Expanding Health Care in Liberia

The man who came into the ER was vomiting blood. A viper had bitten him, and it had taken him more than 24 hours to reach the hospital, which was far away from where he lived.

He could only afford one vial of antivenin, so that was all the public hospital was willing to give him. It was clear, though, that that wasn’t going to be enough.

The Hospitals of Hope team, which was at the hospital installing medical equipment, saw the man’s condition and quickly decided to help cover the cost of his treatment. By that point, unfortunately, it was too late.

This man’s life likely could have been saved by quicker treatment, but Liberia’s lack of medical infrastructure makes it difficult to access health care.

In the past two years, we have primarily focused our work at JFK Medical Center, since this is the referral center for the entire country of Liberia and since it lacked basic medical equipment. In the last year, Hospitals of Hope has donated $1.1 million of medical equipment to JFK, greatly increasing its capacity to effectively treat patients.

Now, however, after February’s trip installing x-ray machines, a central oxygen system, and more, we believe that it is time for us to expand our reach in Liberia, working with smaller clinics and hospitals to ensure easier access to care.

In April, we will be sending another container of medical equipment to Liberia, this one primarily aimed at equipping smaller clinics. We will work with 2 other organizations on this project, providing the equipment necessary to supply the medical clinics they are building.

Another trip is planned for Liberia this summer, in the last 2 weeks of June or the beginning of July. If you are interested in joining this team, whether to treat patients, train staff, or install equipment, please contact Daniel White at daniel@hospitalsofhope.org.

Esperanza

Esperanza* was pregnant and living under a bridge. At just 17 years old, she already had a 2-year-old son and was expecting her second.

For street kids like Esperanza, healthcare of any kind is pretty far out of reach. The government hospital, which is supposed to provide care for the poor, discriminates against street kids, giving them insufficient care or flat-out refusing to treat them.

That had happened to Maria, a 14-year-old suffering from an infection so severe that she could barely walk, who was turned away at the door of the hospital, even though she had money to pay for treatment. Fortunately, in her case, missionaries intervened, possibly saving her life.

Diego wasn’t so lucky. He had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and had suffered severe wounds in a knife fight. While the government hospital treated him, they released him within 8 hours of major intestinal surgery. He died from infection less than 24 hours later.

Brianna Brown, a missionary affiliated with Hospitals of Hope, wanted to make sure that Esperanza and her baby didn’t fall through the cracks. She and another missionary arranged for housing for Esperanza, and she took her out of the city to Hospitals of Hope for pre-natal care.

The kindness of the hospital staff astonished Esperanza, as they treated her with dignity and respect and played with her son. She saw her baby boy growing healthily on the ultrasound, and, when she returned to the city, she couldn’t stop telling the other street kids about how clean the hospital was and how kindly the staff had treated her.

Esperanza’s baby, Luis, has since been born, strong and healthy, thanks in part to the care shown by the Hospitals of Hope staff. More than just medical care, however, Esperanza received the love of Jesus, expressed through the hospital staff and volunteers.


*Names have been changed.

Happy Inconvenience Yourself Day!

Happy Inconvenience Yourself Day! What, you’ve never heard of this holiday? Well, neither had I, until a couple of days ago. Inconvenience Yourself Day is a day dedicated to going out of our way to be kind to others, “to focus on inconveniencing ourselves instead of inconveniencing others” (www.inconvenienceyourself.com).

Even though I’d never heard of this holiday before this week, I think it’s a great idea, and it’s made me reflect on how this concept relates to our work.

We’ve got a great group of volunteers who inconvenience themselves all the time to help us provide quality medical care—through helping in the warehouse, working on the Clinics in a Can, doing secretarial work, etc. This work isn’t always fun, but our volunteers have really been great about giving of their time and talents to help us serve.

Our faithful donors inconvenience themselves frequently by making financial sacrifices on behalf of those we serve. Area clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, and doctors’ offices inconvenience themselves by saving useful medical supplies to be sent to countries like Bolivia, Liberia, and Haiti. Saving these items can take up time and space, but it means a lot to those who will receive them.

We are truly grateful to all of those who inconvenience themselves so that we can serve.

Most of all, though, we’re thankful that God inconveniences himself for us. It wasn’t convenient for him to die on a cross, and it isn’t convenient for him when we frequently mess things up. But that’s what grace is all about. I’m so glad we have a God who prioritizes us, rather than convenience.

Clinics, Liberia, and life at Hospitals of Hope

It’s been amazing seeing the way the Clinics in a Can have come along in the last couple of weeks. We’ve had a great group of volunteers coming in every day for the last few weeks, and Hutton Construction donated several of their employees for about 3 weeks. The clinics look great, and they’ll be a huge blessing to many in Haiti.

This Clinic in a Can project has definitely been a learning experience for me. While I haven’t been involved in the hands-on details, like sheet rocking and plumbing, I am learning my way around Home Depot, and I can now tell you what, exactly, a down cut jigsaw blade is!

Mike and Daniel are in Liberia right now, where they’ll be installing the medical equipment that we sent in December. The container has arrived in port and should be released from customs soon. Please pray for the quick release of the container and for safety as they unload it and install the equipment.

While they’re over there, I (Leta) am here in Wichita, working with volunteers to equip the clinics, pick up supplies, and run the day-to-day business of the office. There’s plenty of work to keep us all busy, so, if you’re in need of something to do, I could definitely put you to work. :) (You can send me an email at leta@hospitalsofhope.org or call me at 262.0964 if you’d like to come in.) Or, if you’d like to just drop by and see the Clinics, I’d love to show them to you; just give me a call to let me know when you’re coming. Either way, we’d love to see you!

Clinics in a Can

Thanks to many of you, we're making great progress on our Haiti relief efforts. As many of you know, Hospitals of Hope constructed a self-contained medical clinic in a shipping container -- called a Clinic in a Can -- in 2005. This clinic was initially utilized in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and was then sent to Les Cayes, Haiti. This clinic is currently being put to use by relief workers, as refugees flee from Port Au Prince to the surrounding communities. But with hundreds of thousands injured, many hospitals destroyed, and relief teams operating in the open air or under tents, more medical facilities are desperately needed.

We plan to send 2 Clinics in a Can and a small hospital constructed out of 3 other shipping containers, and, thanks to your support, we should have the first of these clinics finished next week. We have had a number of volunteers coming in to help, and Hutton Construction has donated the time and expertise of many of its employees. A number of other local businesses have pitched in, including Wesley Medical Center, Castle Door, A & H Electric, Wilko Paints, and more.

To learn more about what we're doing in Haiti, or to see pictures of the Clinic in a Can, check out our Haiti Relief page. You can also find a list of items we still need there. If you're interested in donating items or in coming in to help out, give us a call at 316.262.0964 or email info@hospitalsofhope.org.

Haiti Relief - Clinic in a Can

Medical personnel in Haiti are currently treating patients out of tents, since many hospitals and clinics were destroyed by the recent earthquake. To meet the urgent medical needs Haitians are facing, Hospitals of Hope plans to construct and send 5 “Clinics in a Can”— self-contained medical clinics built in the back of 40’ shipping containers.

These clinics are durable and designed to survive earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. While hospitals and clinics will take years to rebuild, we plan to have the first “Clinic in a Can” on the ground in Haiti in 5-6 weeks. Learn more about the previous “Clinic in a Can” that we sent to Haiti.

In our initial response, we will construct two clinics, each containing two 8’ x 12’ exam rooms, an 8’ x 11’ laboratory, and a storage area. We will coordinate with other organizations already on the ground in Haiti to ensure that the clinics are shipped to the areas of greatest need.

In the coming months, if funding is available, we plan to build a small hospital by combining three shipping containers in a U-shaped formation. This hospital will contain 1 surgical suite, 1 recovery room, 1 laboratory, 3 exam rooms, and a central courtyard.

If you would like to help build Clinics in a Can or would like to donate medical or construction supplies, please contact the Hospitals of Hope office at 316.262.0964 or via email at daniel@hospitalsofhope.org. To financially support our work in Haiti, please visit our website.

Current Medical Equipment Needs

* 6 roll-around stools
* Scales
* Syringes
* Gloves
* 6 swan-neck or other exam lights
* Orthopedic supplies (plaster of paris, casting material)
* IV supplies
* IVs
* 4x4 gauze
* Kerlix gauze
* Tongue depressors
* Urine dipsticks
* Blood pressure cuffs
* 6 Welch Allyn wall unit otoscopes/ ophthalmoscopes
* 3 mayo stands
* Microscopes and other basic lab equipment
* Manual surgical table (for future hospital)
* Overhead surgical light (for future hospital)

Disaster in Haiti

As I'm sure you've all heard by now, Haiti was hit yesterday by a devastating earthquake, registering 7.0 on the Richter scale. Several of you have contacted us about what Hospitals of Hope's response will be to the disaster and asking for ways that you can get involved.

After thinking and praying about the situation, we believe that organizations such as Samaritan's Purse and World Vision are in a better position to respond to the immediate crisis. These groups already have disaster response teams in motion, so we would urge you to support them, as the first couple of days after an event like this are the most crucial.

We have been working in Haiti for several years now, and we are committed to continuing our work there, especially in the wake of this disaster. We have a team going to Haiti in July of this year, and we may assemble a team to go in the next month or so, as well. If you or your church is assembling a team, we would be happy to donate medical supplies and equipment to support your trip. If you are interested either in joining a team or in donations of medical supplies, please email info@hospitalsofhope.org or call our office at 316.262.0964.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti today, and we will continue to look for ways we can serve in the weeks and months ahead.