TIH- This is Haiti

I had the opportunity to volunteer on a medical mission over the Winter holidays. While my 2009 trip to Ghana invigorated my passion for international medicine, I hadn't had the time to travel since then, due to clinical rotations and Step exam preparation. With the goal of completing a short-term mission prior to residency, I searched for organizations via Google. I stumbled upon International Medical Relief and applied.


International Medical Relief (http://www.internationalmedicalrelief.org/) conducts 1-2 week medical mission trips to India, Senegal, Haiti, Panama, Ethiopia, Kenya, Romania, Cambodia, Peru and others; utilizing physicians, nurses, therapists, dentists, healthcare professionals, as well as non-medical support staff to bring care to underserved rural and urban residents. IMR was present in Haiti only 4 days after the 2010 earthquake, and established partnerships since this point. I was impressed by the focus on teaching and training for disease prevention and management, rather than providing a month's worth of medication and retreating back to the US with no patient follow-up. The deep-rooted relationships IMR forms in countries also ensures that critically ill patients can be admitted, treated, and re-evaluated. The Haiti trip sounded like a perfect opportunity to impact lives and utilize my health education background while receiving mentorship from physicians committed to international medicine.


Several months of paperwork, conference calls, and vaccinations later, I was on my way to Haiti. The team met in Miami on Christmas Day to sort supplies become acquainted. It was exciting to meet my 40 teammates and begin organizing the thousands of donated medications and equipment. The altruistic synergy among us was incredible. We ate together and shared stories and experiences from varied careers. Most of us had never visited Haiti, while our team leaders had been very instrumental in medical relief immediately after the 2010 earthquake. Their passion and excitement for the trip was energizing. I was lost in admiration for their courage, compassion, and dedication during such a stressful, tragic emergency. They became instant role models. Early the next morning, we loaded up shuttle buses with passports in hand and arrived at the Miami International Airport. [to be continued] 


The following entries contain my notes and thoughts during my week-long medical mission. 
Please enjoy and comment freely!