Haiti Update

GHESKIO Tent CityWe have moved all ~7,000 people in the “GHESKIO Tent City” to higher ground in just three days. This required tremendous effort by members of the community, GHESKIO staff, the Haitian police, US military, and UN agencies. The new site was prepared with gravel, sand, and irrigation canals so that the ground would stay dry in the rainy season. It is only 100 meters from GHESKIO but is about 5 meters higher – well above sea level. Latrines, clean water, lighting, and security are now in place. Everyone has a proper tent. We have maintained our primary care medical clinic. With the help of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, a school was established for children age 6 – 12. (See our photo journal for pictures of the children at school.) Our plan is to identify groups of neighbors and families, rebuild their homes, and then move them back to their pre-earthquake neighborhoods. One of our primary objectives is to maintain the social fabric of Haiti’s neighborhoods and families. A home is more than bricks and mortar. It is family, neighbors, and friends. Rehabilitation for Trauma PatientsOur rehabilitation unit is led by Dr Hans Larsen, the premier orthopedic surgeon in Haiti. He is assisted by his wife who is a rehabilitation medicine expert, and by volunteers from the United States (Caris, New York Presbyterian Hospital). They are providing patients who suffered severe trauma with continued medical support and rehabilitation. Kervins Noel is the 2-year old boy who was separated from his mother in the aftermath of the earthquake and then reunited with her at GHESKIO. Many have written and asked about him. He is receiving therapy and is being fitted for a leg prosthesis. AIDS CareCare for our patients with HIV/AIDS continues. More than 95% of patients who were on antiretroviral drugs before the earthquake remain on therapy. In order to facilitate care and follow up, we are using cell phones to communicate with patients and remind them to take their drugs. We are receiving technical assistance from colleagues at the University of Virginia to implement this system. Tuberculosis (TB) care:As a consequence of the earthquake, the tuberculosis (TB) burden in Port-au-Prince has increased an estimated two-fold. TB is a major infectious disease killer and is passed from person to person through the air in crowded living conditions. Treatment requires 6 months of multi-drug therapy. Poor adherence with medications results in multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. During the earthquake, the three major tuberculosis sanitoriums in the city were destroyed along with a number of out-patient treatment centers. We believe that at least three thousand tuberculosis patients stopped their treatment and dispersed to crowded tent cities without their medications. GHESKIO is emergently working with the National TB Program, the United Nations, and other partners to strengthen TB screening and treatment in Port-au-Prince. The GHESKIO laboratory is the only one in the country capable of performing tuberculosis diagnostics: microscope examination, culture, and drug resistance testing. We provide free TB diagnosis and treatment to all patients who come to GHESKIO. We have opened a TB “field hospital” to provide in-patient services. This hospital is providing care to 50 patients. We are also assisting other health care centers in Port-au-Prince with TB diagnosis and treatment including the State University Hospital and other field hospitals. We are working with the Haitian Government and The United Nations to establish a system to screen people living in tent cities throughout Port-au-Prince for tuberculosis and provide them treatment of they test positive. Our goal is to screen 30,000 people this year.