Heading Back

Friends,

After several weeks in the USA, with lights that turn on, toilets that flush, cool weather, and fast food, John and I have decided that it’s time to go back to work. John left for Haiti last Saturday and I will leave this weekend. I’ll spend a couple of days in Florida, visiting with my Mom for a couple of days before going to Port Au Prince on a commercial flight on Wednesday.

John took a tent with him, but with luck, he may not need to use it. There is a ‘penthouse’ on top of the one-story part of the hospital, and he has moved into that. It’s almost luxurious. Although it’s a bit grimy, the roof doesn’t leak, it has a/c in one bedroom, and a toilet that flushes with a bucket of water. Fortunately, the hospital’s water and generator are working, and if it gets really hot, John has the key to turn on the generator. Bathing is in the shower, but with a bucket and a plastic cup, since the pipes to take the water to the hospital have broken. John took some repair stuff down with him, so maybe he’ll have it fixed by the time I get there.

Because the guesthouse is down, our job descriptions have changed. John will use his construction experience to oversee the repairs and reconstruction of the hospital and nursing school. I will use my mothering and nagging experience to help move the pharmacy and work with sorting out the operating suites. In March, Bob Sloan will come down to evaluate all the equipment and supplies to move them out of the one story part of the hospital. Then I think the plan is to demolish the one story part to make space for reconstruction of the operating rooms, the examining rooms, x-ray functions, and laboratory. This part of the hospital was subject to flood during rainy season and hurricane season, and that, combined with some damage from the quake, has tipped the decision to demolition and reconstruction. Those of you familiar with the hospital might realize that this will mean the loss of the fascinating electrical switching gear that was on the guesthouse end of the hospital. This area was always the most entertaining part of any hospital tour!

Of course, John and I will continue our personal goals of reopening a sustainable, Haitian run hospital to serve the medical needs of the people in and around Leogane. There are enough dedicated people in Leogane right now to treat the injuries from the quake. Of course, there will be long term treatment required for so many people. And that has added to the urgency of reopening Hopital Ste Croix. Because the visiting doctors are treating the patients and providing the drugs at no charge, the Hospital is doing the same. This practice has eliminated one of the main sources of income for the hospital. The other source of income, the guesthouse, has also been eliminated. So the task is more difficult now than it was before. Please keep the hospital and its future in your prayers. And, of course, remember the Haitian people also.

Suzi

P.S.
Friends in Austin have helped set up a blog for the hospital. Take a look at what we have published, and make suggestions about what you would find helpful. www.hopitalstecroix.blogspot.com