Sunday February 7th

I rose at 2:00am Sunday morning to assist the 82nd airborne with a mission to pick up rice and move it to a location where it could be distributed to the people of Haiti. It made for a very long and tiring Sunday. I returned to camp at 7:00am, just in time for the camp Sacrament meeting. It was a wonderful meeting. Many shared their testimonies of the gospel and of God's love for all people. I was then off to the General Hospital to translate and to see what I could to help and be of comfort. It was a very warm day, and even warmer in the hospital tents. I can't even imaging trying to recover from amputations, infections and other sicknesses in these conditions. I spent some time in the ICU tent where a sweet young girl had an infected lung. When she came out of surgery I talked to her. She spoke of her fear of dying because she had not yet had the opportunity to become a mother. Joel walked her to the restroom and she was in great spirits. An hour later she began to decline and really took a turn for the worst. She couldn't breath well. She coded and the team sprang into action and began working on her to get her breathing. She fought very hard and they brought her back twice. After what seemed to be forever, (It was about 1 1/2 hours of working on her) she passed away. It was a very emotional time for all of us. I needed to take a break from the ICU so I went over to the post op tent to see Mana. Mana is the girl I talked about last week who had just had both of her legs amputated. I found her in good spirits. I sat with her for about an hour and we just talked. The most amazing thing about the Haitian people is I have never heard any of them blame God. They only praise Him. When I ask them how they keep going they generally say they only have hope. Once they loose hope they have nothing at all and they will die. There is little hope for a better life...for better conditions here in Haiti, but they do have their faith in Jesus Christ and no one can take that away from them. This life tests them and tries them in such different ways than us, but I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and he is their Savior as well.
Love you all

UTAH HOSPITAL TASK FORCE: GOING FORWARD:

Because of the extraordinary sign up of volunteers on the UHTF web site (which we kept open to optimize priority medical emergency skills and Creole speaking skills), we hoped we could take a second large team of volunteers to Haiti. Unfortunately, conditions at the Port-au-Prince Airport are drastically changing, and options for both entry and departure are tightening. Food, water, and shelter for the long term are becoming highest priority – and this is not our mission. UNICEF, WFP, and World Vision are now on the ground in Haiti and are managing these elements.

Therefore the UHTF has decided not to take a large second plane team to Haiti

Conditions in Haiti are evolving; some things are now turning to a new (and difficult) normal. Native hospital workers are beginning to return to the hospitals. Critical wound care is believed to have been mostly now performed. Though obviously much remains to be done, such is a many year task which has never been part of the UHTF mission.

We are told that in a few days we can no longer count on U.S. Air Force transport from Haiti to the USA because the military will soon begin shuttling out military personnel who have been on the ground since the earthquake; most seats on the military transport planes will then be allocated to military requirements.

Daily transport assistance by the 82^nd Airborne to and from remote areas for our medical teams will no longer be available. UHTF would have to rent transport trucks. Our campsite will be transitioned back to the military for its larger and longer term role in Haiti. This would result in increased camp costs for security, water, food and bathroom room facilities.

We are informed the airport will be turned back to Haitian government control on February 13, further complicating the issue and taking away priority options we currently have. Evacuation efforts by the U.S. Government will effectively end. We would be required to work out landing spots for a second plane in and out with Haitian government officials rather than with the U.S. Government with who we are in good favor. Our confidence in the Haiti government’s control of the severely damaged airport is not great enough to risk inserting the second team.

The volunteer team leaders in Haiti are unitedly unwilling to incur the risk of having a second team of 120 doctors, nurses, and translators stuck in a country with little available food and water, inadequate medical care, uncertain ground transport, increasing risk of disease, and increasing hunger of the populace. Remember, we are all volunteers who are doing this – we have no paid leadership or staff.

Simply put, regardless of how much any of us want to send a second team to Haiti and continue serving the Haitian people, we love and respect all of our fellow volunteers far too much to subject them to a potential situation where we cannot effectively and safely control the length, security, and living conditions of their stay in Haiti.

Those noble volunteers who wish to go to Haiti should now do so in smaller groups under the auspices of Healing Hands for Haiti or other established long-term aid groups. We will work with the HHH leadership to confidentially transfer the names and emails of all those who volunteered to serve with the UHTF. As we have stated from the beginning, all donations for UHTF have gone to the Healing Hands for Haiti Foundation and that 501(c)(3) organization will continue to benefit from those donations with smaller teams into Haiti and rebuilding their medical facility in Haiti.

Our tents and non-medical supplies in Haiti will, upon our departure, be turned over to the Mardy orphanage. All medical supplies will be turned over to clinics here.

We appreciate all those who have volunteered, all those who have helped with donations and all those still willing to find ways to help ease the pain of those suffering in Haiti.

(From UHTF website)

Friday February 5/Saturday February 6

Today was a much better day! I got up and felt much better, back to normal. We had an early start to the day. We caught a ride across town to a chapel in Cafrourr. We set up to do a medical and dental clinic in the cultural hall. After about an hour there we had about 200 lined up to be seen. As far a dental patients we had about 40. My first patient of the day was an 18 year old girl with really bad tooth decay on her front 4 teeth. She said they hurt very, very bad and that she could not afford to fix them. I felt bad for her because at home with the proper equipment and tools I could have fixed them so easily, but with what I have here it was impossible. The work from there went straight down hill...it was very difficult. All the people we saw had teeth that were either broken off or decayed to the bone. The room was very warm and the stress didn't help with the sweating. We started around 10:30am and didn't finish until around 5:30pm nonstop, without a break. All in all between Joel and I we extracted about 35-40 teeth. The day ended up with a long tap-tap ride back to camp. Ready for a shower and some peanut butter crackers...
Today we were back in Petionville. We set up our clinic once again in the Petionville chapel. We ran our dental clinic until we ran out of anesthetic. Then we walked over to our old Mission President's house. They moved to a new home but the church still owns it and uses it as a base for humanitarian efforts. It was fun to walk through it again after 20 years. We did a lot of walking to get there and back up and down the hills (travel isn't very easy in Haiti) We came back to camp and had a meeting with the entire group. We were reminded to be safe as we travel around. To go in large groups to avoid any chance of problems which is a great idea. Tonight I am assigned to go out and translate for the military on a rice drop. They do that at 2 am so people are not on the streets and start a food riot. I'll tell you how it goes tomorrow. Also looking forward to going to church once again with the Haitian people. Love you all. Thank you to all the friends, family, ward members and anyone reading my blog. Thank you also for your prayers on our behalf. I know they are helping! Please continue to pray for comfort and strength for the people of Haiti...they will need your prayers for a very long time.

Meridian Magazine : : Church Update: Spared in the Earthquake: A High Priest Group Leader’s Story

Meridian Magazine : : Church Update: Spared in the Earthquake: A High Priest Group Leader’s Story

Thursday February 4th

I don't have a lot to write tonight. I woke up in the middle of the night with diarrhea and felt really, really sick! I thought it would pass by the morning but it didn't. Not sure if it was something I ate or the flu...but I had promised a lot of people that I would come back today and take care of their dental needs, and I didn't want to let them down. So off I went to the Petionville Chapel. Joel and I saw around 40 people and pulled about 40 teeth today. These Haitians have some really hard bone! We even saw one man who was about 65 years old. He only had lower teeth left and couldn't eat very well. He had perio disease so bad that we decided to pull the remaining teeth. I got the teeth out and sutured him up.    I didn't feel well all day and by now was totally exhausted! As we went to leave the chapel I ran into one of the members (first that I have seen) that I recognized. Her name is Nadine Seraphin. She had just been baptized when I was serving here and is still a good member today. That was so nice to see, and it was good to visist with her. We walked down and caught a tap tap and went to the supermarket to get Gatorade and some crackers then headed back to camp. Finally back home (in my tent) I fell asleep. When I woke up I was feeling much better. About half of our group ended up getting sick. (So I guess it was the flu) I was lucky...most of them needed IV's. I am doing a lot better and looking forward to a better day tomorrow!

Wednesday February 3rd

This morning we got up and decided that since it would be two hours before military transport could take us to our area and the fact that we needed to buy more dental instruments we     ( Joel Blake, Jeff Bates and I) took off on foot to catch a tap tap. We walked about a mile to Delmas, as we were walking a military vehicle came by and we waved them down and they gave us a ride to the dental store. We bought the instruments that were needed and I changed out some more American money for Haitian gourds. I got some brand new 10 gourd bills which is a 2 dollar bill (I am bringing a lot home). We then jumped on a tap tap and went to the tent city on Delmas 33. When we get there the crowd is overwhelming! There are hundreds already gathered there waiting for us. This tent city has had no medical attention since the earthquake. There was a group of Haitian boy scouts there that were helping. Once we set up tarps and tables with medical kits the people began to line up. We had in our unit Doctors, nurses and translators. We sent the patients through a triage and rated each a 1, 2, 3 in severity. As soon as this was done hundreds of mothers lined up with their children. I think this was a chance for them to have a doctor look at their child. A lot of wounds were treated but hundreds of well checks were done. It was a good service to do for the Haitian people today. I am sure that most Haitians have never been seen by a doctor. Even for pregnancy and birthing a child. I think we take for granted in the US the services that are right there for us so quickly. I spent most of the day translating but also had many opportunities to treat infected wounds and rebandage them. They are just so appreciative that we are here and that someone cares about them. We saw about 380 people today and treated everything from runny noses to 3 inch boils in an armpit. We even had to emergency evacuate a patient who had a stroke to a field hospital by the airport. I know that this kind of love is giving the people here hope for the future even though it still looks very bleak to me. I am looking forward to going back to the Peitionville Chapel tomorrow to work on the members there.

Tuesday February 2nd

Today Joel Blake and I left early and caught a tap tap in search of dental instruments. We rode to the top  of Petionville and walked down Delmas (we remembered there was a dental store somewhere around here) about 40 blocks in search of the store. We finally found it and bought the needed instruments. We then got back in a tap tap and headed for the Petionville Chapel. When we got there we went in to the chapel and started visiting with the members and asking them how they were doing. We asked if anyone had a toothache and within 15 minutes we had a line of about 40 people. They moved things around in the Bishop's office and set up a chair so we could do our work. We did extractions all day long and made arrangements to come back on Thursday. We will need to go get some more instruments as some of the people needed more extensive dental care. So we will go look for those tomorrow. Caught a tap tap back home to another great Haitian meal. It felt good to get to do some dentistry again! Tomorrow we are going to a tent city of 9,000 that has not had any medical care at all. Should be interesting.

Monday February 1st

Today I went to a new hospital called Comunite Hopitale de Haiti, we had in our group one nurse, one EMT and three translators. Two of the translators Joel Blake and I are dentists. We get there and say put us to work. They send us over to work along side and to also replace the Korean team that is just leaving. We are in a triage/post-op unit. We must have shown up at the busiest time of the day because it's packed with people. Now keep in mind our unit doesn't have a medical doctor in it. The first patient I treated was a young girl with her right leg amputated just below the knee. She had a femur fracture with external fixation screws. I cleaned and redressed her wound. The next patient I treated was a three year old boy with a 2 inch laceration on his foot that just had gauze placed over it. It needed to be sutured so Joel and I numbed up his foot with lidocaine as he screamed bloody murder. Once numb we placed the sutures and dressed the wound. It went on like that from 9:30am until 4:00pm without even a water break. I was just exhausted!

On the way home in a tap tap, we stopped and bartered for some sandals to shower in and to get some Haitian food. It was the best! I have missed eating this food alot. Then we stopped at the Centrale Chapel to check on the members and see how they are doing. All together another rewarding day of service. So glad I came!

Meridian Magazine : : Church Update: Haiti: Returning to Church after the Quake, Part 4

Meridian Magazine : : Church Update: Haiti: Returning to Church after the Quake, Part 4

Meridian Magazine : : Church Update: Haitian Orphan Rescue—The Story behind the Story

Meridian Magazine : : Church Update: Haitian Orphan Rescue—The Story behind the Story

A Wonderful Day

Today was a wonderful day! We got up and started the day with sacrament meeting at 7:00am. It lasted about 40 minutes. Then we went to the hospital for the rest of the day. I was assigned to translate in the surgical post op with 2 nurses. I spent 8 hours straight translating, changing bandages and doing wound care. We saw 25 patients. As I was working with these 25 people today it kept bringing back to me why I love the people of Haiti so much. They are such a humble and loving people. I was able to sit and comfort an 18 year old girl who had just come from having both of her legs amputated. Another young girl had fixation rods in her legs and both femurs. I just wanted to cry for both of them. 20 of the 25 patients we saw today had lost a limb and others had wounds where their flesh had been torn entirely off their foot. As I spoke to them and comforted them today my prayers went up to our Heavenly Father asking Him to comfort them. I only wish I could do more. When I asked the girls how they were, they responded I have nothing left but my faith in Jesus Christ. I knew at that moment what I am doing here in Haiti is what Christ would be doing if he were here in person.

UHTF Orphan / Update Summary

With help from Senator Hatch's Office, Haiti Prime Minister, Haiti First Lady, the US Ambassador, ICE agents, various orphan adoption agencies and many volunteers the Utah Hospital Task Force was able to get 141 orphans moved along the complex adoption process in Haiti. UHTF with help from Sun Charter stayed at the airport for hours until this process was complete. UHTF was successful in bringing 66 orphans back to the USA to their families that have been waiting for them for months. The remainder of the 141 are completing final paperwork and will soon be brought back by other orphan relief agencies. We again express our thanks to those who made it possible to unite these 66 orphans with their families.
We would like to thank all the volunteers that made this possible. This is only the beginning of our mission. Our group consists of 19 Doctors, 21 Nurses, 27 EMTs, 23 Construction and 38 Linguists with 45% (57) members of the total group being fluent in French / Creole. We plan to spend 21 days in Haiti Healing - people, buildings and the community. None of these people are paid - they all willingly took time off away from family and work to make this possible. Again we greatly thank all involved and are exited to hear about the good that is and will be accomplished.

(from UHTF website)

Back in Haiti...My Second Mission

January 28
We arrived at the Port au Prince airport on Thursday night at 11:30pm EST. The Prime Minister had not released the orphans to board the plane to leave Haiti. Our group (Steve Studdert) contacted Senator Orrin Hatch and he contacted the airline we flew in on and asked permission for the plane to stay until morning so that Steve could hopefully meet with the Prime Minister, to ask if he would release them. We didn't get to our camp until 3am. We are staying with the 82nd airborn on a soccer field in P au P.
January 29
Well what a first day back in Haiti. It was so difficult to drive down the streets and see so many homes and businesses completely destroyed. I traveled in a hum-v with the 82nd airborn touring Port au Prince to access the hospitals and see the needs. As we went through the streets in the hum-v I had to use a lot of Creole to navigate and was so surprised that after 20 years it came back so easy. Many children and adults have lost limbs. (This is why it's so important to get Healing Hands for Haiti back up and running!) It breaks my heart to see these people suffering as they are. I am so thankful I was chosen to come down with UTHF. My emotions have been up and down throughout the day with the devastation of Haiti and the suffering on one hand and the smiles and laughter from the children and others I talked to today on the other. On a very positive note they were successful in getting 66 children on a plane to Salt Lake City.
We'll see what tomorrow will bring. We will begin building a temporary orphanage, some are going to Petionville and some to Petit de Gave. This was the last area of my mission and where the epicenter of the earthquake hit. They haven't had any help there yet so I'm sure they are in dire need.

This is why Healing Hands for Haiti is so Important!

Click on MSNBC link below

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35103003/ns/world_news-haiti_earthquake/

En Route to Haiti

Doug is officially on his way to Haiti! He is scheduled to land in Port-au-Prince at 11:00pm EST. It was a very somber day yesterday as the kids and I dropped him off at the airport. It was rainy and cold, very fitting for the teary eyed kids I had in the back seat of my car. It's a big sacrifice to give up your dad for three weeks but I reminded the kids how lucky they are to have a dad who is willing and able to give of himself to the people of Haiti. In the scriptures it tells us to "be willing to comfort those that stand in need of comfort." The people of Haiti need to be comforted now more than ever before. I'm so proud of Doug and know that God will keep him safe as he has a great work to do!

MISSION PICTURES

It was only last week that Steve Studdert began circulating an email and then placed an article on Meridian appealing for volunteers with skills in medicine, construction and French/Creole language to come to Haiti to help in this time of devastation. He said, “This is NOT an official Church delegation, but priesthood men being "anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do(ing) many things of their own free will, and bring(ing) to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them...” (D & C 58:27-28).

This morning, just a few days later, after scrambling to get off work for 21 days, receiving inoculations, and leaving behind family members who were jittery for their safety, 125 men and women boarded a 737 jet, leaving from Salt Lake City airport, heading for Haiti.

In an outpouring of generosity, Steve received well over 4,000 emails from people, eager to help, and qualified 850 people for this mission of mercy. If he can get funding, he hopes to fill up three and maybe four more planes of LDS volunteers. Among this first group are 21 doctors, 22 nurses, 30 medical support, 49 construction workers and 70 French/Creole speakers.

As Meridian’s publisher and editor-in-chief, Scot and I are accompanying the group to bring their experiences and the stories of the Haitian Saints back home to you through vivid photography and writing. We will take you there, let you experience first-hand with us what it is like to be on the ground trying to make a difference in Haiti.To read more of this article click here

The Healing Hands for Haiti International Foundation has made significant strides to provide aid to the suffering Haitians at this time. We currently have two medical professionals from our board of directors on the ground in Haiti. Dr. Jeff Randle, just returned after a week of service. To see the efforts and experiences of Dr. Jeff Randle, go to his blog at http://www.chiefhhh.blogspot.com.

As many of you know, Steve Studdert has coordinated a major relief effort in partnership with the Healing Hands for Haiti International Foundation. Many of you have contributed to this Utah Hospital Task Force through Healing Hands for Haiti, we thank you for these donations. Those for whom you have contributed are scheduled to travel this week and will have a life changing experience as they assist in the relief efforts in Haiti.

Although all 7 of the buildings on our property have been completely destroyed, or rendered uninhabitable, we have opened up our campus as a safe haven for two orphanages that were destroyed near our facilities. Additionally, our compound will be used by humanitarian groups for weeks to come.

In the 10 year existence of the Healing Hands for Haiti International Foundation we never imagined such a devastating blow to the people and country that we love and serve. I want to assure you that your funds will be used appropriately in the care of these great people and the rebuild of their beautiful country. To stay apprised of our efforts, follow us at our website- www.healinghandsforhaiti.org.

Thank you again,

Trent Goddard
Treasurer
Healing Hands for Haiti International Foundation

By Scott Taylor

Deseret News

Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Nothing is routine in Haiti, especially setting up another another makeshift meetinghouse clinic.

Each new day and new location means new patients and new challenges.

On Monday, Jan. 25, the LDS Church-sponsored team of volunteer doctors and nurses responding to medical needs in earthquake-ravaged Haiti set up shop in the Croix des Missions meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The church building is located in one of already-poor Port-au-Prince's most poverty-stricken areas, just a couple of blocks from what has become a key post-quake point at the Gris River.

Heavy street traffic -- including trucks and buses -- has created a crude detour from a closed, unstable metal bridge over lumpy, bumpy dirt roads and past women washing their clothes in the shallow waters. And past pigs and goats rummaging through refuse dumps located oh-too-close to the riverbed.

But inside the gated meetinghouse grounds awaits a veritable oasis -- clean, near-perfect concrete driveways and parking areas, lush lawns, towering trees and a sparkling church building that medical staff says looks temple-like.

The only immediately visible signs of damage are at the front and back of the meetinghouse. On the front wall, a large stone sign -- the Haitian Creole version of the church's name -- has a noticeable crack running through it. Behind the building, the back cinder-block-and-cement wall has fallen flat on its side.

The crowd of homeless staying on the grounds is not as large at the Croix des Missions building as others in Port-au-Prince, such as the Centrale Ward and Petion-ville Ward meetinghouses -- scores rather than hundreds.

From a previous quick visit by members of the medical team, local church leaders learned of Monday's planned visit, and they had prepared for the arrival by lining up folding chairs near the entrance, out of the intense Caribbean sun when possible.

Whenever the staff sets up a clinic, they must transport a dozen or so pieces of luggage and bags containing medical supplies and pharmaceuticals, and then separate everything out in a makeshift pharmacy.

The team set up Monday's clinic in the back of the Croix des Missions chapel, in a tiled overflow and stage area beyond the last row of wooden pews. A clinic-on-the-move means certain items may be in short supply.

Monday's missing supplies included a lack of water and snacks -- not so much for the American doctors and nurses, but rather for them to provide to the Haitians who help at the clinics. Medical students help give basic medical care, English-speaking church members help translate communication between U.S. staff and local patients. And other church members are asked to be logistics volunteers, helping with the flow of patients in and out of the clinic area. Water is also given to individuals who receive pills for medication.

Too few latex gloves have been packed, an assumed bottle of hydrogen peroxide is really one volunteer's personal supply of liquid laundry bleach, and it's been some time since anyone has seen a blood-pressure cuff.

With about half of the original 18-member medical team having returned home to pick up their usual practices and shifts, the clinic is not only smaller in size but has fewer individuals who speak either Creole or French in interacting with Haitian patients and workers.

Ogden, Utah, doctor Jeremy Booth, who learned Creole as an LDS missionary in Florida, and Provo, Utah, doctor Creig MacArthur, whose French was learned nearly a half-century ago while serving a mission in France, seemed like the only people who might communicate with patients.

Provo critical-care nurse David Sindel and Corvallis, Ore., doctor Mark Rampton joined Booth and MacArthur in seeing patients, whose injuries and ailments ranged from broken femurs to the common cold. Alpine doctor Dan Egan oversaw the pharmacy and distributing the medicines, with the sorting assistance of Jeff and Ben Richards, teenage sons of Brian Richards, a Layton doctor who was elsewhere in Port-au-Prince assisting another colleague.

At the start, the clinic seemed to be rocked with challenges -- the missing supplies, only one available Haitian translator, no Haitian medical students to assist, and a line of people waiting for consultation.

Somebody braved more than two hours of traffic-clogged streets to retrieve the needed supplies, and the Haitian volunteers soon started to show up and assist.

From the first patient, a mother of a days-old newborn who just wanted a trained doctor to confirm everything was well with the baby, to the last patient, a man complaining of being short of breath, the day was a success, with certain understandable conditions.

The number of patients is starting to dwindle, while the most acute cases brought to the clinics are being transferred to local hospitals because surgical procedures in the makeshift clinic could lead to more serious problems with infection.

Monday's patient tally was close to 100. by comparison, at the early Centrale Ward meetinghouse clinics last week, each volunteer was treating 75 to 100 patients apiece.

Later in the afternoon, volunteers started to pack up the supplies and wonder if they should consider coming back to the Croix des Missions meetinghouse again on Tuesday or move on to another Port-au-Prince location, either at another LDS building or an existing hospital or clinic.

Just then, word came in about a neighborhood clinic about five minutes away, with an overflow of injured and ailing Haitians needing exactly the kind of care the LDS volunteers can provide. One of the doctors rushed over to assess the needs and the possibilities of setting up there Tuesday, Jan. 26.

More patients for another day. Another reason to repeat the daily routine.