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Haiti Earthquake Update: "The needs are huge"
Dr. Wislyn reported Tuesday that CHIDA’s team has treated 5,904 people since the earthquake, with 81 of those being patients who come back every day to have their bandages changed by a doctor from the team. In addition to treating patients with minor wounds, the team continues to treat more urgent injuries such as deep cuts, broken bones, and respiratory issues due to dust from the rubble.
“Thank everyone for the support that they provide.”
This is how Dr. Wislyn ended his most recent email to our staff in Pittsburgh.
Your prayers and financial support have made a world of difference in the lives of earthquake survivors in Maniche*, Haiti, where CHIDA’s team is currently operating.
“We are doing our best, but the needs are huge.” - Dr. Wislyn.
As more time passes, minor wounds start to pose a more significant threat. Left untreated, cuts and scrapes often lead to serious infections and even sepsis. The doctors from CHIDA are doing all they can to mitigate the risk of serious infections, but the need is great.
Dr. Wislyn reported Tuesday that CHIDA’s team has treated 5,904 people since the earthquake, with 81 of those being patients who come back every day to have their bandages changed by a doctor or nurse. In addition to treating patients with minor wounds, the team continues to treat more urgent injuries such as deep cuts, broken bones, and respiratory issues due to dust from the rubble.
The team is working out of a local schoolyard, but because the earthquake damaged the buildings on campus, they are performing operations either in the open or under the cover of tents. Maintaining a sterile environment in these conditions is nearly impossible, but the doctors work together to reduce the risk of infection and maintain as clean an operating environment as possible.
Dr. Wislyn in Maniche, Haiti
A doctor stitches a wound on a patient’s hand
Working With the Community, for the Community.
One of IDADEE’s (the parent organization of CHIDA) core goals is to create jobs that help local Haitians. When construction projects are underway at the IDADEE or CHIDA campuses, they hire local workers at living wages. CHIDA’s earthquake relief effort is no different. With Dr. Wislyn’s connections to the Les Cayes area, he quickly hired two additional doctors and five additional nurses to join the team. These new team members know the area and bring valuable local insights and fresh energy to the CHIDA staff.
The Malnutrition Crisis
Natural disasters disproportionately affect the poor and exasperate existing gaps within marginalized communities. We see this clearly when we look at the malnutrition crisis in Haiti, where more than 4.4 million Haitians, or 40% of the population, will need food assistance this year, according to a pre-earthquake United Nations analysis. Dr. Wislyn and the CHIDA staff are dedicated to treating malnutrition wherever they see it, whether in a hospital bed at CHIDA or in the field. In addition to providing food for hungry patients, they have distributed specialized nutritious food kits to 36 families in the Les Nippes community. They have also donated to another doctor and colleague of Wislyn’s who is doing similar work in Ducis, Haiti.
People in Ducis received emergency food and other supplies from Dr. Wislyn’s colleague.
Food and supplies are sorted and packaged before being distributed.
The need is great, but dedicated health professionals like CHIDA's doctors and nurses provide hope in desperate situations. Please consider donating today. 100% of your donation will go to this emergency response and give the CHIDA team what they need to continue this important work.
On behalf of Dr. Wislyn and the rest of the CHIDA team, we thank you for believing in this effort and making it possible.
- The PKF and CHIDA staff
*In the last update, we stated that CHIDA’s team was in Camp-Perrin. They are working in Maniche, a town hit hard by the earthquake and located next to Camp-Perrin.
DONATE TO CHIDA’S EMERGENCY RESPONSE EFFORT
100% of your donation will go to this emergency response.
Haiti Earthquake Update: CHIDA's team is treating patients
It’s been just over a week since a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit southern Haiti. UNICEF now estimates that roughly 1.2 million people, including 540,000 children, have been impacted by the earthquake and tropical depression Grace, which brought heavy rain and substantial flooding to the region just days after the quake, further complicating the situation.
It’s been just over one week since a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit southern Haiti. UNICEF now estimates that roughly 1.2 million people, including 540,000 children, have been impacted by the earthquake and tropical depression Grace, which brought heavy rain and substantial flooding to the region just days after the quake, further complicating the situation. Haiti’s government is currently reporting 2,189 fatalities and 12,268 injuries. Unfortunately, we still expect these numbers to rise over the next few days.
Members of CHIDA's team treat patients injured in the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck on August 14
As we continue to develop a complete picture of the devastation, it’s evident that relief efforts from CHIDA (the hospital we work with in Cap-Haitien) will play an important role. Immediately after the earthquake, Dr. Wislyn sent a team of medical professionals from CHIDA to the region. This team has set up a medical base in Camp-Perrin, a rural but densely populated community 28 kilometers (about 17 miles) north of Les Cayes. This base serves the Camp-Perrin community and patients traveling from neighboring towns such as Maniche, where Mayor David Brinard estimated that 98% of the town had been destroyed.
Dr. Wislyn, who was in medical school during the 2010 earthquake, has a first-hand perspective on what is needed both immediately and in the long term. Many of the local hospitals were damaged in the earthquake, amplifying the need for medical care. The skilled doctors and nurses from CHIDA’s team are currently treating injuries directly from the earthquake, including gashes, broken bones, and infections.
Natural disasters exasperate needs within communities such as shelter, access to food and safe water, and sanitation. In fact, the World Health Organization has declared a state of emergency for Haiti for the rest of the year. As CHIDA’s doctors and nurses work to treat the immediate medical needs of survivors, other team members are working to address the long-term needs. We know from experience that meeting these needs in a community takes time, and we're proud to stand with Dr. Wislyn and CHIDA as they help their fellow citizens.
This effort takes time and resources. Please consider donating today. 100% of your donation will go to this emergency response and provide the CHIDA team with the supplies they need to care for those affected by these disasters.
Please join us in praying for Dr. Wislyn, the team from CHIDA, and Haiti as a whole. We are in this together.
DONATE TO CHIDA’S EMERGENCY RESPONSE EFFORT
100% of your donation will go to this emergency response.
7.2 Earthquake in Haiti
By now, you’re likely aware that a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday at 8:30 am, with its epicenter about 7.5 miles northeast of Sait-Louis-du-Sud, in the southwest part of the country.
By now, you’re likely aware that a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday at 8:30 am, with its epicenter about 7.5 miles northeast of Sait-Louis-du-Sud, in the southwest part of the country.
As crews on the ground have responded to the disaster, more information has been released about the quake’s toll. According to Haiti’s civil protection agency, the death toll is currently at 724, with reports of 2,800 people injured. Additionally, the agency says that the quake destroyed 2,868 homes and damaged an additional 5,410. The southern cities and towns of Cayes, Jeremie, Aquin, and Petit Trou de Nippes have sustained most of the damage.
We are grateful for our friends and partners’ continued safety and protection in Cap-Haitien, where they felt the quake but experienced little damage. None of the children’s homes, schools, or the CHIDA hospital have sustained damage. However, cell phone service has been interrupted, making it difficult for our partners to reach family members in the affected region.
This earthquake is another blow to the already battered country, which is still dealing with an unstable political climate after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise and a continuing battle against Covid-19. Tropical Storm Grace is forecasted to produce heavy rain and wind along the entire coast of Haiti on Monday, which will further complicate rescue efforts.
Medical and sanitation supplies are the most critical needs after any natural disaster. Prime Minister Ariel Henry said, "When it comes to medical needs, this is our biggest urgency.” Dr. Wislyn and the staff at CHIDA are currently organizing an emergency response effort to aid in the treatment and care for those injured in the earthquake.
Please consider donating today to this effort. 100% of your donation will go to this emergency response and provide critical care for those who were injured in the earthquake.
Please pray for Haiti as a country. Pray for wisdom and perseverance for Dr. Wislyn, the staff of CHIDA, and all of the medical providers in Haiti as they treat patients and respond to these disasters. We will know more in the coming days and will share more information as we have it. We are in this together.
Donate to CHIDA’s emergency response effort
100% of your donation will be used in this urgent response.