Overview of MOM work

Haiti emergency relief trip

http://medicalmercy.blogspot.com/
-This is an overview of our Medical Director's (David) assessment of the current needs and plans for our trip in Jan.

I’m leaving for an urgent trip to Haiti in a few days. Jack from MoM is arriving today. Several of our children are critically ill, some have passed away, parents, church members, and pastors are all affected. We are urgently traveling there to assess and assist. Jack, myself, and our wonderful partners on the ground in the DR and Haiti are going to do our best to bring some semblance of health care and prevention to those who are suffering. There is civil unrest, riots, an election coming up and danger. I know that we are protected. Without Him we are nothing.

For the past week, Jack and I have been planning, implementing and assessing what our intervention can accomplish. We have ordered a lot of supplies from the DR that are being transported to Haiti. Here is what we are doing:

1. Evaluate all the projects for:

· Water sources, supplies, cleanliness, utilization and potential for wells and/or filtration systems: we are taking a supply of water filtration systems with us

· Hygiene and sanitation protocols

· General health conditions of the children and families

o Nutritional

o Infectious

o Document number of people with cholera

o Degree of illness

2. Ongoing treatment

· Plans for referrals to hospitals or clinics for medical care

· Meet with our local MD who we are working with to coordinate efforts

· Visit Justinien Hospitals and Milot Hospital

o Evaluate their ability to care for more patients

o Evaluate supply needs

3. Evaluate collaborative efforts with Konbit Santé and the local hospitals

4. Establish a plan and priorities for our January medical team dependent on the findings from this trip

5. Reinforce aggressive education to prevent any more child deaths.

a. Invite all mothers/children to come to the projects each day: They will get a bowl of porridge and ORS

b. Training for making ORS, hygiene, sanitation, water purification will be done at separate teaching stations that families will rotate through so that each mother/family can clearly see the importance of each and not get overwhelmed.

6. Following the list of registered children each project will keep attendance records each day and follow up with the families that haven’t come.

7. Home visits will be conducted frequently to follow up on assessing sanitation, use of products, and additional education.

8. Any child/family member identified as being at risk in any of the above steps will be either moved to the project for observation and ORS treatment or taken to clinic/hospital for IV treatment.

We have a lot to do. We are anxious, yet comforted by the fact that we will be doing what we know He wants us to do. I’ll be posting to the blog and tweeting as I can starting on Sunday evening (November 28^th). In the meantime, during this time of thanks, remember what you have and what you don’t have, and…

In all things, give thanks.

David

Going to Haiti Jan 2

Dear Friends and Family,
Some of you followed my blogs from my last trip to Haiti and some of you this may be the first time. So a little background: My first trip to Haiti was in March 2010 with a Christian medical group called Medical Mercy, (Mission of Mercy). It was a total God thing that I made it there with only 2 weeks advance notice. I knew nothing about Haiti nor the people or the group I was going with, all I knew is that I saw a need and wanted to help. God directed my every move and thought, HE knew the burdens that were on my heart. I felt God more than ever in that desolate place. God has grown my faith immensely since then and I've been challenged to know and understand Him more. More specifically, I've been challenged in prayer.
This past Sunday, I attended a sermon at Calvary Petaluma on prayer. Romans 15:30 says "I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf..." I learned what it is to Strive in prayer. Pastor Zach talked about Striving with God, knowing that He is our only hope, and refusing to let go until He hears us and blesses us. That is the kind of prayer I want to have for Haiti. I want to strive together with God in prayer and ask Him to open the eyes of my heart and to humble me before the lowly and the needy. Paul believed in God's grace to accomplish the impossible; He pleas with the church for prayer by sole motivation of our Lord Jesus and by the love of the Spirit. My ministry prayer is for protection from my enemies (or spiritual warfare) and that I would be received by the saints (or received in ministry). God's timing is always perfect. He was speaking to me, calling on me to strive in prayer and believe the impossible. Haiti has been in a state of poverty and tragedy for many many years but was hit extremely hard in 2010 with Earthquakes, hurricanes and now cholera epidemic. There is so much need there and its never-ending, exhausting and sometimes feels hopeless. But God does not want us to give up. He calls on me to strive and believe that He sees that need. My heart was burdened as God revealed these things to me, but it was all in preparation for this coming week. I'm so thankful for His promises and the joy that comes from trusting Him. My prayer requests this week before I depart are:
-that I would put my Trust completely in Him and let go of anything I'm trying to control or hold onto
-to cast all anxieties and fears on Him and be at peace
-for my team dynamic
-rest/SLEEP, energy
-health--shake off this cough

Thank you for reading my blog and I appreciate all your support and prayers! If you can help support me financially, I would be very appreciative. Any amount helps. This trip is significantly more than the last, so I'm hoping to at least get some of the cost covered. You can write a check to Mission of Mercy for a tax deduction and send it to my address. Thank you and Happy Holidays.
Michelle Bertrand
7010 Glenflora ave
San Diego, CA, 92119

In Christ,
Michelle