Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go!
The group is called NOAA, the National Organization for the Advancement of Haitians.
We're the New York chapter, and this year we conducted a medical mission in the town of Forty-Rita, Haiti.
We partnered with another organization called the Haitian American Alliance.
We were able to attract 36 volunteers, of which there were physicians, nurses, planners, students, volunteers, translators,
and performed at least 62 surgeries, are nephrectomy, several hysterectomies, several minor surgeries,
and as well we conducted a minor HIV study.
The first day we got there, it was over a thousand people waiting for us.
When I arrived at Haiti, it was a very different experience.
Actually I was overwhelmed because I see that there are so many patients with so many chronic and acute problems
and they don't have the money to get medications.
I remember specifically one night where we were all out of energy and we had nothing more to give
and there were more medicines that had to be handed out and a lot of people waiting around to get their medication.
Although I think it was almost nine o'clock, we just, each of us individually,
to say that we're going to take one more prescription from one more person and fill it.
And it was really hard to walk away. I mean, I think that was the thing that's going to stay with me the most
is the fact that none of us in this group that we had, we found it really hard just to walk away.
She's very happy that she's here and she got her medication.
My name is Joyce Wilson Savage. I am a certified pharmacy technician.
I've been on many missions and they're all, you know, chaotic, especially in pharmacy.
The first stop is triage and the last stop is pharmacy and you expect the people to be there
because that's what they want, that's what they're there for to get their medication.
They need everything. Their equipment are so antiquated that we need updated equipment
and it is one of our goals to try and gather as much as possible for them.
As a specialist in gastroenterology, I thought they had some unit there for gastroenterology
but when I went there, they didn't really have one. They have some scope, they have some machine
but they are kind of old fashioned.
We did a lot of minor and major surgery, not with what we are used to in the United States
but we did the best with what was available to us.
So this is the operating room. As you can see, it's pretty basic.
They just have kind of standing lamps that they put in as opposed to true surgical lamps that come down from the ceiling.
This is the operating table, basic operating table. This is the anesthesia machine, the anesthesia area.
Here you see just a couple of sponges and some gloves and maybe like six different kinds of suture.
They don't have a blood bank here. They don't have any means to transfuse somebody.
We don't want to operate on anybody who has any kind of medical problems.
It would be an anesthesia risk which is no way to save their lives.
I mean, this is it.
The crowds outside are at least 200 people for sure.
In the best of cases, we couldn't do that in a week or 10 days.
If we could do 20 patients a day, we are moving along well.
But even at 30 cases a day, there is no way we can finish everybody who is outside.
Thank you.
Here is the doctor
I want to see the lips and...
I'm going to clean my heart a bit because I've been a bit aggrieved by this.
Please help me get some papers and I'll do the stomachין results.
It looks like there's a corn body hanging in her eye and her pupils are fix and dilated
and her limbs are intact.
It's not pierced anywhere and you can see it move around.
We are interested, especially in the world of beautification, because we saw so many children in waterborne diseases
and it would be so helpful to them as a whole because the town basically, they have built some wells
but even these wells, the water there is not necessarily clean.
My name is Davika Bridgerall. I'm a nurse practitioner, pediatrics, seeing patients, many patients have varying complaints
but their primary complaint was respiratory issues, abdominal issues, parasites, there's a major one as well, and skin disorders.
My name is Steve Cattle. I'm a pediatrician. I saw lots of children, about 100 kids,
between myself and a nurse practitioner each day that we saw patients.
We did a lot of good work and did some work for kids that people seem to neglect here
and didn't feel like the work they should have been doing at the University
and I got a lot of good praise from some of the parents that I saw.
One of our nurses from Category Canada, Michelle Taggart and Dr. Paul Alexis from New York,
held health education classes. They taught hygiene at first aid
and one of our focus, again, going forward is to continue on with these classes.
About 25 youths aged 20 to 25 were chosen from different areas of the community.
Be available within those quadrants of the community to be able to be designated first aiders,
be able to learn cuts, burns, major bleeding, top bum choking, prevention.
My name is Paul Alexis. I'm a physician. I'm working basically as a health educator in New York.
I'm Asian American and I was very proud to go back to my country after 10 years.
There are so many different nationalities that will contribute to the cause.
However, one of the needs is lots of translators.
What I've been doing mostly is, as a speaker of both Creole and English, I've been translating for some of the doctors who only speak English.
She said she appreciates the dermatologist seeing her here today.
It's an opportunity that she probably wouldn't have had if she wasn't able to come here today.
This is Madame Joseph Canes. She's been suffering with a free bomb for over six years.
This is one more person who's been very happy to have a free surgery and free medication.
I was so grateful to come on this mission. I feel that I got a lot accomplished.
A lot of young children were seen, the elderly were seen, and they seemed grateful for our services.
So it was nice to come back home and serve the Haitian people.
We saw people from all across Haiti who were able to touch a lot of lives.
And the mission was successful. It was wonderful.
Without help, we cannot get it done, and we need more volunteers. We need more doctors to come out.
Haiti is the dying need of healthcare.
We saw what this town could be, and automatically fell in love with the place.
Since the last medical mission to Fort Liberté, we lost one of our dearest friends.
He was the most committed and hardest worker, Mr. Stanley Balbo.
Stanley loved life, and most of all, he loved Haiti. He was always present.
Stanley, for the past two years, was battling cancer, but no one would have known it unless you knew Stanley.
In his honor, we have decided to rename the medical mission, the Stanley Balbo Medical Mission.
And to express our love and affection for this great man.
Thank you.
