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Project Haiti

Latest Update on Project Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund
St. Damien
We estimate there are 210 child patients and 30 adult patients as of today, Monday, February 1st. Four more adult post-op patients arrived from the USS Comfort and 14 are expected to arrive tomorrow. Three OR's continue to operate, one US team, one Italian team and the third is located in the Italian military unit on our property. Roughly 20 surgeries are being performed daily, mainly plastic surgery and for general surgery purposes. 

The four mobile medical clinics continue to operate with each attending to 70-140 patients each.

Most of the hospital rooms are now for post-op children with amputations and their care includes wound dressing and administering antibiotics. 
A new obstetrics room has been created and the neonatal maternity room currently has 17 mothers and children.

Kay St. Germaine
Today is the first day that the school and physical therapy programs were open at Kay St. Germaine. There were 18 students and 10 patients for therapy. Previous to the earthquake the school had 70 students and 20 therapy patients daily. The staff is still unsure regarding the whereabouts and status of previous students.

The 30 children from the general hospital are still living at Kay St. Germaine, but Partners In Health are providing staff and some supplies for their care, while they are searching for a permanent rental facility. About 10 of these children are integrated into the classrooms, which started today. All 30 children have been receiving physical therapy. There is no exact date as of yet to when these children will be moved to a PIH location. Nine special needs abandoned children, originally from the hospital, moved from their damaged rental house to Kay St. Germaine as well. It is a very full house!

The new goal for Kay St. Germaine is to offer physical therapy for amputees. In fact, today the first child amputee referral from St. Damien hospital arrived for therapy. Patients who are discharged from St. Damien who need PT are then referred to Kay St. Germaine.

Gena has meet with other NGO’s to discuss the future prosthetic needs for children and adults. Currently, the idea is to link with prosthetic organizations already here in the country, and once patients receive their prosthetic, they can then receive physical therapy at Kay St. Germaine.  There are two American organizations that stated within a week they can make prosthetics.

Gena is searching for a rental property in Petionville to continue the Kay Elaine programs that were located in the former Fr. Wasson Center. The embroidery card program is continuing at Kay St. Germaine. Prior to earthquake there were 100 children enrolled in the Kay Elaine school and therapy.

Thank you to all the Saint Alphonsus Associates and Friends who have so generously donated to this most worthwhile cause.

Project Haiti Overview
In 1994, Saint Alphonsus became aware of a great need in poverty-stricken Haiti. Two Catholic priests had founded a hospital called St. Damien Hospital, and an orphanage named "Our Little Brothers and Sisters" to care for the many abandoned children who are dying from AIDS in Haiti. It is an island of hope in a sea of despair.

Project Haiti was created to provide resources and expertise to help support the work of Father Rick Frechette and Father William Wasson, who treat these children with love and devotion. Over 650 children call the orphanage home and 100 beds in the hospital are used to ease their suffering. Project Haiti sends regular shipments of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals, and each year a medical mission team travels to Port-au-Prince to offer help, support and education to the hospital and orphanage. Since 1995, 15 mission teams have traveled to Haiti.

The needs of the hospital and orphanage are great, and Project Haiti helps to meet those needs. It is a way to carry the mission of Saint Alphonsus to a part of the world that cries out for help. If you choose to support Project Haiti, you will be supporting the core values of the Sisters of the Holy Cross when they direct us to "embrace others in their suffering, and commit us to seek ways to journey together." For more information please call 208-367-3997.

	To contribute to Project Haiti, click here.
	If you would like to make a gift online to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, click here.

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