February, 2010
Major effort is underway to sort and pack for the HAITI container that will be shipped in March 2010. This will be going to the Justinian Hospital in Cape Haitian which is supported by Konbit Sante. Mattresses donated to Partners for World Health from EMMC in January 2009 will be on board along with 100's of boxes of medical supplies from local hospitals. A special THANK YOU to Portland Rotary for their generosity in support of Partners for World Health and Konbit Sante as they have donated the funds to pay for the transportation of the container! We will let you know when the container arrives at the Marginal Way site so we can all help to pack. Thanks in advance!
One of our Volunteers, Marieta Atienza, RN and her colleague March Truedsson, RN just returned from Haiti after a two week experience caring for patients with extreme wounds and caring for them with limited medical wound supplies and no pain medication other than Tylenol. In extreme circumstances we care for people in ways not commonly seen here but in ways that still carry intense compassion and heart. That helps to make a difference in the long run. Last weekend while Marieta was at the warehouse she found just what they needed in Haiti for dressing supplies and a box load will head to Haiti soon. In the interim I have called the company and am making my way through the hierarchy to speak to the right person in search of box loads of this wound dressing supply. And I am confident we will find what we need and because they will know that Partners for World Health will make sure it goes to where it is needed. WE are making a difference!!
Also want to thank Lauri Dorr, RN from Orthopedic Asso. who spent last Saturday going through our surgical supplies; identifying items with a beginning inventory and use list. We still have many more to go through but this is a start. In addition Maine College of Art students have been down to the warehouse and are excited about blue wrap and are creating artwork or some sort. Cannot wait to see what it is! That is a project still to be tackled at MMC as we generate over 70,000 pieces of blue wrap a year and likely more. We need to figure out how to recycle that product and help them out! BLUE WRAP is water proof and strong enough to sew and make coverings for egg crate mattresses and just think we could give them all to those in Haiti for a bed. People interested in this project please let me know. By filling a need overseas we can help MMC and other hospitals with their blue wrap accumulation. It will be a WIN WIN !!!
And Thank You to Louise White, RN and Sue Henry, RN who picked up last week at MMC and replaced all the cardboard boxes with the great white bins recycled from the OR. These bins originally held the bypass machine pump tubing. Partners for World Health logos were placed and the bins are now are crisp and easy to identify. These bins are bound for every hospital in Maine (I hope) and beyond. On average there are about 18-25 bins per week! They were not being recycled and now there are. We saved them from the landfill!!!
And this week Partners for World Health made a major pick up at Mercy Hospital thanks to the support and help of Melissa Skahan VP of Mission Effectiveness. The white bins with our label are at Mercy Hospital now and efforts are underway to help them with the recycling effort as well.
And a special THANK YOU to all who have helped in the past weeks to place Partners for World Health on the map. Thank you for all of your support and effort. You have made a difference... And I thank you.
Elizabeth
