(Incorrectly spelled, sorry.)
Today we returned to the destroyed school where we went last Wednesday. This is the school where I saw the records from Compassion International which were scattered on the floor of the office that was too unstable for retrieval.
We were able to set up fairly quickly due to the familiarity of the space. This time the court yard/playground area was filled with benches and covered with tarps. This provided much needed shade for the patients.
We switched our routine and are now giving everyone worm treatments before the vital signs station rather than just before they left. What a treat this week to have enough support members to have vitals on everyone as well as weights on the kids! Last week we each took our own vital signs.
It rained early this morning for a few hours. I had mixed emotions about the rain. It sounded wonderful, cooled the night air and calmed the dust, but it made the day more humid, mosquitoes worse soon and the worst part was thinking about all the people living in the open under tents made of scraps of cloth & plastic.
I just checked with one of the team members. Between the seven of us we saw 191 patients in four hours (A little over six patients an hour a piece, all going through an interpreter).
At one point it was a bit concerning as it sounded like the crowd outside the gate was getting angry, but it calmed quickly. Getting in and out of this community was difficult due to the narrow streets, rubble & tents in the road and the steepness of the hills. If people had gotten angry and we would have had to leave quickly for safety purposes, it could have gotten messy.
This week we were blessed with a large suitcase of glasses. So many people lost their glasses in the earthquake. Many of these people are struggling to see and having headaches now. It was so exciting to be able to direct them to the "glasses station" to see if some pair ofglasses might help a bit until an optometric clinic can be reestablished. Certainly not like going to see one of our OD's at home, but the people are so grateful.
Of all of our cases today, one really stands out. A small baby was brought to be seen who was listless. An IV was put in and she was hydrated for the remainder of the clinic, but she was still poorly responsive. When the clinic was done Mom & baby were put into the front of one of out trucks and brought to the General Hospital in the city. The ride took us at least 45 minutes, so you know that she couldn't have been able to make the trip other wise. When we finally left the hospital the baby was about to be seen & Mom was left with some money & food. We pray that the baby survives.
Jeremy talked with some of the nurses at the hospital. Apparently they have been working non stop for weeks. Some doing 24 hour shifts just to get the shifts covered. He volunteered our services (Jeremy,Christian & myself), so it looks like we may be helping in the ER this weekend to give some of them a much needed break. Be praying for us! It's been a long time since I've worked an ER. Fortunately Christianis an ER nurse!