Haiti… forever changed
Haiti… forever changed
McClusky physician, Sarah Baker, FNP, who cares for many residents at the local Northland Community Health Center clinic, happened to be on a medical mission on the Island of Gonave on January 12, 2010, when the Haiti earthquake took place. Gonave is an island of Haiti, located to the west-northwest of Port-au-Prince.
The following is a condensation of the information she presented to the McClusky School student body on Feb. 18, prepared by Linda Bowers, edited.
Since the main hospital and medical services in Haiti were destroyed, including many of the physicians, nurses and the nursing school, Haiti was, and is, facing a serious medical shortage.
The earthquake was measured at a “catastrophic” magnitude of 7.0. Its epicenter was approximately 25 km (16 miles) west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. As of Feb. 12, an estimated three million people were affected by the quake; the Haitian Government reports that between 217,000 and 230,000 people had been identified as dead, an estimated 300,000 injured, and an estimated 1,000,000 homeless. The death toll has since risen. They also estimated that 250,000 residential and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged.
Dr. Sarah, as local residents know her, was already dealing with many illnesses and severely injured patients when the earthquake hit. Many victims of the earthquake had to endure a three-hour ferry ride to the island of Gonave before they could receive medical help.
