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NHB Welcomes Staff Members Back from Haiti

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS100402-35
Release Date: 4/2/2010 3:21:00 PM

By Douglas H. Stutz, Naval Hospital Bremerton Public Affairs

BREMERTON, Wash. (NNS) -- Naval Hospital Bremerton welcomed the return of 12 staff members Feb. 25 who deployed aboard USS Bataan (LHD 5) in support of Operation Unified Response, providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief for earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

Doctors, nurses, and hospital corpsmen deployed Jan. 17 for approximately six weeks to help the Caribbean island-nation after the 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck five days earlier.

"We were a casualty and receiving team and began doing that almost immediately," said Cmdr. Janine Wood, who acted as senior nurse for Casualty Receiving and staff nurse for the Bataan's Ward. "We'd been there less than two hours and we were part of a actual mass casualty event that set the tone for the next three weeks. We were getting patients all the time."

According to Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Elena Hutchinson, the NHB team just got on the Bataan, finished lunch, and then went to their berthing to get situated when the word was passed about a 'mass casualty incoming.'

"I asked [Chief Hospital Corpsman Rena] Shockey if this was a drill and was ensured that it wasn't," related Hutchinson, a Miami Fla. native. "It was chaotic at first, but we got the job done. We relied on ship's company, because we didn't initially know where supplies were and who was who. But ship's company, the Fleet Surgical Team and our team all pulled together."

"We were expecting the injuries we got, but… that first day was overwhelming," added Wood.

The medical personnel on the Bataan mainly handled orthopedic injuries. There were numerous broken bones and associated wounds. There were several amputations conducted which were the result of infection setting in. There were washouts for wounds that needed to be kept cleaned. There were dressings that needed changing, antibiotics and other medications dispensed to speed the recovery process. There were also a lot of children who needed medical treatment of some type.

"We had one little girl, only about seven years old, that had a broken femur that was three weeks old!" noted Wood. "The break managed to straighten and was healing correctly, which we thought was amazing. Some of the Marines made a set of little crutches for her and she was as happy as could be. On our way there we followed a news story about a 70-year old that was stuck under a pile of rubble for a week. We helped treat her and she ended up okay. The resilience of those injured was remarkable, whether they were young or old."

Patients were transported daily to the Bataan or Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20). They could arrive on schedule or unexpectedly be coming. "We would get a mass influx of over 20 patients that would suddenly be arriving without any prior notice," said Hutchinson.

"We all got attached to many of the patients," said Wood. "They were really amazing. They had been through so much and they were all smiles and really happy just to be there. They praised God all the time. I cried when our first patients got discharged. We did several trips into the Port-au-Prince area and saw a lot of mass devastation. There were families making tents and shelter out of whatever they could find. It was sad to send them back. We were all concerned for their well-being."

Wood attests that discharge planning was a big challenge. "We certainly didn't want to send anyone, especially children, back without someone or someplace to go," Wood said. "We went out of our way, as other groups like USAID did, to ensure the Haitian patients that had been treated would be taken cared of when they got back ashore."

The Bataan became more than a floating hospital for the Haitian patients, and the NHB staff morphed into more than just a group of nameless medical personnel. There were smiles shared, songs sung, and spirits soared. There was also a sort of communal sharing after mail call. "The patients loved it as much as we did when care packages came in the mail," Wood noted. "We shared a lot and a lot of charity came in for them. I even think the Marines bought out the ship's store of all the clothing articles to donate to many of the Haitians. And we could not have done our job without the Marine Corps translators. They were truly great."

The NHB staff found their way around Bataan's medical department and handled duties in the Intensive Care Unit, Ward, Laboratory, X-ray, Pharmacy, and Emergency Department. "Anything and everything related to medical we did," explained Hospital Corpsman Chief Shockey.

Members of the team also spent time ashore, such as working on Sailor Ashore Missions (SAMs). SAMs work included helping to triage for hundreds of patients and aiding with medically evacuated Haitians in need of urgent medical care, as well as providing on-site medical care and needed medications.

The staff also manned an Interim Aftercare Facility on Haiti, which cared for Haitians that had already been treated aboard the Comfort and Bataan and were discharged back ashore. "We mostly did physical therapy rehab," said Wood. "But a number of the non-governmental organizations and Haitian facilities got back up to speed and were able to take care of many of the patients."

"We are certainly proud of our 12 staff members that supported the relief efforts in Haiti. They did fantastic work," noted Capt. Mark E. Brouker, Naval Hospital Bremerton, commanding officer. "We continue to be mindful and just as proud of our remaining 51 staff who are supporting global operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and in other countries throughout the world."