An Update on SCCM Relief Efforts in Haiti

Intensive care unit (ICU) clinicians in the region have reported that the two hospitals near the epicenter are operational, but damaged and overwhelmed with patients. Field hospitals have been set up near the regional airport to facilitate the transport of patients to the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Two-thirds of all hospitals in Haiti are in the capital city, and we anticipate they will soon reach capacity. The initial volume of crush injuries requiring surgery is subsiding as the number of patients with rhabdomyolysis, infections from more minor wounds, sepsis, and acute decompensation of chronic illnesses increases.
 
SCCM’s emergency response leader in the region, Amado Alejandro Baez, MD, MPH, PhD, FCCM, is organizing two 40-bed field hospitals near the Dominican Republic boarder to assist with the overflow that is anticipated. He is also working with our other partners on the ground to coordinate fieldwork.

Security in Haiti is a major issue with ambulances being highjacked and gangs taking control of at least one large clinic. Transportation of supplies and equipment by ground is perilous, so SCCM’s primary supply partner, Direct Relief, is moving supplies from its warehouse in Port-au-Prince by helicopter and ocean charters to reach those in the epicenter. For this reason, we recommend against travel to provide clinical care in Haiti unless part of an official nongovernmental organization (NGO) or governmental agency.

There are concerns that even those not impacted by the earthquake will experience medication shortages because most of the country’s supplies have been redirected to the earthquake region. We are also still very early in the hurricane season when supplies are traditionally scarce, so an island-wide medication and hospital supply shortage is a major concern.
 
To those who have already donated to support this relief effort, thank you! If you haven’t yet contributed and would like to do so, please make your donation here. Your gifts help support this relief effort, as well as helping SCCM respond quickly to future needs as they arise.