Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Haiti and the Road to Recovery

2012; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Volume: 129; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1097/prs.0b013e3182419a3b

1529-4242

Brian J. Lee,

Global Health and Surgery

Sir:FigureI applaud Drs. Adetayo, Gabriel, and Gupta on the article “Haiti and the Road to Recovery: Surviving the Human Aftershocks, Battles with the Cholera Epidemic, and the Anticipation of a New Political Era” (Plast Reconstr Surg. 2011;128:577–578). This continues the focus on an impoverished nation and a humanitarian cause that likely drew all of us into the medical profession—service to others. I had the privilege of serving in Haiti at Mission of Hope Haiti three times in the first 6 months after the earthquake and included my wife and two sons on one of the trips. Mission of Hope Haiti is located just a few miles north of Port-au-Prince and was the closest medical clinic north of the city and was inundated with patients in the first few minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months after the quake. Mission of Hope Haiti converted their pharmacy into an operating room, as this was the only air-conditioned, sealed room in the clinic, and used the school as the hospital ward, necessitating carrying patients over a quarter mile from recovery to the ward. Texas Orthopedics in Austin, Texas, and Dr. Joel Hurt and his wife, Ashley, and a myriad of others orchestrated the initial organization and coordination of medical teams during this chaotic time. Many communities and businesses donated medications and supplies, including Zimmer (a much-needed dermatome, mesher, and hundreds of carriers) and Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (five vacuum-assisted closure machines). Craig Hobar, M.D., and I had multiple conversations, attempting to coordinate care of plastic surgical patients from several different facilities in Haiti during this time. Surgical care ceased at Mission of Hope Haiti in August of 2010 when the volume and acuity of patients declined and the pharmacy was reinstituted to serve more Haitian people on a daily basis. The greatest lesson I learned was that the Haitian people have a strong resolve with a deep faith and appreciation for life and health. I also realized that Haiti can recover, but this recovery requires inside leadership and outside help. In other words, the change has to be initiated and embraced by the local people but is highly dependent on outside financial and mentoring assistance to teach and sustain growth and independence. That is exactly the goal of Mission of Hope Haiti. Mission of Hope Haiti was established as a Christian-based mission in 1998 by Brad and Vanessa Johnson and has grown to include an orphanage with over 60 children, a kindergarten through 12th-grade school with 2500 students, a medical clinic that treats local patients, an outreach program for smaller isolated villages, a church, several trade schools, and a prosthetic laboratory that fabricates limbs for the hundreds of patients who have required amputation since the earthquake. Current efforts include the construction of a hospital with an emergency room; separate men's, women's, and children's wards; an outpatient clinic; a pharmacy; and eventually two operating rooms. We are hopeful that funding and construction will allow the reestablishment of surgical care by spring 2012. In addition, Mission of Hope Haiti has initiated “HaitiOne,” whose goal is to coordinate all missions and organizations in Haiti. Mission of Hope Haiti functions purely with volunteer missionaries and donations to accomplish the following amazing feats. In the first year after the earthquake, Mission of Hope was able to: Deliver more than 15 million meals. Begin feeding 50,000 children a day. Treat 27,000 patients at the Clinic of Hope. Perform 266 orthopedic and plastic operations. Provide 75 prosthetic limbs. Construct 18 village homes. Start construction on building a 500-home community. Build a patient ward and medical storage facility. Expand the School of Hope to include over 2500 students. Equip over 200 family farmers with agricultural training. See more than 1000 people make first-time commitments to follow Jesus. We have set out not only to provide immediate relief but also to assist in future recovery, ultimately promoting a rebirth of the country that we love so much. Mission of Hope is playing an active role in the rebuilding and recovery of this nation. As large as the accomplishments are, Mission of Hope Haiti is a relatively small organization doing enormous good. For further information, please feel free to contact Mission of Hope Haiti (mohhaiti.org) or me. Brian J. Lee, M.D. Summit Plastic Surgery, 11141 Parkview Plaza Drive, Suite 300, Fort Wayne, Ind. 46845, [email protected]