USS Fort McHenry Supports Medical Clinic in Haiti
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS100124-08
Release Date: 1/24/2010 11:27:00 AM
By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW) Rachael L. Leslie, NPASE East SEAOPDET
BAIE DE GRAND GOAVE, Haiti (NNS) -- The medical, dental and religious ministries teams aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) will augment relief efforts at a medical clinic in Baie de Grand Goave, Haiti, after conducting a site visit there Jan. 22.
The teams from Fort McHenry and the embarked 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) will work alongside the Doctors Without Borders and Lifeline Ministries personnel already operating the clinic.
"Our goal is to move the critical patients to a higher echelon of care," said Lt. Adrienne Lawton, senior medical office aboard Fort McHenry.
She said she hopes this will keep many of the severe but not critical patients from becoming critical by administering antibiotics and teaching them wound care."
Another goal of these medical clinics is to keep from overcrowding other resources such as USNS Comfort and University of Miami Hospital with patients that could have avoided a medical evacuation, Lawton said. The already high-functioning clinic will benefit from the expertise of the experienced military personnel in treating the high-volume of Haitians in need of care.
"We're expecting to see a lot more of what we saw at the medical clinic in Neply," said Lawton. "The most common problem we're seeing is crush injuries, lacerations and abrasions that have been exposed to infection for more than a week now."
From the fallout of the earthquake, the teams also expect to see many cases of dehydration and malnutrition, especially in babies, due to lack of consumable food and water for the mothers.
One of the things the team will do at the new clinic is bring in the ship's dentist.
"The addition of the dentist isn't intended necessarily for earthquake relief, but for those who may not have had any dental care prior to it and who need it now," said Lawton.
The village of Baie de Grand Goave and the surrounding areas saw an overwhelming amount of damage, with many of the buildings destroyed during the earthquake. Lawton said the team wants to provide any help it can to provide a sense of normalcy to the local people.
"I love this country and it feels really, really good to be involved in this," said Lawton. "I've been here quite a few times prior to this relief effort, and I'm excited to get back to the Haitian people. I hate to see them in this condition and every step I can take to return their quality of life makes me really, really happy, even if it's just a smile or a hand shake. Both the small things and the life-changing things are really important to me."
Fort McHenry is currently participating in Operation Unified Response as part of USS Bataan (LHD 5) Amphibious Relief Mission, providing military support capabilities to civil authorities to help stabilize and improve the situation in Haiti following a 7.0 magnitude earthquake on Jan. 12.
Sea-based amphibious ready forces, like the ones aboard Fort McHenry, bring added capabilities to aid the relief efforts in Haiti without taxing the already strained infrastructure ashore. The USS Fort McHenry team includes the ship's crew, members of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), Assault Craft Unit (ACU) Two, Beach Masters Unit (BMU) Two, and Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadrons (MSRON) Six and Four. The group's equipment is comprised of heavy-lift and utility helicopters, trucks and humvees, assault amphibious vehicles, and logistics capabilities to include water purification and limited medical support to further enhance the humanitarian relief efforts ashore.
For more news from Navy Public Affairs Support Element, Norfolk, visit www.navy.mil/local/pacennorfolk/.
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