Missions in Global Health

Program Update: Malawi, Maternal & Child Health
Sent in by: Laura B. Gwathmey (Director, Global Health Programs)
Mission date: March 2010

We are excited to report the news of a Maternal & Child Health program development in Malawi. As part of our philosophy, Physicians for Peace will only work to develop a new program at the invitation from a host-country partner. This has been the case in Malawi, where we will be replicating our Maternal and Child Health program to this rural area.

Physicians for Peace was introduced to Adventist Health Services by a local supporter who had visited Malawi with his church. At the invitation of AHS, Physicians for Peace sent a fact find team this past March to assess their needs and determine areas of potential collaboration. The team visited 6 of the 17 rural clinics AHS operates, witnessing first-hand the need for ongoing training and support in isolated areas. Incredibly dedicated to their work, AHS clinicians work under stark conditions, often living on-site at the clinic to provide round the clock care for villagers, leaving only occasionally for provisions. This means they don’t receive ongoing medical training, so their skills quickly become dated.

In August, Physicians for Peace will send a nurse to Malawi for 11 weeks to provide refresher training and education for these clinicians. She’ll split her time between 6 clinics, living and working with them as they improve their skills in family planning, counseling and testing for STDs, and prenatal care. Because of this partnership, Physicians for Peace will be working to improve the health of rural Malawians, working alongside them to truly build peace and international friendships through medicine.



Laura B. Gwathmey has joined Physicians for Peace after many months of volunteering while finishing her graduate program at Old Dominion University. She is now the Director, Global Health Programs, focusing on medical missions in the African region. 

Today we welcomed dignitaries from Niger State - Nigeria's largest state - at our headquarter office in Norfolk who came to visit with the leadership team at Physicians for Peace to discuss future medical education and training opportunities in Niger. The Nigerian delegation was sent by Executive Governor, Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu OON and included the Governor's Chief of Staff, Yusuf Garba, Ms. Aisha Aliyu of Zamfara State (a long time friend of Physicians for Peace in Nigeria) and Nigerian expatriates Prince Clement and Frances Tagwai, both living in the United States.

Physicians for Peace has worked in Zamfara State, Kaduna State and Rivers State in Nigeria.  This will be their first time in Niger State.  

 

FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP
Goodman & Co. just completed the audit for our 2009 Fiscal Year - marking another successful “unqualified audit”, the best type of report an organization can receive from an external auditor, for Physicians for Peace. You can find our audited financial statements and our 2009 annual report on our website at www.physiciansforpeace.org/about_financials.html.  

MEDICAL MISSIONS
Spring was a busy quarter for our medical operations team as they managed complex logistics, diplomatically coordinated with host country partners, and prepared our eager volunteers for missions. The completed second quarter missions were:

Destination	Program
Asmara, Eritrea	Specialized Surgery
Deschapelles, Haiti	Walking Free - multiple missions
Fes, Morocco	Specialized Surgery
Leipzip, Germany	Walking Free - international conference
Diyarbakir, Turkey	Walking Free
Santiago, Dominican Republic	Maternal & Child Health - Resource Mothers
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic	Walking Free
San Salvador, El Salvador	Burn Care
Monrovia, Liberia	Maternal & Child Health

Mission highlights include:

• The first off-pump open heart surgery was performed by the Morocco mission team
• Our Burn Consortium partner inaugurated a new burn clinic in El Salvador
• Our Walking Free Philippines Director, Dr. Josephine Bundoc, was asked by the WHO to speak about the challenge of meeting the needs of amputees in developing countries at the International Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) conference in Germany
• Julie Philips, MPH, presented her evaluation of the Walking Free program at the ISPO conference as well

MEDICAL SUPPLIES
We have received significant donations of medical supplies and equipment during the 2nd quarter to help our Walking Free, Seeing Clearly, Burn Care and Specialty Surgery programs. As a result of our highly-publicized collection drive for Haiti’s disabled, we have to date received over 1,000 boxes (about 25,000 lbs.) of high quality prosthetic components from 244 Hanger Prosthetic offices in 44 states. Many other organizations continue to donate items for our Walking Free program.

HAITI
Our efforts in Haiti continue as we meet the current rehabilitation needs of the amputees through an amputee clinic being managed at the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in the Central Plateau by Hanger Orthopedics, Christian Medical Mission Board, and other founding members of the Haitian Amputee Coalition, including Physicians for Peace. Physicians for Peace has sent numerous physical therapists and shipments of crutches and high quality prosthetic components to the clinic. The clinic has produced over 450 prostheses for amputee victims, more than any other site in Haiti. In fact, the donations have been so generous that we have now actually received more donations than Haiti can use. As a result, these donations will be directed to other developing countries where we have ongoing relationships and programs that can utilize them effectively.

Physicians for Peace continues to stay true to our mission of improving healthcare capacity through education and partnerships with local organizations to increase impact. Nowhere is this more important than in Haiti, where the needs of this “generation of amputees” will continue into the foreseeable future. To this end, Physicians for Peace is embarking on the following strategies:


We are proud to announce that Hanger Orthopedic Group, co-founder of the Haitian Amputee Coalition and our long-term partner in our Walking Free program, was honored for its charitable relief efforts in Haiti by InterAction, the largest alliance of U.S.-based international development and humanitarian nongovernmental organizations.

Physicians for Peace is a member of InterAction, and nominated Hanger Orthopedic Group for the Corporate Recognition for Humanitarian Assistance award for their outstanding work in spearheading the Haitian Amputee Coalition. They were in good company with the other honorees, which included JPMorgan Chase, Toys“R”Us, Inc., Whole Foods Markets, and American Express.

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
Brighton – Physicians for Peace received a donation of $58,000 from highly regarded women’s fashion designer Brighton as a result of their “Peace Charming” winter campaign. Customers were given the chance to vote for one of four charities for a Brighton donation, and Physicians for Peace received the most votes nationwide of the 4 charities selected this year.

Eastern Virginia Medical School – 4th year students medical students Ketzela Marsh and Brad Holbrook completed their 4th year rotation with a Physicians for Peace internship, including a mission to Eritrea. This is part of an on-going partnership with EVMS, including a scholarship opportunity.

George Washington University – our partnership with GWU medical faculty to provide specialty post-graduate medical education in Eritrea has officially ended. We are exploring other possibilities for joint ventures.

Old Dominion University – our on-going partnership with ODU includes a strong relationship with the College of Health Sciences, whose faculty and students have been very involved in our Walking Free program and now the Dental Care program. We are currently exploring a partnership among Physicians for Peace, ODU and the Universidad Autónoma de Nicaragua in Leon to develop a dental hygiene curriculum, which would be the first in Latin America.

American Red Cross – Physicians for Peace held a successful meeting recently to discuss partnering on a blood banking initiative in Mali.

International Society of Ultrasound Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG) and the Millennium Cities Initiative (MCI) – in our quest to most effectively bring together the resources needed to create positive health outcomes, Physicians for Peace is facilitating a partnership between ISUOG and MCI for potential projects in Ghana.

Family Health International – a fall return mission to Ethiopia is planned for our on-going partnership.

RECENT EVENTS

April 12 – Haiti Day at GWU. Physicians for Peace President and CEO Ron Sconyers was asked to address the needs of the disabled in Haiti as part of a panel discussion hosted by The George Washington University Medical Center. The guest of honor for the Forum was Haiti’s first lady.

April 25 - Taste of India in Norfolk. Physicians for Peace information booth at the event. Physicians for Peace has received generous support for our medical mission work from the local Indian community.

May 15 – Zach Collett’ s began his ambitious Walk for Haiti at the US Capitol in Washington DC on April 12th, and ended at Bicentennial Park in Miami on May 15, where he addressed a crowd of 15,000 Haitians at their Compas Festival. Zach, , a student at Southern Virginia University, chose Physicians for Peace as his charity of choice for his Walk.

June 9 – Dr. Jyoti Upadhyay, a volunteer pediatric urologist on the Morocco mission presented a Mission Debrief in Norfolk.

June 11- our June Board of Trustees Dinner featured:
- a touching SKYPE presentation about her Haiti mission from physical therapist Mary Anne Kramer-Urner,
- an overview of the recent Walking Free conference in the Dominican Republic aimed at identifying best practices in sharing rehabilitation skills and knowledge across Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic) by Dr. Gail Grisetti,
- a heartfelt appeal for funding by local Norfolk restaurateur and Moroccan native Omar Boukhriss, - and a husband and wife tag team presentation about the Morocco Surgical mission by anesthesiologist Dr. Dean Giacobbe and photographer Kris Giacobbe.

June 12 – Physicians for Peace Board of Trustees meeting. We are pleased to announce that new trustees elected to the board, effective October 2, include:
- Lawrence B. Colen M.D., F.A.C.S. - Norfolk Plastic Surgery, P.C. and Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery (Plastic & Reconstructive) at Eastern Virginia Medical School
- Maurice Jones - President and Publisher of The Virginian-Pilot
- Carmen Hooker Odom - President of the Milbank Memorial Fund
- Ivan Sable - Chairman of the Hanger/Ivan R. Sabel Foundation and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hanger Orthopedic Group

We are also pleased that Eid B. Mustafa, M.D., F.A.C.S. has agreed to serve once again as a Trustee.

SNEAK PEEK – UPCOMING EVENTS
Physicians for Peace is moving its headquarters on West Bute Street to 500 East Main Street on the 9th Floor. The move will be completed on July 31. All phone and fax numbers will remain the same.

The 5th annual Physicians for Peace Gala Reception will be held on Saturday October 2, 2010. President Bill Clinton is the recipient of this year’s Charles E. Horton Humanitarian Award for his international work, especially in Haiti and in Asia after the Tsunami. Please reserve the date and contact Sallie Ray at sray@physiciansforpeace.org for corporate sponsorship opportunities or live auction donations.

APROQUEN (Asociación Pro-niños Quemados de Nicaragua) in Managua, Nicaragua will host the Burn Care Consortium’s annual meeting in August. The Consortium includes burn clinics in eight Caribbean and Latin American countries and was formed as the successful next step in the Burn Care program established by Physicians for Peace in the region.  

Fun{run}RAISER will be a combination 8K, half marathon, and full marathon Physicians for Peace team racing in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The team has a set a fundraising goal of $50K to support the medical missions for Physicians for Peace volunteers. Click here if you would like to support our race for health.

Our Medical Operations team is busy planning (and our development department is identifying donations to fund) upcoming missions to:

Upcoming Destination	Program
Guayaquil, Ecuador	Specialized Surgery
Leon, Nicaragua	Dental Program
Manila, Philippines	Walking Free
Dilla and Adigrat, Ethiopia	Specialized Surgery
Manila/Zamboanga, Philippines	Seeing Clearly
Managua, Nicaragua	Burn Care
Lilongwe/Blantyre, Malawi	Maternal & Child Health
San Salvador, El Salvador	Burn Care
Ramallah, West Bank	Specialized Surgery
Nagpur, India	Maternal & Child Health
Santa Cruz, Bolivia	Specialized Surgery

Celebrating the Inauguration of a New Burn Clinic

June 24th, 2010 marked a very important day for the lives of Salvadoran children. A project that had begun in 2004 was brought to fruition at the inauguration of the Unidad de Ninos Quemados “Familia Meehan” (The “Meehan Family” Children’s Burn Unit). Speeches were given by representatives of each organization whose financial contribution made the burn unit a possibility: the Meehan Family Foundation, the Ministry of Health, the Benjamín Bloom Hospital, the Benjamín Bloom Foundation and APROQUEMES (the Association for Burned Children in El Salvador).

Those gathered recognized that “burn injuries are amongst the most painful that a person can endure" and thus “it was the very courage and faith shown by those children who had been treated in the main hospital building in past years that motivated the efforts to provide better treatment. Despite their pain, these children inspired all around them to recognize that many times, life’s barriers are nothing other than walls we ourselves create in our imagination.” said Dr. Antonio Bonilla-President of APROQUEMES.

Expressions of appreciation were made evident in the fact that walls mean nothing when collaboration amongst many people and organizations unite for a cause. In this case, the cause of providing care for Salvadoran children who have suffered from burn injuries has united many in the construction of the burn unit and, even more importantly, in the long term commitment to enhancing that care.

Physicians for Peace has been partnered with APROQUEMES since facilitating a Central American and Caribbean burn care association in 2006. As the new building begins to function, Dr. Bonilla and the staff of the burn unit will continue to be supported as Physicians for Peace supports their equipment, materials and training needs. The upcoming August 29-September 2 burn nurse and rehabilitation training mission will provide practical educational experiences as Physicians for Peace volunteers collaborate with seventeen Salvadoran nurses and seven therapists.

Please consider supporting this mission as we respond to requests from our partners to be one partner in a united front to help construct medical facilities around the globe.

This Sunday, June 27th, would have been Dr. Horton’s 85th birthday. We all knew our founder as a visionary, a man who saw a world in need, looked for solutions, and never asked, “Why?” but, “Why not?”

He was the kind of man who knew that the difference between “ordinary” and “extraordinary” was just a little “extra”. We all learned many life-lessons from him during his time with us, and those lessons continue to serve us well through this very day. His legacy lives in the work being done by PFP volunteers around the world. Take a moment this Sunday and say, “Thanks, Charlie, and happy birthday!” 

Physicians for Peace and The George Washington University Medical Center have  announced the final days of the Partnership for Eritrea program. Although we knew this day would eventually arrive, it was sad to say good bye to the students, faculty, and staff of the Orotta School of Medicine. 

Our joint involvement in Eritrea through medical missions and the Partnership for Eritrea is a model for future program implementation and goal achievement. We are pleased with the program development progress and the following highlights: 

• Within a relatively short time, we were able to triple the number of trained pediatricians in the country;
• We developed a successful model of partnering with academic institutions, both in the United States and outside of the country, which can be replicated;
• We were able to introduce many new medical volunteers to the Physicians for Peace model of education and training to build sustainable health care systems;
• Rather than being only a one-way transfer of knowledge, US and Eritrean medical professionals developed an ongoing exchange of experience and ideas;
• Through millions of dollars of donated medical supplies and equipment, we have had an additional significant impact on the ability of Eritrea to meet the health care needs of its citizens.

The mutual professional respect established when we first began our medical missions in Eritrea 8 years ago has deepened into strong bonds of friendship. Physicians for Peace wishes our partners and friends at the Orotta School of Medicine all the best and hopes that there will be opportunities for further partnerships in future.

Physicians for Peace Announces its Partnership with VonZipper Eyewear

Physicians for Peace is pleased to announce the recent employee matching gift offered by TowneBank.  The Chairman and CEO, G. Robert Aston, Jr., stated in his company announcement, "You don’t have to look far to see the devastation in Haiti.  We have all watched the events unfold in the media and asked ourselves, “What can we do to help?” Many are quick to recall events like Hurricane Katrina, or even closer to home, Hurricane Isabel. It is heartbreaking to see the destruction and need at the center of the chaos."

Our Haiti effort continues at a fairly frenetic pace—particularly as we continue to receive Gifts in Kind donations from around the nation.  We have collected 1250+ sets of crutches, 175+ wheelchairs, 500+ walkers and a warehouse full of materials high on the priority list for Haiti’s disabled.  In fact, we have reached the capacity of our 10,000 square foot warehouse.  But a solution is hand.

Adding to our growing partnerships, Arpin Van Lines, a Rhode Island-based, family owned industry leader and the nation’s fifth largest moving company, has now partnered with PFP and is providing additional warehouse space for us—at no charge—in their Chesapeake, VA warehouse.  Additionally, they are providing us all the necessary shipping materials, to include specially designed boxes and the appropriate packing material, to help us ship items like wheelchairs, which are more difficult to pack for transport. 

They’ve also joined with a regional furniture store, Cardi’s, also a family owned company in Rhode Island to collect and transport more materials on our behalf. 

Watch their 2 minute TV spot at: Cardi's Furniture Store & Arpin Van Lines Join Physicians for Peace to Support Haiti Relief

This is just one of thousands of stories portraying the devastation in Haiti. Yes, the support has been overwhelming but we must continue to help bring light and hope to those who are in need of medical aide.

A volunteer surgeon shares his experiences in Haiti and the ultimate shock of discovering there is no water, no basic technology, or equipment in the hospitals. Read this excerpt of his story about doctors building their makeshift operating rooms with no electricity, limited surgical equipment, and they still managed to save lives.

Yesterday’s event exceeded everyone’s expectation. We estimate more than 250 cars dropped off donations at our Old Dominion University site.  From yesterday’s 3 hour drive, we collected enough materials to fill one 40 foot container… which, when eventually sent, will change the lives of hundreds of disabled Haitians.      

Every donor had a story.  

·         “My grandmother recently died and we had her wheelchair.  We’ve written a note on the back of the wheelchair sending our love to the people of Haiti.”

·         “I represent the largest maritime law firm in Hampton Roads.  We sent out an email to all our attorneys and are donating these dozens of walkers and crutches.”

·          “I wanted to do something for the people of Haiti and went around to every thrift store in the area and bought all of their crutches to donate.”

·         “I work for the school system and we had these sitting in a storage area.  I hope these crutches will help someone in Haiti.”

·         Sobbing:  “My wife died last month.  This donation will help me to know that she was really able to help those in Haiti.”

These are but a few of the hundreds of stories we heard yesterday.  My thanks to staffers Mary Kwasniewski, Monika Bridgforth and Ken Hudson and long time PFP volunteer and ODU professor Gail Grisetti for organizing this event in just a few short days.  Thanks also to MOC member Dr. Raouf Gharbo and ODU MOC student rep Patricia Birungi who were there from beginning to end helping to unload the donations.  And a special thanks to the students and faculty of Old Dominion University’s School of Physical Therapy who did the yeoman’s work managing the hundreds of pieces of equipment we collected. 

All the local media covered the event.  We are particularly indebted to CBS’s WTKR Channel 3 here in Norfolk and to NBC 4 in Washington DC for their extensive pre-coverage of the drive.   (See the Pilot’s article at: http://hamptonroads.com/2010/01/medicalsupply-drive-nets-huge-ourpouring-haiti.)  We expect further coverage on Larry King tomorrow night.

This is only the beginning.  Couple this, and future collections with Hanger’s generous donation of $125,000 in cash and equipment, and our Walking Free program is poised to have a significant impact on the reconstruction phase of Haiti’s people.   

Best,

Ron 

Brigadier General Ron Sconyers (USAF, Ret.)
President and CEO, Physicians for Peace

 


Physicians for Peace is honored to have been chosen by Brighton again this year to participate in their Dream Peace Bracelet fundraising campaign. People who wish to purchase this collectable bracelet can find a list of local retailers on the Brighton web site by clicking above. When purchasing the bracelet, you will be given a choice of four charities. We encourage all of our supporters to buy their bracelet between now and February 14th and choose Physicians for Peace as their charity beneficiary! 

Get one for yourself and one for a friend! We can make this fundraiser a big success - last year Brighton raised over $50,000 for Physicians for Peace! This year we can do more! 

Tell your friends about this great opportunity to support Physicians for Peace. Thank you for your support!

Dear Friends in the USA,

I write this e-mail to you to let you know that I am alive and all my parents and my fiancee's parents are alive.

The first bulding of St. Vincent is down and 6 kids and employees died in the earthquake. Now they are with me in the field of the College St. Pierre near the Palace. This afternoon I will have a meeting with the bishop, and I plan to propose to him to let me go with all the kid to Montrouis. I hope he agrees.

We really appreciate what Bill Squire did yesterday. He came to visit us in this difficult situation. He brought some money for us and we will use this money to feed the kids during three weeks in Montrouis.

The urgent now is to feed them. We don't have any materiels (cloths, toothbrush and toothpaste, soap). After the earthquake people got into St Vincent, so they robbed all the rest of the materials left, in my office, in the dorm, in the pharmacy, in the oparating room etc....

I hope in the next day the state will be able to pull out all the wall so we can built a new wall to protect the rest of St Vincent.

Glory to God we are safe, Glory to God He keeps the children safe. May his name be glorified everywhere.

In Christ,

Sadoni

 

Note: The email message above was received on January 18, 2010 from Father Sadoni, Director of St. Vincent's Center. Montrouis, where he hopes to take the children, is on the coast northwest of Port-au-Prince. The Rev. Canon Bill Squire, President of the Children's Medical Mission of Haiti, went to Haiti to assess the situation and take money to feed the children. He has since returned home saftely. Also check the CMMH website for updates. Please continue to keep Father Sadoni, the children, and staff at St. Vincent's in your prayers.

Donations collected though the Physicians for Peace Haiti Relief Fund are shared with St. Vincent's School for Handicapped Children. If you would like to contribute, make your donation here. 

 

Dr. Lisbet Hanson is a friend of Physicians for Peace and a Virginia-based Ob/Gyn who has done much work with partners in Haiti to improve women's health. She was in Haiti when the quake struck and has been sending us her updates since last week. The above slideshow displays photos she was able to send from her phone. Below is her latest report. (Warning: graphic content.) 

Thank you for all the help from Physicians for Peace. Dr. Ramon Lopez has been so generous with his time, meeting us at the border, driving us to Santo Domingo, showing us his beautiful city and helping us decompress. Interestingly, we saw only one large fuel truck crossing from the Dominican Rebublic to Haiti in Eleas Pina. I had expected to see many convoys on the way. On the road in the DR we saw one convoy of about 7 cars and trucks clearly headed to the border and last night a group of about 50-60 people that appeared to be a large medical group from Europe and the Caribbean, preparing to head to Haiti. A physician from the DR living here in Santo Domingo with ties to Hampton Roads contacted me to tell me she was collecting supplies to take to the border hospitals as they had begun accepting patients from Haiti. Another physician in Hampton Roads said she was collecting supplies to send to the doctor in the DR. 

 

I can confirm that several open fractures were transferred to the DR early Friday morning from Cange, including a 7 year old boy with an open compound fracture of his right lower leg and a large gaping wound of the calf. I had helped remove his cast on Thursday night that had been placed in Port-au-Prince the day after the earthquake and was struck by the horrible smell of the wound. I don't think they can save his leg but hopefully his life. I cannot imagine how painful the ride to the border was for him on those deeply rutted roads from Lascahobas to Elias Pina. I had trouble even though our driver, Domek, was experienced and careful. It will take some time to digest all that has happened. I am concerned that there will be a lot of "stupid deaths" to quote Paul Farmer. I am especially concerned about a little boy brought in by his father missing a large portion of his scalp down to the bone on the back of his head and a large gash on his forehead that I cleaned up and stitched. He would only eat a few M&M's that Mike Kammermier gave him. We took turns sitting and rocking him when there was a lull in patients arriving. His father left to return to Port-au-Prince to collect his mom and bring her to Cange. The rest of the family were all dead.

 

Again, thank you for your help.

Lisbet

If you would like to contribute to ongoing efforts to address the urgent need in Haiti, you can make your donation here.

News continues to come in from our partners in Haiti about the incredible devastation and the challenges of treating those in need. Dr. Lisbet Hanson, an Ob/Gyn who has done extensive work in Haiti to help expectant mothers, sends these reports from her Blackberry:

"Internet out today. Too busy anyway. Going to lie down for a while, then head back to help. Delivered twins, have set bones, helped with amputations, sutured, started IVs, washed wounds, done emergency ultrasounds... So much trauma, not enough of us to go around. Mirabelais standing room only. Patients are leaving Port-au-Prince any way they can. We are triaging patients in ED and church here in Cange. Stepping over people in shock with arms dangling, bones exposed.. It's unbelievable..." 

"Unbelievable day and its just getting started as people find their way out of Port-au-Prince to other hospitals. So many traumatic amputations, open fractures, puncture wounds and crush injuries.... We need orthopods and anesthesia people, lots of them. And more mattresses as wards full and churches filling. Will try to send photos when I can. If Partners In Health team can get here to replace us we are thinking of heading to DR end of the week. Will stay in touch. Thanks for support."

_______________________

This report is also in from Eric Doubt, Executive Director of Healing Hands for Haiti International, one of our Walking Free Program partners in Haiti:

To all, Lisa and I finally heard from our operations manager, Antonio. First of all, thank goodness, Antonio and his whole family are all fine. His home, car, property, all okay. He has a generator power, water, internet and VOIP telephone communications. Antonio has personally seen the following staff members who are okay: Siltane (who is living at the guest house), Noel, Joel, Jean, Soeurette, Caseus and the security guards. All of these people are unharmed. Noel unfortunately has not yet found his young daughter. Jean’s wife is injured. Antonio confirmed that Dr. Lalane and family are okay. His is the only home standing in his neighbourhood. We have no news from any others yet.  
 
I’m sorry to report the following news: in terms of our property, the main apartment building facing the guest house is completely destroyed. Antonio does not yet know the fate of two survivors still buried alive under the rubble. As far as he knows, the other apartment dwellers got out. Our clinic and administration building are damaged with cracks and the two staircases leading to them are impassable. The clinic entrance to the physiotherapy area has collapsed. Security are ensuring nobody goes near or enters. The small private house past the pool across from the administration steps has been destroyed. The guest house is intact, but Antonio stresses it needs to be assessed. Siltane is safe in her apartment which has a locked door. There is generator electricity. Not sure about water yet.  
 
Antonio reported that, on his walk from Petionville to our headquarters, it was as if the entire city was out in the streets. When I asked about the mood, he said very quiet because they are counting their dead. Three of the Unibanks he knows of collapsed with people inside. There is no banking, no gas available and the airport is closed except for emergency missions right now. We have asked Antonio when he returns tomorrow to take detailed photographs, to locate and report on other staff, to further assess the guest house, to secure the compound, to locate the water purification system in the guest house and make it operational for our use and the public’s if necessary. He is going to be calling Lisa and I twice a day as communications are possible to report and to take our questions. Antonio and his home are going to be the communications centre for HHHI in Haiti for the time being.
 
We told Antonio to communicate to his family, our staff and all our associates that we are setting up an emergency relief fund for staff and families and that we are planning for deploying an emergency response and reconnaissance mission as soon as it is humanly possible. We assured him of the massive worldwide support that we are witnessing in the media. We told him to be safe and take no chances and thanked him on everyone’s behalf for his calmness and compassion. This news came in after our emergency board meeting tonight. We are holding a second such meeting tomorrow, Thursday night and will provide you more details as we receive them on a regular basis. You may, of course, have received some of this information already.  Feel free to pass any of it on to others.  
 
On a positive note, donations via the web site and in person are substantial and rising and we are flooded with material and volunteer offers which we are coordinating. The best advice we have is to tell everyone the most important thing we need is money and to go to the web site. Regarding material donations, people can be thanked and asked to hold onto them until we can get back and coordinate. Major donations can be referred to Physicians for Peace. We advise volunteers to fill out the form on the web site stating their specialties, as we will be requiring numerous teams to be deployed throughout the year. We’re also categorizing specialties and providing contact information to the Canadian and U.S. Red Cross and MSF."

Physicians for Peace is currently collecting donations to help with the relief efforts of our partners in Haiti. 100% of these funds will go directly to help Haitians in crisis - 

Click here to make your contribution to Haiti relief efforts.