Container Clinic Headed for Haiti!

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Future site of the container hospital in Haiti.

The 3-container hospital we’ve been building for Haiti is nearly ready to ship! This hospital will be operated by Aslan Youth Ministries, an organization working in the north-east of Haiti, within a mile of the border with the Dominican Republic.

Aslan Youth Ministries sought us out because our container hospital is ideal for the area they will be working in. With a fault line running right under where they work, steel shipping containers are much safer than a concrete structure.

We were able to work with them to optimize the design for their needs. One of the problems they told us about was the potential for traffic jams – because people aren’t used to regularly receiving medical care, teams are swamped with patients when they come. Even patients who aren’t really sick come to see the doctor, hoping to receive medicine that might help the next time they or their family members get sick.

To deal with this, Aslan Youth Ministries has developed a color-coding triage system for patients: red, yellow, or green. “Green” patients don’t really need to see the doctor, so these patients will simply receive a small medical kit containing items like Tylenol and Pepto-Bismol – which are too costly for most Haitians to keep on hand. In fact, they’ll often buy just 1 or 2 Tylenol at a time, because it is too expensive for them to buy an entire bottle.

To help avoid traffic jams of these patients, we installed an exterior window into the pharmacy of the hospital, enabling “green” patients to come get their medicine without disrupting the flow of patients inside.

Although the container hospital will be staffed by visiting medical teams to begin with, in the future, it will be staffed by Haitian doctors. We’re considering partnering with them to send a medical team this coming winter. If you’re interested in joining us on this trip or on our August 2011 trip to Haiti, send an email to info@hospitalsofhope.org or give us a call at 316.262.0964.

Chapter Bolivia

In the time I was in Bolivia, my life was changed. But it was not because Bolivia was a place of revelation for me. Nor was it because those three weeks were when I saw God work the most in my short twenty-two years. God was working in me before then and has been working in me since. It seems that no matter where I am, God molds my life so that I can live in His grace more each day.

The greatest lesson I learned from Bolivia was of Unity in the Spirit. No matter what church you go to or what language you speak, if you profess Christ and rely on Him for everything, we are siblings in Christ.

Perhaps the second greatest lesson I learned was what it means to have childlike faith, dependence on God for everything. Some days, it is difficult to see God at work. I want the world to change and to be inspired by God, and, when I do not see the change even in myself, I wonder if God works at all. But He provides even my faith by His grace. By relying on God, even for the motivation to desire Him, I have found my greatest strength lies not within myself, but in the grace of God through His Son Jesus Christ.

Amidst times of stress and weakness, the feeling of God’s closeness wanes, but faith is conviction without sight, assurance without foreknowledge. I remember that God has pulled me through and I laugh with joy.

You do not need to leave America to know God is real. You do not need to have the perfect plan to move forward with your life. All you need is to pursue righteousness. Live based on what you think is best at the time and be open to God’s Word for everything. And if He gives you opportunity to go, you should go. But trust that God will change your life no matter where you go.

~Scott Ho, Bolivia volunteer

2011 Servant Awards

Hospitals of Hope was chosen as one of three Grand Prize winners at the Wichita Servant Christian Community Foundation's 2011 Servant Awards last night. Check out this great video put together for the awards by 5ive Stones Creative!

Thanks to the Servant Christian Community Foundation for choosing us for this award, as well as to all of you who make what we do possible!

Clinic in a Can Container Clinic Allows Volunteers to Treat Earthquake Survivors in Haiti

We arrived at the Leogane clinic by 10 am.…The clinic is a "clinic in a can." It is a long trailer with individual exam rooms and AC!! WOW! Each of the 2 rooms has an exam table, sink, and a wall mounted ophthalmoscope.

I saw some adorable 3-year-old twin boys today. Their house collapsed in the earthquake and they were in the house with their mother. The earthquake was on Tuesday and the family tired to get them out on Tuesday and Wednesday but were unable. On Thursday the neighbors were complaining of the smell and they were told they needed to pay to have the bodies removed. It would cost $1000 which they did not have. The boys and the mother were presumed dead. On Friday, they were again told that they needed to have someone get rid of the bodies so they were able to get the money together. As they started to dig they heart a boy crying. The two boys had been trapped since Tuesday with their dead mother. They were in the clinic tonight with their aunt.

Thanks to Kim Hardy, a volunteer in Haiti who worked in one of the Clinics in a Can that we donated to Heart to Heart, for this story. You can read more about her trip on her blog. Thanks, Kim, for your service, and thanks to all of you who have made the Clinics in a Can possible. You are touching lives!

Breakaway 2011

Last week, for the second year in a row, Hospitals of Hope hosted a volunteer team from Wheaton College over their spring break. This group – of all girls this year – spent the week shadowing doctors in the Wichita area, scraping rust spots on the exterior of containers being converted into clinics, inventorying medical supplies, and exploring Wichita. The girls also had the chance to volunteer with His Helping Hands and the Lord's Diner.

The Wichita community did a great job helping us to welcome the Wheaton team, and we'd especially like to thank Youth Horizons, for providing the girls with a place to stay, and all of the medical professionals who went out of their way to provide them with a wonderful shadowing experience.

The girls did a great job, and we loved having them. Thanks, ladies, for giving up your spring break for us!

Thanks for Supporting Quality Medical Care in Burundi, Africa!

This update comes from one of our partners with the Friends of Kibimba Hospital, with whom we partnered to send a container of medical supplies to Burundi, Africa in November.

On Monday, January 24 the word came that the container should be in Burundi during that week. So that created a lot of quick planning, but we got it worked out and got a great travel schedule and left on Saturday morning. We arrived Sunday pm in Bujumbura. We stayed in Bujumbura Sunday night and were on our way Monday am after a breakfast visit with Modeste.

The Doctor was going to come up and get the necessary papers on Monday, so the container could be opened, but he didn’t get them until Tuesday. Then three people from Customs came, and the doors were opened. David’s worries that the lack of padlock would leave the container open to be pilfered were unfounded, and it looked exactly like it had when the doors were shut. One more answer to prayer.

The storeroom built for the last container is now being used as a pharmacy stock room. They need that because the government is now sending inspectors every three months to check on their inventory.

I’ll jump ahead and tell you that the baby warmers and incubators were put into use almost as soon as they were unpacked. Marcelina said that the inspectors had been giving them a bad time because they had no baby warmers in the delivery rooms, so that was very timely. There were triplets born the day we arrived. All in good shape, but being kept in an incubator. The x-ray was put into use quickly as well. There is a trained technician (He has 4 years of training in Germany) in Gitega and he came over and showed some how to use it. A pastor from Mutaho with a broken arm was the first patient! Then on Saturday he was there with a class of several students from Gitega that he was teaching how to use it. They will use the x-ray room to store it, I think.

I believe all the B.P. machines were in use by the time we left. Took a while finding all the connections etc. The IV poles were all in use, I’m sure.

The new buildings are so nice. There are three… a 54 bed maternity with 3 nice sized delivery rooms and an operating room.

The Pediatric building has 64 beds, and there is a new building with business offices and 3 doctors offices, and a conference room. There is a restaurant and a covered place for patients caregivers to eat, with tiled tables. They have two plastic water tanks, and are not using the brick tank anymore because it leaks so badly.

Thanks for helping to improve the quality of medical care in Burundi!

Healing in Haiti

The following reflection comes from Rachel Skarbonkiewicz, one of our volunteers who just came back from Haiti:

We had an amazing trip!!! It was extremely rewarding and extremely frustrating all at the same time. Virtually every child we saw had worms – something easily treated and prevented, but without any change in their water it will continue to come back.

On our first mobile clinic day, we had just left Mission of Hope when we came upon a motorcycle accident that had just occurred. How lucky for that man that up came a truck full of nurses and physicians, with plenty of supplies in tow! We hopped out, stabilized the patient, got access and gave fluids and pain meds and then faced the frustration of trying to find an ambulance and someone to stay with the patient and hope he was accepted to the closest hospital.

After more than half an hour we had an ambulance and one MD to ride with the patient, but, unfortunately, they were turned away from the first hospital and had to continue to a second in Port au Prince. Things like that which would, of course, never happen in the States were so frustrating and sad to see. It was almost two hours after the accident before the patient made it to the hospital. His ear was almost all the way ripped off, and he had several deep facial and scalp lacerations, as well as possible fractures. We could only imagine what it would have been like for him had we not pulled up.

My husband Rick worked with the construction crews all week and very much enjoyed watching a community be born. We were both amazed at how well-run everything was and how wonderful our translators were, even teaching us a significant amount of Creole. At the same time there were so many areas that seem so simple to fix but, because of lack of people and time, they just get thrown to the side. The MOH staff were wonderful! We were very well taken care of and very safe and appreciated. I very much look forward to doing this again next year.