VIDEO:  Vermont Nurses Head to Haiti Devastation  SEE HERE

    Last week we reported on efforts by Vermont’s Fletcher Allen Hospital staff and nurses union to send personnel and resources to Haiti to aid with emergency assistance.  The program is up and running; A dozen nurses, paramedics and EMTs who are members of the AFT-affiliated United Professions, as well as doctors and an AFT national representative, left for Haiti on Jan. 20 to provide much-needed medical assistance for the victims of the Jan. 12 earthquake. Members of the medical team work at Fletcher Allen Health Care, an alliance of the University of Vermont's medical and nursing schools..

Jennifer Henry, RN, President of the VFNHP reports on the work:

Dear Members, Families and Friends
   In our last email we gave an update on all of the team who went down except for Bob.  Everyone seems to want to know "WHAT ABOUT BOB?" I neglected to give an update on Bob Stafford's work as a member of Team 1 in Jimani and his co-workers and friends were concerned. Have no fear, we did not leave him in Santo Domingo! Some quotes from his team members in Jimani:
   "He spends time in the OR....He spends time helping with patient care/wound care......He spends time working to safely transport patients via helicopter to USS Comfort and hospitals in Santo Domingo. He has helped with supplies, organizational/technical/logistical problem solving. You name it, he is always willing to do whatever it takes to try to meet the needs of the growing number of injured patients." The only thing he seems to have difficulty find time for is rest. The days are long, and the work is challenging, but he remains a great example of the dedicated,  caring members of our union. I have attached a photo, so you can see that he is alive and well.
   The nurse team (Mari, Jackie, Joan, Susana, and Sarah) is busy at work providing medications, wound care, and support for hundreds of patients and their families. There have been several mild after-shocks and the patients are terrified. Many of them will not stay indoors and must be cared for outside. The team continues to meet in the morning and in the evening to debrief. They have expressed that they feel grateful to be able to do such important work, but it is difficult to see the grief and pain that is the reality for so many who are injured and/or have lost family and friends. Our work in Jimani is saving lives and our ability to provide compassionate, care is critical to ease the suffering of the victims of the earthquake. Dr. Bill Charash and Dr. David Greenhouse have created several wound clinics that will serve the people in Fond Parisien and Jimani for many months as the number of refugees increases exponentially. They are teaching families how to care for wounds and how to maintain mobility of injured arms and legs.
   Our Paramedics (Brian G and Jeremiah) and our EMT (Brian C) have been helping to facilitate critical care transports to the USS Comfort and hospitals in Santo Domingo in addition to helping with wound debridement, dressing changes and whatever care is needed. Some days more than 7 BlackHawk Helicopters will land at the compound to drop off patients and to transport critically ill patients. Jeremiah had the first transport of a 2 year old burn victim to the USS Comfort.
   The hospital administrators in Jimani are so thankful for the volunteers who are willing to come every week for the next 3 months. They anticipate the needs will continue for much longer, but they were struggling with rescue teams who would come in for 2-3 days and then leave. It was difficult to ensure the patients were getting what they needed and that they were all being seen and evaluated for treatments, surgery or transport to another facility. By overlapping our  teams, we will transfer the knowledge and experience of one team to the other so that care will be coordinated and teams will feel more equipped to carry out their challenging assignments. Our members, other FAHC employees and community members who have agreed to travel and provide care are the reason Vermont is the best place to live and work. We understand the challenges of rural healthcare and we are willing to go the distance to provide the best care.
   We are committed to raising funds to cover the airfare for future teams (see below) and to do what it takes to continue our medical missions to Jimani.
   The employees at FAHC in the frontlines of care are truly the heart of this organization. Thanks to our union, we have been able to help FAHC prioritize patient care and it is our goal that it will become the healthcare organization the patients and the community deserves.  This relief effort is happening because the will of many employees who knew it was the right thing to do and the time was now. Our determination is greater than the obstacles that have been put in our way. We will be doing a press conference at noon at the state house with our team calling in from Jimani. Please support the current and future teams by showing up on Friday 1/29/10 in Montpelier (register below). We are providing transportation if you need it, breakfast and lunch as well as a free RED scrub top!

   Team 2 leaves tomorrow at noon from the Burlington airport! We are scheduling teams for the next 10 weeks! Let's make a difference in Haiti and the DR!
Thank you.

Jennifer Henry, RN
President, VFNHP
308 Pine Street
Burlington, VT  05401

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