This diary is for the people helping in Haiti, caring about Haiti, making decisions about Haiti. This is for the people of Haiti!
To: Interested Parties
Re: Haiti:
From: Blue Star Mom
Topics: Disaster Nursing:
Fresh Air, Sunshine, Food, Water, Sanitation,
Clean wounds, maggots in wounds are good, flies are good. Practice thinking it, Go on - flies are good, maggots are good. Ask what they have been using to treat the wound? You may be surprised
Assume everybody has HIV. The ones that know will tell you. The babies are non verbal
Improvise: Make a toilet with a bucket and a trash bag
Now that there is a curfew negotiate with the drug dealers. You both must be off the street by dark. You may need to get out of town by 3 pm. . Do not underestimate how much drug traffic went thru that country. These people hate surprises. Give them a time to expect you. Haiti has secrets. Use the press to shine a light on those dark places.
Send the people in the outlying areas to the sea to fish for their own food
You don’t need an IV in the vein, you can do it sub-q, It is called a clyses, get an old timer to show you
By now you have figured out there are no rules. You now know that there is no Wizard of Oz. Only one rule can you look at yourself in the mirror? Notice I did not say legal and ethical like one would say in an ordinary situation. The people in charge have decided to let them die. They don’t fit in with the vision of the new Haiti. The area is surrounded with ships so the people cannot leave.
The fools that think that things are more important than people are truly faithless, not to mention stupid. I suggest that you quickly learn to loot for your patients. If you are too busy ask the Marines or SF troops or those Black Water type guys. That nice green area around the wrecked palace would be a good place to set up .There is apparently a rich area up the hill. That would have room for you to spread out and set up and the rich folks will just have to behold their creation.
Ok time to put General Honoree’ back in charge of the overall effort .He speaks the language. Put the Coast Guard Guy in charge right now in Haiti. He was the U.S. Liaison for the 4 Hurricanes/Tropical Storms. Now he is in charge of 3 helicopters. What fool made that decision? Recall the Ambassador and get a grown up down there. The U.S. Ambassador worried about paperwork out loud on TV. Said we would be "kidnapping. "if we airlifted dehydrated orphan babies. That is when I knew the plan was to let then die.
The President needs to state publicly and loudly that the U.N. and all the protocol is not acceptable in this situation .The President needs to go to Haiti now tonight and release our soldiers so they can help. The President must have faith that those actions now will get him the votes he needs tomorrow in Mass and he needs to let go of health care. If he takes deliberate actions to save lives in Haiti, the agenda will work out.
I know you are tired, frustrated, disillusioned and overwhelmed. And your shoes are a wreck and you had no idea it would be so hot nor that death everywhere is always in you nose and mouth. There are tricks for that. Learn as you go .Learn from each other. Learn from the people. Communicate. Get everyone you meet to put their cell phone # in your phone.
Children of the light you went to all that trouble to get there. Work together. When you are afraid do it for your patients.