Saturday, January 16, 2010

Introduction -- and Shipping Out


This is the first of sporadic updates for Stefanie Fletcher's friends and loved ones who have asked for updates regarding her work in Haiti. Stef or I will update as time and schedules allow.

She is alive and well and in Chicago, awaiting the arrival of anesthesia equipment, antibiotics, and a bunch of very large emergency generators. The generators weigh 750 kilos each, and each can fully power a multistory building, including lights, equipment, and air conditioning.

The airline taking her down had thought it might get her out on Sunday, so yesterday and today were a blur of innoculations, equipment scrounging, and frenzied arrangements. An hour after she departed for Chicago we learned that she'll leave for Port-Au-Prince Tuesday morning.

Stef will try to secure a foothold for the thousands of RNs who have volunteered through National Nurses United, a wonderful coalition of nurses' unions. The already meager supply of Haitian health care professionals was decimated when most of the nation's hospitals collapsed in the earthquake. There is a desperate need for trained healthcare workers.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks, Mark. I am in awe of Stefanie's big heart and amazing abilities and wish her every success even as I push out of my head any concerns for her safety. She is a hero to us all. Sending you all lots of love. Joyce.

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