DAY 4-CUTCO TEAM AT CLINIC IN JACMEL

Post by: Lindsay Musser

Note: I’ve posted two blogs today, so if you’re just checking in to our page, please be sure you read the previous post as well.

Until the funds for a full hospital can be raised, Angel Wings runs periodic temporary clinics out of the Christ Love Center in St. Cyr. Below is the Cutco team preparing for a day of work at the clinic.

Cutco team at the Christ Love Center in St Cyr, location of temporary clinic

Although direct medical attention, is, of course, the most urgent need, any doctor we talk to agrees that one of the most challenging elements of working in temporary emergency relief clinics is the ORGANIZATION of medical supplies. Angel Wings has received generous donations from various organizations and individuals, but currently can only store supplies in Christ Love Center. Those same supplies have to be boxed up and moved when the medical teams run a clinic in Port au Prince, only to be packed up again and taken to Jacmel. The Cutco team committed to organizing 3 rooms of medical supplies in Christ Love Center, clearing the way for medical personnel to work efficiently.

Storage Room 1, BEFORE:

Storage Room 1, BEFORE

Storage Room 1, DURING:

Heather Drew, Noah & Susan Saunders organize supplies

Noah Saunders and Andy Jeanty move boxes

Storage Room 2, AFTER

Storage Room 1 AFTER

Storage Room 2, BEFORE

Storage room 3 BEFORE

Storage Room 3, AFTER

Storage Room 3 AFTER

Heather Drew organizes pills in Angel Wings' mobile pharmacy

Angel Wings volunteers can also help directly in organizing patients for the doctors to see. “Triage” is a medical term for deciding which patients’ needs are the most serious and need to be attended to first. Non-medical personnel don’t make triage decisions, but they can walk patients through a questionnaire that allows the doctors to make the right decisions.

Carl and Heather Drew help with triage

In emergency relief situations, non-medical volunteers can also do simple tasks like count pills for patients under a doctor’s direction.

Susan Saunders counts pills

Getting these kinds of simple tasks finished allows the doctors to focus on seeing patients. The Angel Wings team of Drs. Chris Le and Robert Abello saw about 100 more patients.

This patient was actually first seen at the Tent City clinic: Dr. Robert asked him to come back so we could do a small surgery with only local anesthetic. He bore the pain quite bravely.

Again, the local volunteers you see in the background were able to get firsthand medical experience. Were there a full hospital, these two might have a place to help them pursue a medical career after possibly attending school in the Dominican Republic.