Reaching Out: Cascade Valley Duo Takes Health Care to Haiti
 A young Haitian girl looks on while Mark Leonard, MD, with the help of a translator, examines her mother. |
It is the opening day of a new clinic. A crowd of 150 eagerly waits. If you are envisioning sparkling stainless steel, polished floors, and the most modern equipment, you need to think again. This is Cap Haitian, Haiti. Mark Leonard, MD and Sherry Vansant, RN, who both work in the Emergency Department at Cascade Valley Hospital, have arrived to offer free health care to as many people as they can for the next eight days.
"That first day was crazy," explained Vansant. "We used ropes, clothes pins, and blankets to partition off four exam rooms in an old church. I took over two and Mark the other two. We saw between 80 and a 100 patients each day, and there were always more waiting."
"There was a kind of mini-riot when we left that first day," explained Leonard. "They had made such an effort to get there, and now were being turned away. I don't think they believed we would be back the next day. But we were. We worked as fast as we could every day, for eight hours. We were just beat at the end of each day."
 Sherry Vansant, RN, with the help of MA Kathy Swanson, removes an infected cyst from a Haitian patient. |
Roots
Vansant was the inspiration for the group of 21 who left for Haiti on January 17. She had a similar experience in 2004 with a missionary group from Camano Chapel, but wasn't able to give the hands-on care she craved, and longed to return.
Leonard was a little harder to convince. "The thought of doing something like this has always been in the back of my mind, but this was a little sooner than I thought. And just three weeks after Sherry got back last year there was a military coup. But there were several safety nets in place and seeing so many others willing to pay their own way to go and help in any way they could really impressed me."
Getting Organized
Camano Chapel and Missionary Flights International were responsible for getting the volunteers there, housing, meals, transportation around Cap Haitian, and providing translators. These groups also helped find the Haitian minister who let the team use his church. Vansant was responsible for organizing the medical side. The team that joined her and Leonard included an EMT and his wife, a Paramedic, another RN, a Medical Assistant, and a Pharmacist. Just before they left a dental group, their own trip having been cancelled, decided to climb aboard.
Medical supplies were the next hurdles. Using their own money, and some form the mission group, Leonard and Vansant worked to put together what they thought they would need. At World Concern they paid $50 and filled up large baskets with whatever they needed.
"Cascade Valley Hospital was the biggest help though," commented Leonard. "They allowed us to purchase the things we needed at the hospital's cost. That was a great help. They even let me borrow one of the older microscopes so I could look at slides."
And, an amazing thing happened. As the community became aware of what Leonard and Vansant were doing, anonymous packages of medical supplies began to appear in the CVH Emergency Department.
The Adventure
At the end of each day the group would pack up their equipment and supplies and return to a guarded compound for the night. The next morning there would be even more people waiting for them.
"We saw a lot of stomach problems in little kids. There were also a lot of skin problems and many people with STDs," noted Vansant.
"The one that really sticks in my mind," commented Leonard "was the two-year-old who was so severely dehydrated she was near death. We were able to give her some hydration and antibiotics. Two days later she was alert and active. I really believe she might have died if we hadn't been there."
Will they go back?"I would be on the next plane if I could," declared Vansant. "I fell in love with Haiti. Even though they live in the poorest country in the western hemisphere, they have so much joy!"
"Yes," agreed Leonard. "The people of this third-world country make us look third-world in social aspects. They have a lot to be depressed about, but instead they are very happy, very family and community focused. I think we all gained more than we gave."
Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes only. It should not replace a visit with your health care professional. Call your doctor if you need more information or have additional questions.