CLINIC 1: First Evangelical in Cap Haitian

Monday, January 8, 2018

The first day of clinic ran smoothly, even with the many first year volunteers.  When we arrived in the morning, people were waiting for us.  We saw 200 people with the greatest demand for dental and optometry, which are not always offered in past mission trips.  Several dental patients that were not served on Monday were invited to come to the Friday hotel clinic.  Pastor Bernard is especially thankful for the consistency our church has provided in 7 years of faithful medical and spiritual service to the people in his country.  

Donna Duckworth led triage in the church, helping identify the most urgent health need our patients had today and documenting their answers and blood pressure on a patient form.  Janice Maxson led the laboratory on Monday, learning new skills from pregnancy to typhoid tests and more.  We are grateful that Janice took on this complicated role for most of the rest of the week. Denny Saylor supervised the translators and security personnel, while running patients to stations and keeping the “runner” needs of the team fulfilled. 

We saw God working in many ways.  Dr. Rex Baumgartner, DDS joined our team for what we hope is the first year of many.  He set up in the specialty building with Haitian dentist Dr. Aquis and the two coordinated all day between teeth extractions and cleanings.  It was a blessing to have two dentists!  Dr. Bright joined the team to replace Dr. Borde, who was caring for his wife who is three months pregnant.  Dr. Bright is not only an ObGyn, but truly a jack-of-all-trades physician, given that he is his community’s sole provider.  Dr. Ng referred a 14 year-old boy to Dr. Bright for a surgical procedure Dr. Bright performs routinely, but Dan does not. One of the many benefits of the mission trip for our medical professionals is time to learn new skills.  

Our medical providers worked hard at Cap Haitian.  Returning RN Clarissa Owenby of North Carolina is a college friend of Mary Sue Saylor.  Clarissa’s faithful treatment of our Haitian brothers and sisters over the years helps strengthen the team.  Teresa Plank, another returning RN,

Yvonne Johannessen noted that William returned to great the team.  Three years prior, William’s mother came to the clinic with a massive tumor on the side of her face.  The end of life was near and only three months later, she went to be with our Lord.  In 2017 William and his sibling came to the clinic, but it was clear to see that there was depression and hardship.  This year, William was a “glowing” 14 year-old.  We pray for him.

It was amazing watching the pharmacy emerge out of the suitcases into a hanging shelves of drugs, color coded by type.  Thanks to Pam Magnus and her right arm Liz Latch for teaching everyone how to intake, pro-load, fill, check and consulting prescriptions all week long.  It is also important to note that Liz brings all the patient forms back to the hotel at the end of clinic is our data guru, recording the key points of our medical services as a planning tool for the next year.  

The generator worked intermittently today.  The good news was that the surgical team preserved through the power outages and continued to provide care while the team worked to keep the power on.  The challenge for Tuesday was how to locate a working generator for the second day of clinic.  

Each clinic day, our Haitian brother and sisters are given a hygiene kit that is assembled at Faith-in-Action Sunday which includes a washcloth, bar of soap, toothbrush and paste and bandages.  In addition, peanut butter nutrition packs are given to the children with uncooked rice and beans.  Patients over 14 are given sunglasses, to protect the eyes from the sun as well as the dust and smoke. We pray over all our patients and ask God for his loving hand upon them.  Lisa Taylor had the privilege of leading the food and prayer station on Monday.  Lisa reached out to a one-armed Haitian woman selling aprons embroidered with her left hand.  This woman supports her husband and granddaughter will her sales. Although the woman did not seek medical services, Lisa provided her with rice and beans plus peanut better in hopes of making her life better. 

This year, the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church branch of Days for Girls made more than 250 kits to distribute under Alicia Rivera Zubiri’s leadership.  First year translator Keevelyne Jean-Baptiste, a 21 year old Haitian woman hoping to attend university assisted.