Borgmans Lead Haiti Medical Team: Excerpt from NCJ Site

Ron and Gloria Borgman, Spearfish UMC recently led one of the first medical teams to work with the E'glise Methodiste d'Haiti (EMH) Church since the earthquake.  Many of the construction teams are taking a medical component wherever they are working but this was a medical team only.  Gloria, UMVIM Coordinator for the Dakotas, was invited to bring a medical team to the Carrefour Church, EMH, last fall while serving on a Solar Oven team.  Little did she know that the earthquake would intervene and that the logistics of such a venture would be magnified several fold.  Here is part of their story! For more information, contact Ron and Gloria. Introduction The United Methodist Dakotas Conference Volunteer in Mission medical team that worked in Haiti June 25-July 5, 2010 have returned.  Words (and pictures) can't quite explain the sights and sounds of the experience.  Acres of tents, many of them makeshift, some inches from the busy road.  Streets teeming with people, vehicles, bicycles, carts, animals. The ever present piles-and odor- of garbage because there is no place else to put the trash.  Television pictures have depicted what to expect but it is still hard to comprehend several story buildings collapsed to only a few feet tall or whole hillsides of homes changed to rubble in seconds.

Medical Team Story by Gloria It was a sobering start to our week at the Methodist Church in Carrefour, which is the western section of Port-au-Prince and near the center of the earthquake. This small congregation experienced many deaths and injuries, but still welcomed our team so local people could get medical care.   Our tents in the compound joined the tents of others who still could not return to their homes.  The school and church survived the earthquake, but the children are going to school in the courtyard as their parents are still afraid to let their children inside the school.   We were able to set up "clinics" in the church building with waiting areas under the trees outside. "Triage" and the dental station were set up outside in the shade also. At the request of church and school officials, we were able to do "school physicals on all the children in the school.   The fluoride team was able to distribute toothbrushes, toothpaste, parasite treatment, pencils, and fluoride the teeth of over 1000 people, mostly children.  Our 4 medical providers were able to see over 1000 patients in our time at Carrefour.  Many patients had "minor" illnesses or requests, and nearly all received vitamins, acetaminophen or ibuprofen, and other medications appropriate to their illness.  Many patients and church people had stories to tell of the earthquake and still show the physical or mental effects of that experience.  We were able to treat a few more serious cases, such as a baby with a huge neck abscess that was treated daily during our time in Haiti and a number of people with acute malaria, burns, asthma or pneumonia.  The number of people with exceptionally high blood pressure was discouraging, as we knew that many would be untreated again after our little gift of medicine was gone.  At times we needed to remind ourselves that we were not sent to cure everyone but to reach out and do what we were capable of.  There were many bright memories and blessings also.  The school children with their yellow checked outfits and smiling faces, eager to interact with the team.   The patient interpreters and our hosts who worked many hours to provide for our comfort and safety.  The quiet young mother who traveled early every morning so we could treat her son.  The wonderful meals of Haitian food prepared by our cooks.  And it is always such a joy to work with dedicated team members who keep smiling and working and laughing despite heat and humidity and crowds of people and marginal living conditions. We were also blessed with enough donations that we were able to leave large quantities of medicine and supplies to be used by the Carrefour church and at other Methodist clinics around Port-au-Prince.  Working in Haiti takes a little extra effort these days, but the need is immense and there are tasks for whatever skills and time you can offer to our brothers and sisters in Haiti.