Jan. 18, 2010
Judy Siegel-Itzkovich , THE JERUSALEM POST
Among the chaos and lack of law and order in Haiti since the earthquake that may have killed hundreds of thousands of people, the IDF medical and rescue team has seen a few points of light.
Not long after their arrival in Port-au-Prince, the team members saved the life of a customs clerk who was trapped in his office for 125 hours by debris, and then treated him in the Israeli field hospital - by far the largest, most equipped and best organized in the country.
It was the 121-member IDF team's first rescue since its arrival and establishment of the field hospital on Shabbat. More than 100 survivors have been treated, with three in 10 in serious condition and 50 percent moderately injured. Children comprise more than half of the injured, most with limb injuries and bone fractures. Nearly a dozen lifesaving operations have been performed.
The field hospital, said its commander Col. Dr. Itzik Kreis, "is currently the most significant medical center in the area struck by the earthquake."
On Sunday morning, the parents of a baby born in the field hospital named him Israel. It was an ordinary delivery, and there are two more women about to deliver there.
Deputy hospital director Dr. Carmi Bar-Tal, a Beer Sheba physician in charge of triage and hospitalization who as a civilian works in Soroka University Medical Center's internal medicine department, told health reporters in a conference call: "The most serious patients - both wounded in the quake and sick - arrived from clinics run by the Americans, Russians and other groups who cannot handle these most serious cases."
Bar-Tal said the huge hospital operates in a well-guarded, fenced soccer stadium in the center of Port-au-Prince. There are open fractures, crush injuries and other orthopedic problems.
"Some limbs had to be amputated. There are battles in the streets over food and water, with people waiting outside. We opened a community clinic near the fence so patients who needed to be bandaged would not have to be admitted to the hospital," he said.
The deputy director said the hospital was completely full. "We discharge patients but don't know what awaits them afterwards. At least we gave them a chance to live. Some, such as a man paralyzed with a spinal injury, could not be admitted because doctors knew they could not help him."
The staff members are well taken care of and
lack for nothing. They share the food brought in from Israel with patients and their relatives.
The Israeli rescuers have been well received by the Haitians. TV cameramen photographed survivors applauding and singing next to the IDF search and rescue team after they pulled someone out of a collapsed building. They were singing a refrain of "Good job, Israel."
At first they didn't know who we are. They thought Americans or Canadians. They were surprised to hear we are Israelis, but now they identify us. The most obvious thing is that they are very sad; You can see it in their eyes. They are not hysterical but resigned," said Bar-Tal.
Meanwhile, ZAKA - Israel's experts in extricating survivors and the dead - reported that its team members have been begged by desperate people to extricate their loved ones, after being dispatched to save people at one location and being unable to stop to give children water, because if they gave one bottle, they'd be surrounded and unable to go where most needed. They reported that the US forces have taken control and give ZAKA instructions on where to go, with an armed UN jeep as their escort.
Several Israeli medical centers are represented by doctors, nurses and other professionals in Haiti. One is Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek, which recently launched a major project to develop the Dr. Jack Matloff Family Disaster and Emergency Response Center. This project will create a comprehensive emergency preparedness and disaster management center and is designed to serve as an urgent care facility for mass casualty incidents and an training center for medical professionals and first-aid responders.
"The fact that four of our senior medical professionals have been chosen for this mission in Haiti is an important indicator of the central role played by Shaare Zedek in the realm of emergency management," said hospital director-general Prof. Jonathan Halevy. "We wish them all the greatest of success in this mission and look forward to their safe return as soon as possible."
Magen David Adom coordinator Dudi Abadi said that the earthquake appears to be one of the largest humanitarian crisis in history. The organization's paramedics left immediately to cooperate with the Federation of the International Red Cross. They arrived via the neighboring Dominican Republic and joined the Norwegian Red Cross team that will set up an additional field hospital.
This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1263147915110&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull
Monday, January 18, 2010
JDC Haiti Relief Update January 15
- JDC is the official humanitarian assistance
organization for the organized Jewish community and the Jewish Federations of North America - JDC is supporting the Medical Corps of the Israel Defense Force whose team of medical professionals has landed in Haiti and is setting up a field hospital to care for those affected by the quake. JDC funds have purchased medical equipment, including infant incubators for a neonatal unit and orthopedic devices
- JDC is working with Heart to Heart International, a U.S. nongovernmental organization (NGO) on the ground to provide emergency medical assistance, equipment, and other services
- Working with the Afya Foundation, a container of mattresses and much-needed medical supplies has been sent to Partners in Health, a well respected NGO started in Haiti by Dr. Paul Farmer. JDC is also supporting the shipment of 2 additional containers
- JDC is supporting EcoWorks International which, working through local sources, will be operating a soup kitchen
- Further partnerships are being explored by JDC with local NGOs to provide emergency assistance during this initial stage disaster response
- JDC continues to coordinate activities with the White House and Department of State
- Consistent with its International Development Program (JDC-IDP) operations historically, JDC will likely provide for some amount of immediate emergency relief but reserve the bulk of our operations for intermediate and long-term rebuilding and reconstruction programs that are sustainable by the affected community
- The Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief—an alliance of 45 U.S. and foreign Jewish agencies that provides a united Jewish response to humanitarian disasters—has formed a new coalition for Haiti relief which will be coordinated by JDC.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Disaster Chaplaincy Services Responds to the Earthquake in Haiti
Throughout the weekend DCS chaplains have given support to the Haitian community and are scheduled at a number of locations in the upcoming week.
Thank you to the many chaplains and staff who stepped up to this call. We continue to be in contact and communication with municipal agencies as well as our non-governmental agency partners regarding how DCS can best be of assistance in meeting the ongoing and emerging needs of the community.
Please consider making a donation to one of the many great organizations working on the relief effort.
Visit their website for updated information: http://www.disasterchaplaincy.org.
Coping With Disasters and Traumatic World Events
Disasters can cause us to re-experience feelings and memories related to previous disasters, such as the events of 9/11. In addition, other grief and loss experiences may resurface. The emotional impact that a disaster has varies from person to person. While those directly affected are more likely to need additional mental health support, it is not uncommon for individuals living thousands of miles away to experience stress and anxiety.
Five important things that you need to know are:
- What are normal reactions to a disaster?
- What can I do to cope better?
- How can I help my children?
- How do I know when to ask for help?
- Where can I get help if I need it?
Life amid death: Baby born in Israeli field hospital in Haiti - Haaretz - Israel News
Amid the tragedy and devastation encompassing the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince since Tuesday's 7.0-magnitude earthquake, a happy event took place Sunday inside the field hospital erected by the Israeli relief delegation in the city. Doctor Shir Dar, who works at Hadassah Ein-Karem, delivered the first healthy baby in the Israeli hospital.
The mother told Dar that she would name her son Israel. "Amid all the death around us," the doctor said, "it is very symbolic." He said that childbirth in impoverished Haiti doesn't normally take place in hospitals, and that this particular woman received the best care from the best doctors. Read more. Life amid death: Baby born in Israeli field hospital in Haiti - Haaretz - Israel News
The mother told Dar that she would name her son Israel. "Amid all the death around us," the doctor said, "it is very symbolic." He said that childbirth in impoverished Haiti doesn't normally take place in hospitals, and that this particular woman received the best care from the best doctors. Read more. Life amid death: Baby born in Israeli field hospital in Haiti - Haaretz - Israel News
Remarks by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Haiti
Following are Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting today (1/17/2010):
"I would like to say a few words about the horrific tragedy that took place in Haiti. What happened there is a large-scale disaster of very great proportions. The lack of protective measures only deepened the tragedy. I think that it is our obligation, as the State of Israel, as the state of the Jewish People, to mobilize immediately – and this we have done. As soon as I learned of the dimensions of the disaster, I ordered that a team be dispatched. It left with the speed characteristic of the IDF, in coordination with the Foreign Ministry.
The defense establishment sent a team which has begun to work and is already saving lives. It is a field hospital with doctors, x-ray machines and other vital pieces of equipment that are in short supply in Haiti. I think that this is in the best tradition of the Jewish People; this is the true covenant of the State of Israel and the Jewish People.
This follows operations we have carried out in Kenya and Turkey; despite being a small country, we have responded with a big heart. The fact is, I know, that this was an expression of our Jewish heritage and the Jewish ethic of helping one's fellow. I hope that the team saves lives and that Haiti succeeds in recovering from this awful tragedy.
"I would like to say a few words about the horrific tragedy that took place in Haiti. What happened there is a large-scale disaster of very great proportions. The lack of protective measures only deepened the tragedy. I think that it is our obligation, as the State of Israel, as the state of the Jewish People, to mobilize immediately – and this we have done. As soon as I learned of the dimensions of the disaster, I ordered that a team be dispatched. It left with the speed characteristic of the IDF, in coordination with the Foreign Ministry.
The defense establishment sent a team which has begun to work and is already saving lives. It is a field hospital with doctors, x-ray machines and other vital pieces of equipment that are in short supply in Haiti. I think that this is in the best tradition of the Jewish People; this is the true covenant of the State of Israel and the Jewish People.
This follows operations we have carried out in Kenya and Turkey; despite being a small country, we have responded with a big heart. The fact is, I know, that this was an expression of our Jewish heritage and the Jewish ethic of helping one's fellow. I hope that the team saves lives and that Haiti succeeds in recovering from this awful tragedy.
Israeli aid arrives in Haiti, field hospital set up
See updates from Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Israeli aid arrives in Haiti, field hospital set up 17-Jan-2010
New Yorkers Can Donate Supplies through JDC Partners
NEW YORK, NY, January 15, 2010-The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the world's largest Jewish humanitarian assistance organization, in collaboration with the Afya Foundation, began loading their first container of supplies in New York City this morning at 9:30 a.m. to be shipped to victims of Haiti’s catastrophic earthquake. The container, which is filled with hundreds of mattresses and blankets donated by Jewish Home Lifecare in New York City, will be shipped for Partners in Health International to manage the logistics of distribution on the ground in Haiti.
New Yorkers can participate right now by donating the following supplies to the drop-off location –
Afya’s Warehouse at 510 Nepperhan Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10701.
- Sheets
- Blankets
- Sleeping Bags
- Towels
- Clothing
- Water Purification Tablets
- Water
- Electrolyte Tablets
- Small Water Buckets
- Ensure (or any liquid food supplement)
- Respiratory Masks
- Personal Care Items
- Gauze
- Bandages
- IV Starter Kits
- Syringes
- Gloves
- Needles
- Ringers
- Hand Sanitizer
- Topical Antiseptic
- Casting Materials
- Cotton
- Closed Toed Shoes
Please note supplies cannot be accepted which are expired or less than 5 months from expiration.
The Afya Foundation has been working in collaboration with Partners in Health International for many years to collect and deliver medical supplies that are donated by hospitals, health organizations, companies and people to communities in Haiti.
JDC continues to conduct a full and rapid assessment of the situation on the ground, and is reaching out to its network of partners to determine immediate needs of the hardest-hit areas. These efforts are part of JDC's International Development Program (IDP), which provides immediate relief and long-term assistance to victims of natural and manmade disasters. JDC and its partners worldwide have implemented similar relief efforts in more than 60 countries. Many IDP-operated programs are ongoing and are helping to rebuild infrastructure and community life in disaster-stricken regions.
About the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)
Since 1914, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) has given global expression to the principle that all Jews are responsible for one another. Working today in over 70 countries, JDC acts on behalf of North America's Jewish communities and others to rescue Jews in danger, provide relief to those in distress, revitalize overseas Jewish communities and help Israel overcome the social challenges of its most vulnerable citizens. JDC also provides non-sectarian emergency relief and long-term development assistance worldwide. For more information, please log on to: www.JDC.org
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