A Week in Haiti: The First Deployment

March 29, 2010

On Jan. 12, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked Haiti's streets, homes and buildings. Hitting just 10 miles west of Porte-au-Prince with its two million citizens, this major quake sent 33 aftershocks ranging from 4.0 to 5.9 on the Richter Scale.

In response to the more than 3 million people in need of emergency aide, UNMC Physicians and The Nebraska Medical Center sent a deployment of providers and medical staff. Dr. Miguel Daccarett shows a boy his picture for the first time. The boy had recently lost his parents to the earthquake.

Upon arrival, providers were escorted to various medical facilities in order evaluate how to best use their skills and resources. Representing UNMC Physicians were Miguel Daccarett, MD, orthopaedic trauma surgeon; Corrigan McBride, MD, general surgeon and chief of staff at The Nebraska Medical Center; David Young, MD, trauma surgeon; and Oluyemisi Odugbesan, MD, anesthesiologist.

"When we got to the Community Hospital the supplies were limited and disorganized. There were boxes of donated items, some marked - others not," said Dr. McBride.

Fortunately, the group of four had already anticipated the need for some of the supplies. On the plane they had brought with them large containers of ibuprofen and Tylenol, along with 500 doses of antibiotics, gauze to dress wounds and IV medicines.

In addition to the supplies being low, the surgical units had a shortage of nurses. Dr. Dacarrett was one of five surgeons in his unit at the Community Hospital but at that time there were no official nurses or scrub technicians. He and a surgeon from Mississippi performed the surgical procedures, while others assisted as scrub technicians or circulating nurses. Later in the week other Haitians arrived to provide services. One volunteer was a practicing lawyer, who found herself working as a circulating nurse. Haitian children carry buckets of water

During the week abroad, UNMC Physicians' surgeons performed more than 30 operations on a total of 18 patients.

"The hours that I put in were similar to what I do at the Med Center during a very busy week," said Dr. Dacarrett. "One night, I remember sleeping on the roof of the hospital both to enjoy the warm weather and to efficiently use my time before the next surgery."

UNMC Physicians providers were split into two groups. The first group - Drs. Dacarrett, McBride and Odugbesan - went to the Community Hospital located in the heart of the city. There were roughly 230 patients in the Community Hospital and about 100 in outside tents. These tents were different than those in the "tent cities" where many Haitians call home. The tents outside the hospital had a team of French and Canadian providers helping care for patients. Inside the Community Hospital, American, Swedish and Jamaican providers helped lead the way to Haitian recoveries.

The types of injuries inside the Community Hospital were different than those outside in the tents. The hospital building was used for surgeries and other detailed procedures, while the tents were used to care for minor wounds and as a skilled nursing facility.

"There were a lot of soft tissue injuries. Some were just large cuts, but others had muscle and sections of skin missing. Amputations were very common," said Dr. McBride.

Dacarrett primarily worked on big bone fractures at the Community Hospital. These fractures, if not set within a short time frame, could lead to prolonged debilitation. The pelvis, femur (leg) and tibia (arm) were the most common breaks.

Young was stationed at the MediShare Hospital near the airport. When he first arrived, Young was not surprised to see the less than adequate, non-sterile clinic setting. The floor of the tent hospital was plain dirt covered by thin, partially-exposed plywood. Spiders, even tarantulas, crawled up through cracks where roughly 200 cots filled with patients suffering from prevalent infections were located.

Another deployment to both hospitals in Porte-au-Prince is currently under discussion. As of February, UNMC Physicians and The Nebraska Medical Center has sent two groups. The UNMC Haitian Relief and Outreach Fund has raised nearly $80,000 to help support these volunteers.

"I do not recall another effort like this one in my time at the University of Nebraska Foundation. This effort supporting our people going to Haiti is truly unique," said Amy Volk, vice president of University of Nebraska Foundation.

If you would like to help us ease the suffering in Haiti, please consider donating to The Haitian Relief and Outreach Fund , which supports the purchase of supplies and travel and lodging costs for our volunteers.



A Week in Haiti: The First Deployment March 29, 2010 On Jan. 12, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked Haiti's streets, homes and buildings. Hitting just 10 miles west of Porte-au-Prince with its two million citizens, this major quake sent 33 aftershocks ranging from 4.0 to 5.9 on the Richter Scale. In response to the more than 3 million people in need of emergency aide, UNMC Physicians and The Nebraska Medical Center sent a deployment of providers and medical staff. Upon arrival, providers were escorted to various medical facilities in order evaluate how to best use their skills and resources. Representing UNMC Physicians were Miguel Daccarett, MD, orthopaedic trauma surgeon; Corrigan McBride, MD, general surgeon and chief of staff at The Nebraska Medical Center; David Young, MD, trauma surgeon; and Oluyemisi Odugbesan, MD, anesthesiologist. "When we got to the Community Hospital the supplies were limited and disorganized. There were boxes of donated items, some marked - others not," said Dr. McBride. Fortunately, the group of four had already anticipated the need for some of the supplies. On the plane they had brought with them large containers of ibuprofen and Tylenol, along with 500 doses of antibiotics, gauze to dress wounds and IV medicines. In addition to the supplies being low, the surgical units had a shortage of nurses. Dr. Dacarrett was one of five surgeons in his unit at the Community Hospital but at that time there were no official nurses or scrub technicians. He and a surgeon from Mississippi performed the surgical procedures, while others assisted as scrub technicians or circulating nurses. Later in the week other Haitians arrived to provide services. One volunteer was a practicing lawyer, who found herself working as a circulating nurse. During the week abroad, UNMC Physicians' surgeons performed more than 30 operations on a total of 18 patients. "The hours that I put in were similar to what I do at the Med Center during a very busy week," said Dr. Dacarrett. "One night, I remember sleeping on the roof of the hospital both to enjoy the warm weather and to efficiently use my time before the next surgery." UNMC Physicians providers were split into two groups. The first group - Drs. Dacarrett, McBride and Odugbesan - went to the Community Hospital located in the heart of the city. There were roughly 230 patients in the Community Hospital and about 100 in outside tents. These tents were different than those in the "tent cities" where many Haitians call home. The tents outside the hospital had a team of French and Canadian providers helping care for patients. Inside the Community Hospital, American, Swedish and Jamaican providers helped lead the way to Haitian recoveries. The types of injuries inside the Community Hospital were different than those outside in the tents. The hospital building was used for surgeries and other detailed procedures, while the tents were used to care for minor wounds and as a skilled nursing facility. "There were a lot of soft tissue injuries. Some were just large cuts, but others had muscle and sections of skin missing. Amputations were very common," said Dr. McBride. Dacarrett primarily worked on big bone fractures at the Community Hospital. These fractures, if not set within a short time frame, could lead to prolonged debilitation. The pelvis, femur (leg) and tibia (arm) were the most common breaks. Young was stationed at the MediShare Hospital near the airport. When he first arrived, Young was not surprised to see the less than adequate, non-sterile clinic setting. The floor of the tent hospital was plain dirt covered by thin, partially-exposed plywood. Spiders, even tarantulas, crawled up through cracks where roughly 200 cots filled with patients suffering from prevalent infections were located. Another deployment to both hospitals in Porte-au-Prince is currently under discussion. As of February, UNMC Physicians and The Nebraska Medical Center has sent two groups. The UNMC Haitian Relief and Outreach Fund has raised nearly $80,000 to help support these volunteers. "I do not recall another effort like this one in my time at the University of Nebraska Foundation. This effort supporting our people going to Haiti is truly unique," said Amy Volk, vice president of University of Nebraska Foundation. If you would like to help us ease the suffering in Haiti, please consider donating to The Haitian Relief and Outreach Fund , which supports the purchase of supplies and travel and lodging costs for our volunteers.
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