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Local aid groups provide goods to Haiti
Thursday February 04 2010
Operation Smile is one of the organizations that has teamed up with Penn State Hershey and other groups to provide services in Haiti.
Just a few short weeks ago, Haiti experienced one of the worst natural tragedies in its history: a deadly earthquake and equally powerful aftershock.
Hundreds of thousands are presumed dead, but despite that staggering number, stories of survival are gaining international attention. Even still, the survivors are in dire need of aid, and some local institutions have been more than willing to help.
According to the Penn State Live Web site, Penn State Hershey Medical Center (PSHMC) sent a team of nine doctors, nurses and technicians to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Jan. 21. PSHMC has teamed up with Operation Smile and Partners in Health, non-profit health organizations also providing aid for Haiti. The team of doctors from PSHMC plans to be in Haiti for roughly two weeks.
Partners in Health has been providing medical help and aid to Haiti for 20 years, while Operation Smile typically treats children born with cleft lip and palate conditions. Operation Smile will help Haiti by sending qualified doctors to assist the survivors of this tragedy.
The team from PSHMC has coordinated a blog of their experience in Haiti, which can be found at www.hmcinhaiti.blogspot.com/. The doctors are in need of supplies, including crutches, sterile gowns and sponges. Anyone willing to help should visit the Web site to find information on how to assist.
Aside from PSHMC, many other hospitals and organizations in the United States are sending aid to Haiti in the form of doctors and nurses.
A hospital in Florida was trying to coordinate a team of 16, according to clickorlando.com.
Another team of doctors from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH was sent to Haiti, according to Boston.com. Cooper University Hospital in Camden, NJ, has also contributed to relief efforts by sending nurses and a trauma specialist, according to www.nj.com.
Doctors for America has also taken action and helped in the relief efforts by asking not only for donations, but also for volunteer doctors, surgeons, nurses and full surgical teams. The web site has postings from many doctors willing to volunteer in these relief efforts.
The U.S. is not the only country willing to help. According to www.havanatimes.org, Cuba provided a team of doctors specializing in natural disasters and serious epidemics. As of Jan. 14, a staggering 344 doctors from Cuba were already stationed in Haiti.
Venezuelans have also contributed help and manpower to Haiti. This includes doctors, fire fighters, rescue specialists and civil protection experts, according to www.escambray.cu.
The Venezuelan government immediately made plans to assist Haiti after the earthquake. Just one day after the tragedy occurred, a plane of supplies and doctors was sent to the country.
Recently, according to alertnet.org, Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela, urged the United States to focus on sending doctors and aid, not troops, to Haiti.
It is reported that 13,000 U.S. troops are currently in Haiti helping in relief efforts, and Chavez is not the only one who believes the U.S. should focus on sending aid in other forms.
According to www.pacificfreepress.com, Fidel Castro, Prime Minister of Cuba, has also encouraged the United States to send more medical aide rather than troops to occupy Haiti.
Regardless, international efforts have increased since the tragedy occurred.
The Etownian >> News