Haiti Response

[Guest guest]

To All:

My sister is a physician who has been involved in medical outreach in

Haiti for some years. She has worked with Partners in Health in the past,

and

recommends them highly. Here's more information from PIH, which already

has

boot on the ground in Haiti:

Thank you very much for your offer of help – we are deeply grateful. As

you know, the situation in Port au Prince is dire, and our response is

still

evolving as we gather more information from our colleagues on the ground.

At this time, while we wish we could use all of the support so generously

offered by people like you, we are unable to accommodate any volunteers

without significant surgical or trauma training and experience.

If you are a medical professional, please send the following information

to _healthvolunteer@..._ (mailto:healthvolunteer@...) :

• Your occupation & any specialization

• Your availability – dates and length of time

• Where you are based/where you would travel from

• Language skills and level of ability

• Emergency/post-catastrophe experience

• Overseas experience

We are working on the logistics of transporting trained medical

volunteers

to Haiti, and will contact you when we have assessed both our needs and

the situation on the ground. Unfortuantely, even if we have need for

medical

teams, travel into Haiti is severely limited at this time. We will

contact

you directly if we will be able to place you as a volunteer.

For those of you without medical training, the people of Haiti are still

in desperate need of your support and solidarity during this devastating

time.

Here are some things you can do to help:

* _DONATE_

(https://donate.pih.org/page/contribute/haiti_earthquake?source=earthquake&s

ubsource=homepage) . Currently, our greatest need is

financial support. Our teams - 120 doctors and 600 medical professionals

- are

in need of supplies, fuel, emergency food, water, and housing for the

displaced people in Port au Prince. The best way for you to help is to

supply

them with the means to get whatever they need to treat patients, feed

people,

and house the homeless. _Help us stand up for Haiti now._

(http://act.pih.org/earthquake?source=earthquake&subsource=homepage)

* _STAY INFORMED_

(http://act.pih.org/page/s/haitiearthquake?source=earthquake&subsource=homep

age) . Sign up for email updates from PIH on our

earthquake relief efforts and get news from the ground.

* _SPREAD THE WORD_ (http://www.pih.org/) . Alert your friends and

family to the situation in Haiti. Send them to _our website_

(http://www.pih.org/) for information and ways to help. Organize a

fundraiser in your

community. Join our _Facebook_

(http://www.facebook.com/partnersinhealth?ref=ts) group. Stay informed

and reach out to your networks and encourage them

to support Haiti in this crisis.

Once again, thank you for your continuing support and partnership in this

difficult time.

In solidarity,

Partners In Health

Besides the American Red Cross, and Partners in Health

_http://www.pih.org/home_ (http://www.pih.org/home) , other Non

Governmental Organizations

involved in the rescue effort include:

Doctors Without Borders _http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org_

(http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/)

Centers for International Disaster Information _http://cidi.org/home_

(http://cidi.org/home)

Samaritan's Purse _http://www.samaritanspurse.org_

(http://www.samaritanspurse.org/)

Mercy Corps _www.mercycorps.org_ (http://www.mercycorps.org/)

Oxfam _www.oxfam.org_ (http://www.oxfam.org/)

Folks who are having problems finding friends or relatives involved in

the

situation may contact the American Red Cross, the 888 number set up by

the

US Dep't of State or the SATERN (Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio

Network) website at _www.satern.org_ (http://www.satern.org/) (there is a

Health

and Welfare information form available at

_http://qso.com/satern/emailfrm.htm_ (http://qso.com/satern/emailfrm.htm)

)

Yes, the Government of Haiti HAS gotten memos of agreement for the

transportation of medical personnel via JetBlue and American Airlines,

BUT ONLY

for folks who have been cleared for entry by the government of Haiti.

There

are other limitations on the transport as well.

Because of limitations on transport, donations 'in kind' are being

discouraged. Monetary Donations may be made to your charity of choice-

including

the NGOs I've listed above.

ck