Most of the other members of our team are likely well known to the congregants of Akron Methodist Church.
Very briefly, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Josh Usen and I am a medical doctor from Amherst. If you really want to know more, there is some info about me and my practice at the website below.
I have spent the past three days working in the Mission's clinic, tending to the needs of the locales who walk in.
In case you were wondering, most of the afflictions the locals have here are the same as back home: colds, back pain, allergies, stomach aches. Of course, it would not be a trip to Haiti without a couple of malarias and a 'head rot.'
It would be easy to run down a litany of how dire the healthcare situation is. I cannot speak for the greater Haiti but in the little village near Jacmel where we are staying and working has things relatively together.
The clinic is a spacious rental that is the part of someone's home. There is a full time nurse, Ludi (who practices as a US Nurse Practicitioner would) and nurse who functions like a US Medical Assistant. We have been assigned a translator, Reggie. (pictures available in the gallery) The clinic is open M-F from approx 9a (Haitian time) until around 1p. Approx 20-25
pts come through daily. There is a reasonably wide supply of medicines - esp the 'important' ones: antifungals, antimalarials, antibiotics, hydrocortisone creams and a vast array of tools, solutions, syringes, needles, etc. I assume these items have been donated by previous missions as I found return packing addresses and business cards from SC, TN, NY, FL,
etc. Through generous donations, I brought down a nice box of stuff that I thought would be needed - happily, similar items were already present and in use! (thought for the future: keep an up to date inventory on line so that future medical professionals bring down what is needed and hold off on the duplicates - NB: fully stocked with cystoscopy kits, bone marrow biopsy trays
and others that, unfortunately, will never get used)
I am writing this to show how far they have come here, with the assistance, guidance and support of the Restore Haiti
community. It is FAR from a hopeless medical sespool as many assume. Pastor LaFleur has visions of enlarging the clinic, arranging for training the staff and having Jacmel become a medical beacon the Haitian wilderness.
Lastly, as this is a faith based mission, I feel that a little spirituality should be included in my blog entry. First
off, I am Jewish - and member of the newly merged and named Shir Shalom congegration (formerly Beth Am on Sheridan Drive in Williamsville) In the liturgy of the Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement- our holiest day of the year) service Jews are commanded (among MANY other things, mind you) to perform Tikun Olam - to help heal the Earth. Obviously this is somewhat up for interpretation but several rabbis have suggested that it mean that everyone has the responsibility to do SOMETHING to make the world a little better in the next year.
Shalom
jmu
Joshua M. Usen, DO
www.sweethomefamilymedicine.com
Very briefly, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Josh Usen and I am a medical doctor from Amherst. If you really want to know more, there is some info about me and my practice at the website below.
I have spent the past three days working in the Mission's clinic, tending to the needs of the locales who walk in.
In case you were wondering, most of the afflictions the locals have here are the same as back home: colds, back pain, allergies, stomach aches. Of course, it would not be a trip to Haiti without a couple of malarias and a 'head rot.'
It would be easy to run down a litany of how dire the healthcare situation is. I cannot speak for the greater Haiti but in the little village near Jacmel where we are staying and working has things relatively together.
The clinic is a spacious rental that is the part of someone's home. There is a full time nurse, Ludi (who practices as a US Nurse Practicitioner would) and nurse who functions like a US Medical Assistant. We have been assigned a translator, Reggie. (pictures available in the gallery) The clinic is open M-F from approx 9a (Haitian time) until around 1p. Approx 20-25
pts come through daily. There is a reasonably wide supply of medicines - esp the 'important' ones: antifungals, antimalarials, antibiotics, hydrocortisone creams and a vast array of tools, solutions, syringes, needles, etc. I assume these items have been donated by previous missions as I found return packing addresses and business cards from SC, TN, NY, FL,
etc. Through generous donations, I brought down a nice box of stuff that I thought would be needed - happily, similar items were already present and in use! (thought for the future: keep an up to date inventory on line so that future medical professionals bring down what is needed and hold off on the duplicates - NB: fully stocked with cystoscopy kits, bone marrow biopsy trays
and others that, unfortunately, will never get used)
I am writing this to show how far they have come here, with the assistance, guidance and support of the Restore Haiti
community. It is FAR from a hopeless medical sespool as many assume. Pastor LaFleur has visions of enlarging the clinic, arranging for training the staff and having Jacmel become a medical beacon the Haitian wilderness.
Lastly, as this is a faith based mission, I feel that a little spirituality should be included in my blog entry. First
off, I am Jewish - and member of the newly merged and named Shir Shalom congegration (formerly Beth Am on Sheridan Drive in Williamsville) In the liturgy of the Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement- our holiest day of the year) service Jews are commanded (among MANY other things, mind you) to perform Tikun Olam - to help heal the Earth. Obviously this is somewhat up for interpretation but several rabbis have suggested that it mean that everyone has the responsibility to do SOMETHING to make the world a little better in the next year.
Shalom
jmu
Joshua M. Usen, DO
www.sweethomefamilymedicine.com
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