AmeriCares supplies distributed to Shada Clinic

Thanks to AmeriCares we were able to distribute much needed ORS, IV sets and fluid, antibiotics, gloves, disinfectant, hand sanitizer, children's bandages and nutritional supplements. Madame Bwa and all the clinic staff where there to receive the supplies and were extremely grateful: the pharmacy is being restocked as we speak.

Before these supplies came the community of Shada was relying on Madame Bwa to make home-made oral serum day and night because of the poor access they have to treated water.

We also supplied some MSPP posters and creole educational info for the clinic staff.

[caption id="attachment_353" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="supplies being brought in"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_360" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Madame Bwa overseeing the operation"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_359" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="supplies piled up in storage area"][/caption]

Coram Cholera Supplies distributed to St Francois de Sales clinic

The team handed over a significant amount of cholera supplies today to St Francois de Sales clinic in Vaudreuil, thanks to Coram. They are receiving around 15 patients a day and treating them with ors +/- IV fluid to stabilise before referring onto the gymnasium, the closest CTC. Although they are well staffed, they have so far received no support in obtaining cholera supplies to support their service.

They were very grateful for the supplies we gave.

Hannah

Cotelette and Jacquesyl Supplies brought to Cap by Helicopter

The team received two helicopter loads of supplies from AmeriCares today, thanks to German Help One. The supplies include nutritional supplement drinks as well as cholera supplies. We will be distributing these later this week.

Delivery of supplies for Shada

We had our first delivery of supplies from AmeriCares today, using the German Help One helicopter service to bring it from Port-au-Prince.

To make the most of the helicopter, we coordinated this with three patient discharges from Haiti Hospital Appeal. The plan was to complete three runs between CAP and PAP but unfortunately there was a fault with the helicopter so the other trips had to be postponed.

Because of this fault we actually had to unload the helicopter of the supplies and put the spinal patients into it whilst the engine was still running and the propeller still going, which was slightly scary!

We hope to receive AmeriCares supplies for Cotelette and Jacquesyl in the early in the New Year. We will continue to work with German Help One helicopter service, brought to Haiti especially to help with transporting cholera supplies around the country.

Physical Rehabilitation Services in Cap Haitien

There is good news on the future of rehabilitation services offered in Cap Haitien.

The network team met with Anne-Vierge, the Haitian voluntary Physiotherapist working at Action Sanitaire yesterday to discuss their services. She has changed the structure of her caseload to allow for quicker discharges and therefore a greater capacity to see new patients. She is setting up a referral form and information sheet to promote the service.

Haiti Hospital Appeal in Quatier Morin is also officially opening up their rehab unit next week. They are starting with a series of patient assessment days and from there will run an inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation service.

Dr Moise, a Haitien rehab physician who has been providing ongoing input to the spinal patients since the earthquake will be attending two days a week. They have also employed a Haitien physio to work initially for three days a week, with the two therapy assistants already employed by the NGO.

As a physiotherapist I will be providing assistance with setting up the unit. I also hope to provide education and development sessions to the physiotherapists and assistants at both Haiti Hospital Appeal and Action Sanitaire.

We will post more information to our yahoo groups site as soon as we receive it.

Hannah

Visit to the Cholera Treatment Centres in the town of Trou-du-Nord

Juline, myself and a spanish-speaker went to Trou-du-Nord to find out more about the cholera treatment in this area, having been unsuccessful in obtaining any information over the phone.

We first visited the Merlin CTU/C which opened up 2 days ago on the west side of Trou-du-Nord. This facility is run purely from tents, with a maximum capacity of 50 beds. They currently have 13 patients and have had no deaths. It appeared to be a very well-run, organised structure working to the cholera guidelines of plan a,b and c.

We then visited the Hospital in Trou-du-Nord run by the Cuban Corporation. We met with the lead doctor to find out more about their cholera services in Trou-du-Nord and around the North and North-East Departments.

Unfortunately we were not able to get much information from him. He explained that they have treated a total of 1662 cholera patients at that hospital. They currently however only have 2 patients.

The Cuban Corporation and Merlin are now in agreement that Merlin will be the main treatment centre in Trou-du-Nord from now on. They are working on promotion of the Merlin CTC so patients come straight to them. However the Cubans said that they will continue to fully treat those patients that come to them, rather than redirecting them.

He couldn't give us any information about any other Cuban run health facilities or cholera treatment centres, but did confirm there is a cuban ctc in Fort Liberte. He said he does not have access to email.

Update from OXFAM

I met with Humpfry from OXFAM on Friday who gave me the following update of their work:

Areas they are working in:
Limbe
Bas Limbe
Borgne
Cap Haitien:
Petit Anse
Fort Saint Michel
Shada
Conasa
Nan Banan
Cite de Peupe
Cite Lescot
Bas Ravine
Tivotine

WASH
They are providing WASH education through these areas throughout the communities.

WATER TREATMENT
Provide chorination to the regional reservoirs (through SNEP and MSPP).
Provide chlorination to private reservoirs (ie visiting water tankers) at Fort Saint Michel and Shada Provide aquatabs to the companies manning hand pumps
Mann wells to provide chlorination to buckets taken from well.

SNEP is a governmental organisation that OXFAM has been working with, but apparently SNEP has discontinued. Therefore any areas not assisted by OXFAM should contact Ferm from DINEPA directly on 34634760 (French and Creole).

He also explained that their emergency contingency is to provide aquatabs to an area/ water source. After about 1 month they look to replacing this with chlorination as a more sustainable method.

Distribution of cholera supplies to St Raphael

Today St Raphael collected their supplies we reserved from the USAID delivery, including 15 boxes of Lactacted Ringer solution. The USAID supplies have now all been given out.

Notre Dame de la Merci in Robiuard

Use of World Food Program Warehouse

Juline and I had a successful meeting with the World Food Program today. We have secured some space at their Cap warehouse to help us increase our capacity to distribute cholera and general medical supplies around the North and North East. Located near to the Chilien UN helipad and logistics base, it is in a prime location to link with the UN and use of their landing spot.

We are hoping to use it as of next week. This picture shows just one of their two warehouses. They also have tents to provide further storage where necessary.