CTC at Robillard

We just visited Notre Dame de la Merci at Robillard, which has a cholera treatment unit (CTU, a smaller version of the CTC, or cholera treatment center) that has been hit hard with cases from the surrounding area (mostly communes of Acul du Nord, Plaine du Nord, Milot). The cholera burden was less at this point from a high a few weeks ago. We talked to Dr Carroll, an American internal medicine/emergency doctor, with decades of experience in Haiti, who is at the clinic for two weeks. The clinic and CTU was well stocked and organized, and had a full load of patients with other conditions.

from dr john carroll in haiti

http://blogs.pjstar.com/haiti/2011/11/19/greetings-from-robillard-haiti-november-19-2011/

Bord de Mer clinic, Limonade

Covsky and I had visited Bord de mer clinc, is open five days a week, and consist of on doctor and one nurse. On average they see about 100 patients per month, paying 50gdes.

Currently there aren't any ONGs supporting the clinic so they buy their medication to run the pharmacy. The clinic has a check up room, lab, pharmacy, and a labor room. The labor room isn't running due to lack of equipments.

I have passed through several clinics and Bord de mer clinic needs the most help. the Pharmacy is empty, the medication is expired.

The network team recently gave them useful medication, and their smiles were priceless.

11/11/11 A big day in Limonade - Dry Compost Toilet Inauguration

Good evening everyone,

 

We are pleased to share with you some pics of our dry compost toilets inauguration on Friday, November 11, 2011. This is a joint effort of Earth Aid Finland and Sonje Ayiti with financial support from UNDP. On behalf of the Municipality of Limonade, we would like to thankk each and everyone of you who participated to make this a reality. We will send you more info shortly about our composting site in partnership with the Municipality of Limonade, Earth Aid Finland, and Aalto University.

 

Best,

Gabie 

 

From Father Andre Sylvestre at Robillard

Hi, all!

 

I want to take this opportunity to thank all the institutions who sent delegations to visit us and who provided supplies to the CTC of Robillard in order to help us take care of the cholera patients.  Thanks to your supplies, we are able to take care of our patients now.  Thank you very much.  Please continue to help us fight the cholera outbreak.

 

I want to take this same opportunity to send you the following update:

 

1). My nurses reported that 3 cholera patients started having mental troubles in the CTC of Robillard.  According to your knowledge about cholera, is it an usual or normal outcome to have mental troubles when someone suffers from cholera?  Do other people working with cholera patients observe that phenomen in their area?  I think that it would be interesting to conduct a study about that phenomen.

 

2) Second, my nurses reported that 6 family members who were with cholera patients at the CTC of Robllard became infected by the cholera outbreak.  Is it the result of the mud that exists inside of the tents?  Is it because of lack of precautions? I think that it would be interesting that those who are more knowledgeable about cholera help us to prevent other people from getting cholera.

 

3) For those who may not know it, the clinic of Rose-Merci of Robillard was built by the parishioners of the parish of Saint Rose located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee in collaboration of father Raynold Michel, the former pastor of Robillard.  Without that clinic, many people of Robillard would be already dead from several kinds of diseases, particularly from the cholera outbreak.  Not only the parishioners of Saint Rose built the clinic Rose-Merci, but they also pay the salary of the doctor, the nurse and the lab technician.  I think that they had done enough.  We are now urgently asking the assistance of other international institution and of the Haitian government particularly to save the lives of the people of Robillard.

 

Please allow me to make some recommendations:

 

1) It would be helpful that those working for the well-being the Haitian people help the people of Grizon-Garde, Labruyere and La Souffriere (from the municipality of Acul du Nord) get their own CTC so that we can have less cholera patients at the CTC of Robillard, because, as I said in my previous email, we are not equiped to welcome a lot of cholera patients.  It is good to mention that the week during which there were 84 cholera patients at the CTC of Robillard, more than half of them came from the municipality of Aculd du Nord.  If nothing is done about helping the people of the municipality of Aculd du Nord to have their own CTC, not only there will be wrong statistics about the cholera patients of Robillard, but we will be also unable to privide good care to those who attend our CTC.  We like to save lives, but I think that we need to work in a reasonable way to that.

 

2) Those working for the well-being of the Haitian people should to help us find another place for the two tents, because it is not healthy to have cholera patients inside of them with a lot of mud and they are too close of the sewing school who welcome about 40 young people.  I strongly invite everyone to visit our CTC to see what I am talking about.  The situation is very serious.  It is an issue of public health. Come and see.  If nothing is done to change that situation, many more people of Robillard, particularly the young people of our sewing school, will get cholera and they may die.  It is common for some people having the power to make decisions to intervene only after a lot of people die. Do not allow that more people of Robillard die from cholera. Let us try to do something now before it become too late. For, it is better to prevent diseases than to have to cure them. For that reason, please be the voices of the people of Robillard.  You can make a big difference, because if we have enough of supplies to take care of the cholera patients for now it is thanks to your help and it is because you spoke on behalf of the people of Robillard.  So, please spread my message so that the authorized voices and those who want to help can receive it.  On behalf of all he people of Robillard, I thank you in advance.

 

father Andre Sylvestre

Pastor of the Parish of Robillard

Clean the World gala

Elisabeth and I attended the first ever fundraising gala of our Network participating organization Clean the World, held last night at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando. Clean the World, in only 2 years, has created a network of over 1600 hotels who send them discarded soap, which they sterilize and recycle for use in the third world, including Haiti, which has received over 2,000,000 bars so far.  This soap in turn help to prevent common contagious diseases.

We were joined at the Cap Haitien Health Network table by fellow volunteers Dr. Ralph and Ninotte Gousse, Nadine Mentor,  Maggy Alcineus, and Marie Robiou.

We look forward to continuing our partnership with Clean the World.  Shawn and William of their leadership corps tell us that we should be receiving more soap soon.