One Year After Earthquake, Haiti Still In Chaos

Wednesday marks the one-year anniversary of the earthquake that shook Haiti, killing an estimated 230,000 people, leaving a million homeless, and commencing a year of disasters and riots for the underdeveloped nation.

A year later, Chip Lambert of the Medical Benevolence Foundation says the caribbean nation has dealt with more issues than many other countries face in a larger span of time.

"[Haiti's] a country that had more than just an earthquake occur this year. I mean there was policital instability, there was a hurricane, there was a cholera outbreak. You know, Haiti really had three or four major things in a 12-month span that really went beyond any other country that comes to mind to me," Lambert says.

A hurricane in early November compounded upon the nation's already detroyed island, and a cholera outbreak from poor drinking water sickened more than 50,000 people and killed more than 1,000. The nation, which is infamous for its corrupt politicians, has been hurt by the lack of a political presence and those in power have often refused the support of other nations.

Immediately after the disaster, generous support came from around the world, but Lambert says much of the money given has went virtually nowhere.

"There was collected I think a little over $5 billion and it was just sitting in banks or in the hands of someone and not being used. So there was frustation that there was all this money and yet not a lot was being done with it," Lambert says.

He stresses the only way the country can begin to set itself straight is to support a Haitian leader who won't be corrupt and will cooperate with the nations that are willing to help.

"If you could find someone within Haiti that the majority trusted and liked and put them in power with some checks and balances on what they're doing, I think things could get done a lot quicker," Lambert says.

A Year after the Haitian Earthquake

The destruction wrought by the earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010 created almost unimaginable deprivation where unmet human needs were already legion. The Brothers Brother Foundation based in Pittsburgh gave this update, a year later.

President Luke Hingson says it will be a long time before all the hospitals and schools are rebuilt—and homes for the half million people still living in tents. Hingson says one reason Haiti was poor even before the earthquake is that things didn't work well there, and then the earthquake destroyed what the country did have.

Brothers Brother has resumed its regular supply of medical donations and is helping to rebuild three schools near the capital Port au Prince, which will serve about 1500 students within three to six months. It’s also helping to repair a hospital and nursing school in Leogane.

Hingson says the Pittsburgh community’s contribution to Haitian earthquake relief could be as much as ten million dollars.

12 Haitian Orphans in Pgh Still Awaiting A Home

It's been more than 6 months since 54 children from an orphanage in earth-quaked ravaged Haiti were airlifted to Pittsburgh. However, the fate of 12 of the children remains unresolved.
42 of those children were already part of the adoption process but 12 of the orphans were not. After being checked out at Children's Hospital, the 12 were taken to Holy Family Institute, a social services organization in Emsworth, where they have been cared for ever since.
The fate of the 12 remains in limbo while U.S. and Haitian authorities struggle to determine which nation should be their future home. All parties say they want the best possible outcome for the children. However, Governor Ed Rendell, who took part in the airlift, calls it "astounding" that the situation cannot be resolved. He says it's unfair to the children and wants to see them "adopted by loving families."

About 1,100 other children were flown out of Haiti to the U.S. after the January 12 earthquake, but they were involved in adoption procedures. Officials are trying to decide if the 12 at Holy Family Institute should be put up for U.S. adoption or returned to relatives in Haiti.

Pittsburgh Community Helps Haiti and Chile

As soon as the earthquakes hit Haiti and Chile this year the United Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh opened what are knows as “Mail Boxes” to collect donation for relief efforts. The money is funneled through the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. The 95-year old organization has operations in 71 countries but did not have a base in Haiti. Committee C-E-O Steve Schwager says as far as they know there are only 3 Jews living permanently in Haiti but they rushed in aid any way. Schwager says all of the emergency relief aid raised by his organization goes to nonsectarian efforts and he says all of he funds go to helping the region in need. The Committee uses funds donated directly to the JDC to run the logistics and backroom operations. He says over the years Pittsburgh has been a good partner with the JJDC and it has a record of support that goes beyond most other cities on a per capita basis. As of the beginning of last month the JDC had raised a total of $6 million for Haiti relief from 12,000 donors nationwide. Schwager says the Committee sees itself as a second responder. Although it sends aid immediately it usually holds back about 75% of its funds for ongoing aid. Much of the money is spent after other aid organizations have pulled out of the country. In Haiti though, Schwager says it will be more like 50% immediate aid and 50% long-term aid. He says his team of three relief workers reported back after landing in Haiti that they had never seen such devastation. In the short term the JDC often teams up with the Israeli Army. In the case of Haiti, the army was sending a field hospital so the Committee sent in incubators and other items to treat children that are not usually part of an army hospital. He says over ten days the hospital saw 13 births and the two incubators were in non-stop use. In Chile the situation is a bit different. The Jewish Joint Distribution Committee has been in that country for 50 years and has established a long list of contacts. Schwager says the ratio there will be closer to the 25-75 it sees in other situations. To give a feel for how long the JDC usually stay at the scene of a disaster, Schwager notes that the JDC is still helping communities hit hard by the 2004 Tsunami. Listen to an interview with Steve Schwager.

Pittsburgh Emergency Medicine Doctor Back from Haiti

Earlier this week, Chip Lambert, an emergency medicine physician, returned to Pittsburgh after spending two weeks in Haiti. He works for the Medical Benevolence Foundation of the Presbyterian Church. Dr. Lambert is also medical director for Brother's Brother Foundation, and he works part-time at Allegheny General Hospital. He was in Haiti to assess the damage to the hospital in Laogone, which his foundation supports and coordinate delivery of medical supplies. He's seen the destruction following Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami in Sri Lanka and Hurricane Mitch in Nicaragua. But he told DUQ's Alexandria Chaklos it was difficult to witness the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, a place he had visited a few months earlier.

Listen to the interview.

Physician Assistant Back From Haiti Tells Story

Sometimes in your life, you get to seize the moment and make a difference. That's what pediatric critical care physician assistant Debra Bohan of Bethel Park did when she was in Haiti to treat injured survivors of the devastating earthquake. Bohan was part of the rescue mission that left Pittsburgh to bring the 54 orphans out of Haiti, but decided to stay behind with Dr. Chip Lambert to help out at the Laogone Nursing School that was converted into a field hospital. Bohan described what it was like traveling from Port au Prince to Laogone, which was at the epicenter of the earthquake.

Listen to Debra Bohan's interview with DUQ's Alexandria Chaklos

Local Hospitals to Receive Injured Haitians

11 hospitals in Pennsylvania including West Penn Allegheny Health System, UPMC and Jefferson Regional Medical Center, will be receiving injured Haitians badly in need of treatment after the devastating earthquake 3 weeks ago. Governor Ed Rendell says the state received a call last week from federal officials asking Pennsylvania to accept Haitian trauma patients and he responded with a letter saying Pennsylvania stands ready..."Despite the efforts of American and foreign doctors and nurses who have gone to Haiti and set up field hospitals, some Haitian patients are so severely injured that they cannot get adequate treatment in Haiti. And the Haitian government has asked the United States government to accept those patients for treatment in American hospitals."
Carolyn Scanlan, president of the Hospital and Health System Association of Pennsylvania, says the patients have long-term acute care needs such as "severe head injuries, spinal cord injuries. They have amputations as a result of being crushed. They are paraplegics, quadriplegics as a result of their injuries."
The governor says he's hoping the federal government will cover the expenses of the hospital but if not, they will seek private contributions.
The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare has located housing resources to shelter the escorts for the patients and local social service agencies are preparing to help with translation, food and clothing needs.

Local MD Brings Haitian Cancer Patient to Pgh.

A local pediatric doctor helped transport Haitian teen Kenson Jean to Pittsburgh for emergency cancer treatment this weekend.

Dr. Mark Sangimino of Allegheny General Hospital examined the child in a field hospital outside the Port-au-Prince airport, before overcoming many bureaucratic obstacles to fly him to Pennsylvania.

He says the plane was leaving at seven o’clock, with or without the doctor and child.

“It took me almost 45 minutes to determine that the boy wasn’t even there. I ran to the airport trying to figure out where he was, and he was still back at the tent community because the medical director there didn’t think there was any hope,” says Sangimino.

“We got caught right up to the point of seven o’clock.”

Sangimino says the first medical step is surgical reconstruction of the 15-year-old’s swollen left leg, which is stricken with bone cancer. He says after that, chemotherapy is likely.

The orthopedic doctor says although it was a miracle to bring Jean to Pittsburgh, there were many other children in similar situations that should also have come.

Holy Family Institute Preparing for More Orphans...Just in Case

14 of the 18 Haitian orphans that were taken in by the Holy Family Institute in Emsworth last Thursday remain there while adoption proceedings continue for most of them. They range in age from 11 months to 10 years. Sister Linda Yankoski, the president and CEO of the institute, says the children are adjusting well....they are curious about having electricity and lights on all the time....and about doors." "They are doing well, they're in great shape and in good spirits."
Sister Linda says today they had their first experience with snow, waking up and immediately wanting to go outside and play.
The institute, which dates back 110 years, houses 50 other children: abused, neglected and orphans. She says the Haitian children have a separate program at the facility and there's no real interaction at this time with the other children, who are older than the Haitian orphans.
Sister Linda says they are preparing for more Haitian orphans "We don't know if we'll be called upon but we're standing ready to provide care for additional orphans.

Haitian Orphans Moved

12 orphans from Haiti were moved last night from Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh to Holy Family Institute. The social services organization in Emsworth currently houses about 50 other children and will now care for the Haitian orphans indefinitely. The 42 other children who were evacuated from Haiti this week have had their adoptions completed and have been picked up by their new families.
The 2 sisters from Ben Avon who ran the orphanage in Port Au Prince spoke with the media yesterday. Although the buildings were heavily damaged, Jamie McMutrie said they had walls around the houses but "they weren't safe." Ali McMutrie said they heard gunshots and worried more as the people outside the walls became hungrier.
The McMutrie sisters aren't sure what's next for them but said it will involve the people of Haiti.
By the way, the parents of the McMutrie sisters adopted one of the Haitian orphans, a 3 year old boy named Fredo.

Global Links Continues Haiti Work

Pittsburgh-based Global Links is putting out the call for some unusual supplies and making plans for the long haul in Haiti. The group has partnered with Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Deschapelles, Haiti (3-4 hours north of Port-Au-Prince) as doctors there try to deal with the aftermath of last week’s earthquake. Global Links Executive Director Kathleen Hower says nearly all supplies are in high demand but there is a dire need for crutches and the tools used in amputations. Global Links is shipping materials from its own storerooms and asking for donations from local hospitals, corporations and individuals. Hower says when doctors head down to Haiti they are taking very little in the way of personal items and her organizations is loading them up with much needed supplies such as sutures, bandages, surgical instruments, gloves, and casting materials. She says getting the supplies from Pittsburgh to the hospital is at times harder than collecting the donations. The Airport in Haiti is small and overburdened with international aid flights and the roads between the capitol city and the Albert Schweitzer Hospital are poor.
Global Links has started to make plans for the future. Hower says after the cameras leave and the public’s attention shifts there will still be a great deal of need in Haiti and her group is drawing up plans to help sustain the hospital’s needs going forward.

Orphans Headed Home

At least seven of the 54 orphans from a Port-au-Prince orphanage run by two Ben Avon sisters are with their adoptive families.
Catrina and Nathan Brock of Georgia had been trying to adopt Dania for over four years. Last week a devastating earthquake struck Haiti. In its aftermath, the U.S. is waiving visa requirements on humanitarian grounds for Haitian children already in the pipeline for adoption. As part of the first wave of those adoptions, seven-year-old Dania arrived in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Wednesday her adoption became final.
Catrina Brock says the earthquake’s effects on their daughter are obvious.
"I think she’s a sensitive child and this is an experience that has marked her in some way. I can tell from meeting her this time, she’s more subdued and a little more sullen," she said.
As happy as the Brocks are to be with their daughter they say the situation in Haiti doesn’t fully allow them to be happy.
Dania lived in an orphanage run by two local sisters. They appealed for help resulting in a rescue mission that included Governor Rendell.
Another child, Jimmy, age 11, was adopted by Brian and Debbie Lepp of Washington state. They had been trying to adopt him for over 2 years. They spoke with reporters on Wednesday.
The remaining 47 orphans are in the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. Within a week they may be with their adoptive families or placed in foster care.

Some Orphans Heading for Home

At least 7 of the 54 Haitian orphans who were evacuated to Pittsburgh are in their new home or on their way at this time. The adoptions of the 7 children, to 5 families, have been completed over the last 24 hours. Marc Cherna, Director of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, says these initial adoptions were nearly complete prior to the earthquake striking Haiti last Tuesday.
47 children remain in a comfort room at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh where they can eat and drink, play and sleep, while they wait for their adoptions to be completed or be placed in foster care temporarily. 47 of the 54 have adoption agreements including 2 year old Emma who wandered off before the jet flew out of Port Au Prince yesterday. Jamie McMutrie, one of two Ben Avon sisters who operated the orphanage, remained behind with Emma while arrangements were made to fly them to Pittsburgh. Jamie and Emma arrived this morning and Emma was given a medical checkup at Children's Hospital where she is fine.
Cherna says Homeland Security has jurisdiction over the process but he believes that all of the children will be adopted or placed in foster care within a week. Cherna says federal officials are overcoming many stumbling blocks...."There's a lot of missing documentation because things in Haiti are now destroyed, so it's been a real challenge. They (federal officials) have been very flexible in trying to reconstruct enough things so they can do a legal adoption."
Cherna says they've received hundreds of calls locally and from all over the country..."Everybody wants there children but the reality is we have plenty of children in the U.S. and in Allegheny County who are in need of adoptive homes. We're going to use this as a reminder there are plenty of children who would be great to have as a child and are in need of loving homes."
The Haitian orphans range in age from less than a year old to 15 with most less than 4.

Prayer Service Held For Haiti Victims

A prayer vigil held Friday evening will benefit the victims of the Haitian earthquake.

The Functional Literacy Ministry (FLM) of Haiti will host “To Haiti With Love” at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary to pray for physical and emotional healing for survivors of the disaster.

FLM of Haiti Executive Director Leon Pamphile says his organization will continue its mission of providing school services to Haitians at a time when the education system has suffered a major blow.

“The need there right now has multiplied,” says Pamphile. “A lot of the Catholic schools and the public schools have been destroyed, so the need for education is greater than ever.”

Pamphile says FLM of Haiti will also buy medical supplies and food with any donations they may receive Friday.

Pamphile says the service will feature music and prayer, starting at 7:00 p.m.

For more details, call 412-784-0342 or visit FLM of Haiti’s website.

Haitian Orphans Doing Well

Doctors, nurses and officials at Children's Hospital are expressing surprise at the good physical condition of the 53 children from Haiti who arrived in Pittsburgh this morning from an orphanage operated by 2 sisters from Ben Avon, Ali and Jamie McMutrie.
After arriving at the airport, the children were bused to the hospital where nearly 20 doctors, more than a dozen nurses and another dozen medical technicians gave them complete checkups. The hospital's chief of emergency medicine, Dr. Rick Saladino says overall they are doing well..."as you might expect with a group of young children together, a few have upper respiratory infections." Saladino says 1 or 2 were dehydrated and received fluids intravenously.
Hospital President Chris Gessner says he was most surprised by the condition of the children "they just seem to be in great shape given what you would have expected them to have gone through and I think that is a tribute to the sisters down there, Ali and Jamie (McMutrie). They must have done just a phenomenal job with these kids, not only physically but spiritually. They were in good spirits."
Dr. Saladino says even thought the doctors and nurses don't speak Creole or French, the children quickly warmed up to them and interacted with them

Gessner says they've converted their conference room into a "comfort center" where the children can eat, drink, play and sleep. He expects the children to be there for about 24 hours. A temporary makeshift courtroom has been set up for Allegheny Children Youth and Families and Immigration officials to expedite the adoption process. 47 of the children have adoptive families waiting.....40 of them in the United States, 4 in Canada and 3 in Spain.
Gessner says some of the adoptive parents have arrived at the hospital but they cannot see the children until "they are officially recognized as the adoptive parents and there's quite a process that needs to happen there."
Some of the children will be placed in foster care until their adoptive families complete the process.

Sisters Who Ran Haiti Orphanage Called "Heroes"

53 orphans from Haiti arrived safely in Pittsburgh this morning after whirlwind planning to get them passports and visas to come to the U.S. The BRESMA orphanage, run by 2 suburban Pittsburgh sisters, was heavily damaged in last week's earthquake but the children were not injured. Most of the children were already in the process of being adopted by families in the United States. But sisters Ali and Jamie McMutrie appealed to government officials in Pennsylvania and in Washington to evacuate the children.
Governor Ed Rendell, Congressman Jason Altmire, doctors, nurses and volunteers flew to Haiti yesterday to deliver 2 and a half tons of medical supplies but also to pick up the orphans. Rendell called the McMutrie sisters "true heroes" for holding the orphanage together. Ali McMutrie said the children are in good shape and she was more afraid of the flight in the cargo plane than the kids were. When it appeared that several of the children would not get passports or visas, the McMutrie sisters insisted they would not leave any of them behind.
One child did wander away before takeoff and Jamie McMutrie stayed behind. They are now scheduled to arrive in the U.S. later today.
After a thorough medical exam at Children's Hospital, Catholic Charities will place the children in foster care till the adoption process is completed. 47 of the children have adoption agreements....40 of those in the United States. The other 7 will be allowed to remain in the country for 2 years to allow them to be adopted.

Care Provided for 53 Haitian Orphans

The American Red Cross, Catholic Charities and UPMC Children’s Hospital have all pulled together to provide care for the 53 orphans that arrived in Pittsburgh this morning.
Spokesperson for the Red Cross, Brian Knavish says the children will be given cots to sleep in, teddy bears, toys, food, drinks, emotional support and medical care.
He says this collaboration between the three organizations for the purpose of these kids was a big step to take but was well-organized. The kids will be cared for at the hospital until they have a place to call home.

Haitian Orphans to Be Given Medical Checkup in Pittsburgh

Fifty three Haitian children, most of them less than four years old, are on their way to Children's Hospital after arriving a short time ago at Pittsburgh International Airport. The children were in an orphanage in Haiti operated by two Pittsburgh area sisters, Ali and Jamie McMutrie. The sisters appealed to Pennsylvania and U.S. officials to evacuate the children whose orphanage was severely damaged. The children will be given complete medical check ups and then be placed with foster families until the adoption process is completed. One child wandered away before take off and Jamie McMutrie stayed behind with that child. They are scheduled to come to Pittsburgh tomorrow.

Haitian Orphans Arrive in Pittsburgh

53 orphans from Haiti are being welcomed to Pittsburgh this morning. Their rescue flight is arriving at Pittsburgh International Airport at this time. The children are from the orphanage where Ben Avon sisters Ali and Jamie McMutrie are caregivers. Their building was damaged in last week's devastating earthquake but the children were not hurt. The sisters have been working to get the children evacuated from Haiti. The organizations of today's rescue mission involved the efforts of Governor Ed Rendell, Congressman Jason Altmire and UPMC. The orphans will be taken to Children's Hospital for medical evaluation and then placed in group homes to await adoption. Many were well into the adoption process even before the earthquake struck. 100 children from their orphanage in Haiti are being cared for by Dutch and French agencies.

Pittsburgh Related to Haitian Hospital

A Haitian hospital with Pittsburgh ties is struggling to give earthquake survivors medical treatment.

Founded in 1956 by Larimer and Gwen Mellon of Pittsburgh, Hôpital Albert Schweizer (HAS) is burning through supplies at a extraordinary rate to aid the constant insurgence of wounded.

Chairman John Walton says the hospital, 40 minutes northwest of Port-Au-Prince, has far exceeded its capacity of 125 beds.

“We started seeing patients showing up within about 20 to 30 minutes after the event and from that time, we’re seeing a constant stream of vehicles arriving, sometimes in big bunches and sometimes only a couple an hour, but they just keep arriving,” says Walton.

“Generally, these are pickup trucks with people riding in open beds in the back.”

Walton says the hospital took on a greater role in the relief efforts when he learned only three hospitals in the capital were still functional. He says he’s working to bring in much-needed supplies via helicopter.

To make a monetary donation or read the latest news on HAS, visit their website at HASHaiti.org.