Productive day in Haiti

What a productive day in Haiti!  Linda, the dental hygienist on the team, was able to see 22 patients. For each patient, Linda cleaned teeth, screened for cavities, gave a general exam, and offered dental health recommendations. Tamara, our volunteer pediatrician, felt confident treating both adult and children for us today. She was also able to follow-up with some of her previous patients being treated for sickle cell, and was glad to see their progress since her last trip.

Kathy, our visiting RN, who had been on a PID trip to Haiti in 2005, got back into the rhythm after just a few hours of work. Her first patient was being seen for a multitude of difficult conditions, and Kathy was grateful that there was a competent team of support ready to meet the patient’s needs. Carrie, a retired RN, bravely began a new part of the PID healthcare program today as the last stop of each patient’s visit to the PID clinic. Carrie discussed the overall diagnosis with each patient, ensuring that they understand and can follow through with their doctor’s advice and medication instructions.

Yoga! Shelly, Kim, Anita, and Debbie are serving as our yoga instruction team, and worked with the local Blanchard children in the morning as well as children staying at a local orphanage. They demonstrated yoga positions, had some fun with arts, crafts, and coloring books, and left the children with their hands full of take-home art supplies and snacks. Their interpreter, Shorty, provides some local flavor with his showmanship and ability to get the kids psyched about yoga and exercise.

The construction crew has been working on a new home for a PID-sponsored family here in in Blanchard. Martha, Ed, Kevin, and Walter are under the supervision of Maxime , a Haitian PID helper, as they shovel and labor under the curious gazes of local toddlers watching nearby. One of the many wonderful moments at the worksite came when a truck carrying a shipment of sugarcane “accidently” tossed a handful of sugarcane toward the kids, and they excitedly collected their delicious treats.

Brad, our tenacious carpenter, worked through a large list of to-do’s from Gale. Today he was able to install shelving in the exam room, fix our bunkhouse shower doors, fix various locks in the facility, and even order new materials for a roof drainage project he has been planning. The team has affectionately nicknamed Brad the “energizer bunny.”