food is readily available on the streets, but few restaurants are open. The city is no more dangerous that it was before the earthquake, but this might change as the rains start.. Prices are going up of course. A translator/guide will cost you $80-100/day. A driver/car for the day will be closer to $125-150. A taxi from the airport to the Olaffson (most of the way across PAP) will run you about $30-40. (motorcycle taxis $5 for the airport to Olaffson run. Shampoo, basics available on the streets, but not paper,pens,books, The city smells bad.(bodies/ garbage ) people are wear surgical masks. North of the city/Segiun areas, things are still good. The camps are everywhere. Don't bother trying to go to the embassy for anything short of an emergency. Register online. Commercial flights restarting-backlog couple weeks. Cell phone coverage is better than the US. ATT and Sprint are waiving all call and data fees through the end of February from Haiti. -Nathanlake