Note from the Administrator

Hi, this is Jonathan writing. We have been here a month! As you can tell from previous updates, we have been busy. Keith, then Matt were here to help us get settled in and open the clinic. We could not have done it without them. The clinic has been open for 2 weeks now. We are open Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8 - 2. We saw 284 patients during clinic hours and 13 emergencies after hours. We had 2 births at the clinic. As word got out, the second week was much busier than the first week. We averaged 20 more patients a day during the second week. Next Wednesday we are planning on having a prenatal and vaccination day at the clinic. Nurse Carmina is spearheading the prenatal class and the MSPP (think health department) nurse for this area will assist with vaccinations.

One of the ongoing challenges is obtaining medications. Due to gang activity, the road to Port au Prince is extremely dangerous and we are not able to go purchase medications ourselves. God has opened several doors and we are now using agents to purchase meds from Port and also the Dominican Republic. Hopefully we can keep using these resources and expand on them as needed. Not being able to go to Port means we are not able to offer an ambulance at this time. We can recommend patients go to hospitals in Port, but we aren’t able to take them. There is a small hospital and 2 clinics in Fond Parisien, just outside the gang-controlled area.  At some point we hope to be able to take patients that far, but they would still be responsible to go to Port on their own.

My previous experience in health care was at a large University trauma center in upstate New York. To go from having all the resources to the limited resources we have here is a challenge. Friday night we had a patient in respiratory distress secondary to heart failure. We were able to start treatment and stabilize with oxygen and the simple BiPAP we have. But then what? We can’t just admit to the ICU like at home. We got her set up in the little house beside the clinic. After being there all night she was able to go home in the morning. It is a change to have to think, not just as an emergency nurse, but as primary care as well. Having Carmina here to teach me how things have been done is a tremendous benefit. Also, the clinic board has been very helpful with suggestions and advice.

The biggest challenge is the language barrier. It is frustrating to not be able to talk to people. Simple things like figuring out a price in the market or taking a history in the clinic. Also, it can be funny. At least the Haitians think so! We have been taking Creole classes twice a week, but progress seems slow. Outside of the clinic, we are settled into our house and becoming used to living here. Quentin and Christelle have been a huge help with this. Overall, we are doing well and have much to be thankful for. Thank you for your continued support. We couldn’t do without it!

CLINIC IS OPEN!

Yes, the clinic is OPEN! It was a success, and we survived! Matt was here from California to help us, and we started slowly… getting all the workers together on Monday to clean and arrange their spaces and get comfortable. We welcomed Nurse Vitanie from Gwo Cheval (formerly from Kwadebouke (Croix-des-Bouquets) and Nurse Marie Yolette from Kafou (Carrefour). They each have a consult room with a pharmacy aide. I act as a resource nurse to them both, and Jonathan is filling his role as administrator.

Tuesday, we opened without much fanfare… it was a cloudy day with occasional drizzles. Rain is a benediction, and we felt blessed. We were open from 8 to 2 and had 31 patients. There was a good mix of complaints, from a stroke to a malnourished child. There was suturing to do and blood pressures sky high to medicate. The waiting room was bustling with people for most of the day.

Wednesday we were closed… we hope to open Wednesdays as a vaccine/prenatal/planning day in the future. Jonathan and Matt traveled to Fon Parisien to see about a shipment of meds from the Dominican Republic.

Thursday was a rush. Market day, and the weather being nice, and the word getting out all combined to give us about 50 patients, with one arriving fresh to this world at around 130. It was a first-time mom with an unremarkable delivery, which was a good kind of delivery for a refresher course for me! We also saw a baby with a burned arm… it had happened on Saturday and had been treated with home remedies. Another malnourished baby… we sorely miss the government-sponsored nutrition program that used to be run in our neighboring town. We finished a little after 3 and went home smiling.

Friday Matt leaves for home after putting in a lot of work to help us get to this point. Matt, Keith, and Jonathan have worked hard to source meds and supplies. However, everything is more difficult in these times… and Christian Aid Ministries, who was a big supplier of many needed meds and other items, is not operating in Haiti now. The clinic now must pay full prices for all medications, making it necessary for us to ration what we have to serve those who need it most.

We want to thank everyone who helped us get back to this point, and for your prayers. We ask for your continued prayers and support. If you feel to help financially, please use the “Help Us” section of the website. Thank you! -Nurse Carmina

Tonight I wear socks to bed...

Tues evening report.... 

I am in Haiti to help settle Jon and Julie Kurtz into their new work, and to help reopen the clinic that has been closed since Jay passed away over a year ago. 

It's my 4th night in Haiti and I AM COLD. I wish I could turn on a furnace with a flick of a switch. At 5000 ft elevation the cool air is blowing and inside the house it is much the same as outside. Tonight I wear a shirt and socks to bed. Even in the fleece sheets I was too chilly last night.

Today was interesting again. Started the day by checking out the suspension of the Toyota  and found a wheel bearing loose. So that's what the vibrating was all about! Our Haitian mechanic fixed it. And we determined the rest of the vehicle was in good health. Spent alot of time on the phone today and in discussion with Jonathan and others about the employee situation at the clinic. Who should be hired, who maybe not, what is our objectives etc.

I think we are coming to some good direction on that. The gospel witness remains a focus and we want empathetic Christians to work in the clinic who reflect the love of Christ. Physical health is important but we should not separate the soul and the professional side of this mission clinic.

This afternoon we went and visited a road building project that we have contributed 30 sacks of cement to. It was good to see the local men working as volunteers in fixing the road. It was a steep hill that needed some concrete on it to make it passable. There we met the Masse' the head Nunn named Rosalia from the local Catholic compound as she was also bringing supplies to help with the road. She is an exuberant S Korean and she and us have a history together where we helped her in the clinic when she was very sick. She was so excited to see me she just wrapped her arms around and squeezed for a long time.

On the way back to Julie's good supper I met the magistrate of the area and had a chat. He assured me that the area is safe and that he is looking out for the wellbeing of us foreigners. He asked to come pay us a formal official visit at 4pm on Thurs at our house. So we welcomed him to come. 

This evening I visited with a Haitian bro and learned all kinds of things that have happened in the community since we left etc.

We also brainstormed about where and how to get medicine up to this area. We have spend time in Santo Domingo checking agents and pharmacies, and now the last couple days we have looked at the Haitian options.  I think God is opening some really good avenues that look like they can work. For handling the money too. We have some more ideas to check out this week yet, but it's looking very promising.

Another day gone, another day closer to reopening date. The community is very excited about this! 

Thanks for praying and supporting this project.

-Keith

MOUNTAIN ROAD REPAIR NEAR ORIANI

Moving Forward!

We are excited to announce plans are moving forward to once again open the doors at Confidence Health Center! Even though we face many challenges, the need for medical aid in the community has only become more evident. We are pleased that Jonathan Kurtz with his wife and children will be traveling to Oriani this week. Jonathan is a trauma nurse from New York and will be our clinic administrator. I’m sure you will be hearing from him in the future. So stay tuned! Keith will be meeting them in Santo Domingo, and together they will travel to Oriani. Keith will be able to introduce them to the community and help them settle in a bit. I plan to arrive a couple weeks later and help with opening the clinic. Carmina, a nurse from Canada, who has worked at the clinic, will also be helping out. She has recently married and is living in Oriani. We hope to be operating by mid April, but plans must be fluid and an exact date has not been set. We are blessed how God has opened so many doors. There are still many unknowns because we face challenges we didn’t have before. Challenges related to insecurity in Port Au Prince. We simply can’t just travel there for supplies and medication like we once did. We will need to arrange for alternate transport methods or source from the Dominican Republic. With the exception of challenges related to poor access to the Capitol and an economy that continues to fail, life up on the mountain remains much the same. Seems like the gangs stay closer to civilization fighting among themselves. We can travel to Oriani through the Dominican Republic and avoid Port entirely. We have received direction from the Haitian mission committee to operate in this way. So what do we need from our supporters? We are so thankful that you are interested in the clinic and the mission there! Please pray for the work and the people that are suffering. Pray that God will continue to lead us and we can safely fulfill His work. We will once again need your donations. If you feel to help out in this way, please go to “Help Us” on this website for more information.

Below is an update directly from Oriani. Written by Carmina.

Hello from sunny Oriani, Haiti!

At face value, that greeting depicts a bright paradise on a Caribbean Island. But, on the ground, things are real. Sunny means no rain… we have had scant precipitation since a week of rains in January. Cisterns are dry. The fields are dust. Stress, anxiety, and, of course, illnesses are mounting in the population as we wait for the rainy season.

The population is also awaiting the opening of the clinic. Hardly a day passes that we don’t get asked for medical help or advice… sometimes I check a blood pressure or temperature at my house, offer advice and ibuprofen. Another nurse in the neighbourhood gives out Depo shots when she has them. The untrained so-called doctors in market sell homemade concoctions and expired medications. Access to better care in bigger towns is hampered by the exorbitant cost of fuel and the constant threat to safety from the gangs, who control the area closer to the city.

What a huge impact the clinic will have when it opens again! It offers hope and health, reassurance and remedies. A day of great rejoicing and answered prayers is coming for this little village. Thank God.