Haiti’s Questions

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Haiti’s Questions

by David Mittman, PA - January 19, 2010

Much of these thoughts will have nothing to just do with the NP or PA professions. I wonder if many of you have thought of the same questions?

After spending the last 6 days watching the goings on in Haiti, I am still filled with thoughts, emotions, questions and more. As I watch, I keep asking how is it that we are so lucky? Or is it that Haiti is so unlucky? I wonder about so many things. I see the resilience of the Haitian people and admire how much those people under insurmountable conditions put up with. They are amazing.

A child born in Haiti, especially today, lives in a different world than a child born in the USA or Europe or most of China. The average baby born in Haiti can expect to live to 57. Our children, well into their eighties. I understand the concept biologically-children are born where their parents live. They live under the same conditions their parents do. I get that part and I don’t even know if fairness is the proper question. Why are they born into a struggle to live? Last night on TV there were two volunteers who were in Haiti to work on finding people who were selling children as sex slaves. They wound up digging people out of ruins. Again, I was not born yesterday. I understand there will always be places in the world where things are not as “fair”, or “nice” or as “just” as we want them to be. That’s OK. We live in a country where medicines and medical professionals abound. If there was a quake in California, most of the buildings would stay up. Police would respond, the National Guard and many more would rush in to help. And if the help was late, people would ask why and expect answers. Few in Haiti expect that their President will answer or even be leading the rebuilding. Few are asking where their representatives are. They already know the US and other countries will lead the rebuilding.

That leads to another question; Should we in America be the world’s parent? I know sometimes to me it feels we can not parent ourselves. Sometimes it feels like we have problems that are insurmountable-we are in 2 wars, we are under attack, people are hurting financially. Maybe we should just worry about ourselves? That thought flashed through my mind as I am sure it did to many of us. I dismissed that one pretty fast. We help because we can. We help because that’s what good people do for their neighbors. If your neighbor’s house caved in would you not rush over to help? Of course you would. So I am OK with what we are doing.

There have also been many positives. How great is it to see a baby pulled from the rubble of a building? Every parent wants to grab that baby and make them feel better. We watched correspondents who are trained to be stoic, holding a baby and crying. Rescuers from Israel operating in a self built O.R., Spanish rescuers working side by side Russian EMTs and clinicians from NY City. Maybe there is hope for us all after all? 100 years ago, Haiti or any other country would not be able to get this massive aid, medical talent or money. We would not have CNN, Fox and the regular networks from all over the world bringing the story into the living rooms of not just the USA anymore, but the entire world. We now can text donations without picking up a pen or pencil. Also it was wonderful to see the world’s medical professionals move in quickly, not just physicians but many, many others including NPs and PAs. And there will be more of us PAs and NPs than ever saving lives, and for us, that’s what it’s all about.

Sometimes I feel these tragedies show us all just how human we all are. Just how much we are all the same. Just how good we can all be when called upon to do so.

Lastly, I ask anyone reading this to do two things. Donate some money. They will need massive rebuilding.
Secondly, think of all the people who are there, our professions and other professionals who put themselves in harms way just to help others.

They deserve a special space in our hearts and prayers this week.

Dave

Dave has been a PA, and later NP, leader for thirty years. He strongly believes that NPs and PAs must work together to insure a better future for both professions. Most recently Dave has been busy launching another dream; Clinician 1, the first internet community for PAs and NPs. In October 2008, Dave was honored by the New Jersey State society of PAs with its “Lifetime Achievement Award”.

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Comments Add Your Comments

Megan PNP (NY)	on 11 Mar 2010 at 10:33 pm

I spent twenty days in Haiti just after the earthquake. I got a call to go with the first trauma team to Hopital Sacre Coeur in Milot, Haiti. It is 70 miles north of Port-au-Prince and many victims of the earthquake were brought to this hospital by helicopter. The French, and the USNavy and US Coastguard dropped everyone off in the local soccor field. It is a 70 bed hospital that is now 320+. The local elementary and highschools were converted into makeshift hospitals. When I arrived, I was the only pediatric person to care for an estimated 70 children who sustained terrible injuries until 5 days later when 3 pediatricians and a pediatric nurse arrived from Boston. Two children died who developed tenatnus from their wounds. One child died because he was Type 1 diabetic and had not had insulin in 3 weeks. It was frustrating to see these children die from something so preventable as a simple vaccine. I worked 20 hrs a day. . So many children suffered amputations and serious wounds. And so many of these wounded kids were malnourished and severely anemic which will make it harder for their wounds to heal. I tried to teach an 11 yr old boy to walk with crutches but he was so weak from not having eaten in 2 days. These are the issues these kids were facing. Not to mention loss of their homes and for some of them their parents. They were very traumatized. The teenage girls with loss of limb were very depressed as in Haiti they believe amputees do not get jobs. Despite it all they have such a sense of community and caring for eachother. Very loving people. The hardest part was coming home and the hatian nurses and doctors I worked with, they don't get to leave HSC. They don't get a break for the long hours and endless days.

ARNP (Seattle)	on 08 Feb 2010 at 2:36 am

Please speak up for our profession and its very important contributions in Haiti! For more information, go to http://www.truthaboutnursing.org/news/2010/feb/haiti.html

Terri WHNP (MO)	on 03 Feb 2010 at 7:56 pm

I agree w/ Mary---I kept waiting for someone reporting on Haiti to mention NPs & PAs to no avail. I also waited for someone to mention WHY Haiti has so many orphans---they have a very high HIV rate. The Haitian-American nurse interviewed said they couldn't do sterile procedures--no gloves or hand cleaner. Couple that with all the blood and infections and my decision not to go was reaffirmed.

Rex Evans (Milford, DE)	on 03 Feb 2010 at 3:11 pm

I spent 17 years doing medical missions in Haiti. It truly is the neediest place in the world. Ignorance is the worst enemy and at times their best friend. I would second Dave's call to give, but would encourage all to give through smaller non governmental oragnizations. You have no idea how much corruption and graft is there. Millions of dollars have been poured into Haiti like a black hole and most never gets to where it should have. Regretfully I have seen this in American and other foreign governmental agencies in Haiti- its not just the Haitians who are corrupt. So Give - But Give wisely. Rex Evans PA-C

Mary Bedle, FNP	on 28 Jan 2010 at 4:08 pm

I also watched 6 days of Hatti. Never once was there a mention of NPs or PAs and part of the health teams. We are totally invisible. I can suture well. I could do so much over there. Debride infections, whatever...lots of us can. But never a mention. Never was asked to go. The hosp here sent Drs and ICU nurses.

Bill (Haiti and Tennessee )	on 27 Jan 2010 at 4:02 pm

I was there for the quake and have been working in Haiti for 24 years off and on. Six year fulltime, several years visiting at times, volunteering for 5 years while working my job in the US to support myself. Nothing in my 58 years has shown me more dramatically we are all part of the human family and friends, our family is wounded. Though no war was being fought, Haiti is a war zone. More than 1 million are homeless or displaced. Some 90,000 buried in mass graves with no identity. Millions of people will never know what happened to their family members. Parents in the rural area will never know what happened to their kids sent to attend high school or university in Port. The grief and trauma is palpable. Grief has changed the faces of dear friends. We will be rebuilding for years. We all need your prayers and support. The wonderful thing regardless of your religious beliefs is that the human family still loves and reaches out to those who cannot help themselves. Thanks to you all for your kindness.

Parrot51 (MN)	on 26 Jan 2010 at 6:07 pm

Dave, You are so right when you say that tragedy shows us how human we all are! Despite differences in cultural and economic conditions, we all have the same basic human feelings and emotions, the same need for loving and to be loved, the same needs for food and shelter and the basic need of being secure. Bottom line is that if we can....we should!

Anne Murphy (michigan)	on 21 Jan 2010 at 5:09 pm

Mary Louise Larkin PNP is medical director for Haiti Marycare, haitimarycare.org, in Jacquesyl, Haiti. This agency has been able to do great things towards improving the health of a small village. They are also present in Cite Soleil - not sure of that status now. One of the fascinating things about Haiti is that so many countries are doing small creative projects. The coordination between projects is not there yet.