Aberdeen, WA – Along with thousands of other Americans and people around the world, members of Grays Harbor Community Hospital were greatly saddened by the aftermath of Haiti's 7.0 earthquake which struck on January 12, 2010. An estimated 200,000 lives were lost. Those who remain are devastated; basic medical care, food, water and shelter are minimal. Thousands of relief workers have arrived in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas. We wanted to be a part of the disaster relief.
Earlier Tuesday, GHCH Hospitalists Itanna & Yosafe Murphy were contacted by their friend Dr. Muni Tahzib and asked if they would join with other health care professionals on a medical/humanitarian mission to Haiti. Officials in Haiti asked them to come assist in communities where there is little to no help. Within these areas are two specific orphanages whose children were terribly affected by the quake. Without hesitation, the two doctors agreed to be part of the relief effort.
The Murphys will be joining a team of healthcare specialists which will also include Dr. Tahzib, an orthopedic surgeon, a pediatrician, registered nurse, a respiratory therapist and a coordinator. The group will have transportation, a safe place to stay (in tents) and local translators. They will bring food and water with them, and will undoubtedly be faced with many challenges. Their mission is to work directly with members of the community to establish makeshift clinics and help save lives.
Eager to see this effort be as successful as possible, Grays Harbor Community Hospital has donated latex gloves, bandages, gauze, scalpels, splints, suture kits, thermal blankets, blood pressure cuffs and other medical supplies. It is hoped that these supplies, along with the skills of the professionals going over, can help to bring some healing to this devastated region.
This effort will likely be repeated in the following months, as the devastation in Haiti is extensive. The Murphys ask for our prayers for the team, and for those they encounter and those still in need of help.
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