A Medical Nightmare – and someone who’s doing something about it…..

As a follow up to the medical nightmare story that I told you about last night, I want to introduce you to a couple of friends who I’ve never met (well, I’ve met one).   They are all involved with Heartline Ministries and have been working in Haiti since before the earthquake.

Those friends are:

  • Troy and Tara Livesay – we have been friends since my wife and daughter spent a week with them when they were working in LaDigue.   They are some of the most real, honest and open people I know.   I’ve told many people that they make being a “missionary” cool.   Oh, and we also share the distinct privilege of being parents to boys named “Isaac” who were both adopted from Haiti.   You can read more of their writing at Livesay Haiti Blog.
  • John and Beth McHoul – John and Beth have been working in Haiti being the hands and feet of Jesus to the least of the least of these for many many years.   I’ve never met them but I have the utmost respect for what they are doing and the way that they are building relationships and helping people in real need see the love of Jesus in action.   Oh and he is fairly well known for his hair John McHoul and for his “contest” with Tara in an effort to raise $50,000 for Heartline’s new hospital.   Read about and help with the contest at The Big Hair/Hospital Challenge
  • Jen Halverson (aka Dokte Jen) is a pediatric doctor who “splits” her time between Minnesota and Haiti.   I really like the name of her blog, This Isn’t Grey’s Anatomy.

I don’t think it’s any surprise if I tell you that many of the organizations who were in Haiti prior to January 12 at 4:53 pm have spent quite a bit of time struggling with the question of what their mission, their vision and their future looks like compared to what they had planned before January 12.  

Heartline has felt led, due to the severe lack of medical care, to open up a medical clinic/hospital.   You can read more about that at Heartline’s Vision for the Future.    As you read in the last post and also can read at the Women and Children of Haiti deserve more……, the need for medical care is huge.

So, what can you do to help?   If you are a medical professional, here’s a concrete opportunity to help:


Help Wanted:

We are in need of a few nurses, an EMT, and a physical therapist to help out at Heartline Hospital from 9/18/10-10/7/10. We will be partnering with a surgical team at Double Harvest Hospital (located in Croix-des-Bouquets, about 10 miles from Heartline). The leader of the surgical team, Dr. Steve Smith, is an orthopedic surgeon with whom we worked closely back in March of this year. He will be bringing a second orthopedic surgeon, 2 OB/Gyn surgeons, and an ENT surgeon. They will be in Haiti for 10 days and plan to be very busy operating during that time. Heartline has many patients we will be sending to Double Harvest for surgery. We will take the patients back to Heartline for all of their post-operative care. Additionally, we will provide post-operative care for any other patients the Double Harvest surgical team feels would benefit from more prolonged post-op care. Nurses and EMTs would provide direct patient care (including medication administration, dressing changes, wound care, and so on) working 12 hour shifts, either day or night. Nurses and EMTs may also assist with patient transport and with the Heartline women’s program. Physical therapy is generally provided to the patients during the daytime hours.

 

 

 

 

If you know any medical people who would be interested in making a life changing trip (for the patients and maybe even for the caregivers) get in touch with Dokte Jen and she can coordinate the details.

If you aren’t a medical professional (like I’m not), stay tuned, there will be additional opportunities to help that I’ll have more on in the next couple of days.   Oh, and that good old fashioned thing called prayer works too!

Tom

 

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