CBU nurses visit Mirebelais Hospital

Wednesday, November 5th

We began our journey to Hospital Universitaire de Mirebalais at 730 AM. This Dr. Paul Framer’s vision of health care for the underserved in the north of Haiti. It is quite the place. The hospital has 3 intake areas; ER which can get up to 1,500 people a day (not all are seen), women and children’s 400 to 500 a day, and general medical that sees 450 people a day. For about 5.00 one can register and receive a medical record card and been seen for life at the hospital. Sounds great!! The hospital is a 90 minute drive up and over the mountain from Port au Prince with numerous S curves and a great deal of goats, donkeys, cows, tap taps, people and semi-dump load of rock also trying to traverse the mountain. I spend a good deal of time with my eyes closed; one because I have motion sickness in this type of terrain and two, because I thought I might die!! It is not a trip for the faint of heart!! It was worth the trip and much, too much information was obtained to share in a note from Haiti. Just let me say they are doing wonderful work. And, there is not a nursery for the OB department, mothers want their babies immediately. We heard the cry of a newborn as we were touring the department. 

After our 2.5 hour tour we were off to the co-op to make purchases for friends and family.  No sharing of purchases but it may be an understatement that a good time was had by all. Our next sojourn was to the Giant grocery store for big bags of coffee and since we had not had lunch the bread, sandwiches and cookies were smellin’ and lookin’ pretty darn good. It is now about 2:30and we are pretty hungry and tired. We made more purchases and decided to forfit a snack somewhere for the guest house. Ah - home sweet home. 

Let me conclude tonights brief note with the fact Dr. Bredy’s reorientation to Haiti in going well, as is her memory of French. We are planning on seeing 50 children tomorrow and the 9 adults from Tuesday and then 15 - 20 adults after the children leave for the day. We have lots of toys, games and crafts for the children. . The children loved the nail polish, yo-yo, coloring books and of course, the jump ropes were the BIG hit!!  Peace my friends.

                                                                                                             Evelyn Sue Trzynka