Comfort Ship Update

January 25
No big news from the Commodore’s briefing tonight but here’s some other
stuff.
In the area where there were a lot of deaths, people are very poor. They
have a hard time buying food for their family and children are often
malnourished. It is very common for parents to take a child to an
orphanage and leave them there to be taken care of. The parents have every
intent to come back for their child and do when the child has put on some
weight. These orphanages are run by churches or non-profit organization.
Once a child makes it to five years old they’ll usually be OK. Of course
OK in Haiti is different from the US . Life expectancy for a male is 57. I
don’t remember the female but it’s not much different.
There were children in these orphanages who were being adopted prior to
the earthquake. Just after the quake, the Haitian government decided that
for those adoptions in progress they’d sort of stamp the paperwork done.
The aim was to get the children out of the country to free up room in the
orphanages for victims of the quake.
We call the children with us here on the Comfort “displaced” rather than
orphaned because in so many cases we just don’t know what has happened to
parents. And parents don’t know where their children are. Our translators
have gotten names and addresses and any other information they can from
the children and have taken photos. These will be placed on a website.
Not many of the poor Haitians have internet access but they all listen to
the radio. And if they don’t listen, their friend listens so the best way
to get the word out is via radio. Of course all that can be done there is
read names. But it’s a start.
The Haitian government is loosening up with sending people to the states.
We’ve got five patients flying out tomorrow to University of Miami on a
plane that’s bringing in 20 medical folks from the university. UM has
taken the lead on setting up a network of hospitals to take care of our
most serious patients AND to ensure they get back home.
One of our biggest worries just 2 or days ago was where could patients go
when they left the ship. Most of the hospitals around Port au Prince are
just plain gone. The Navy was going to set up an emergency medical
treatment (EMT) at GTMO. But if you look at your globe GTMO is a pretty
good hike from PauP! Now the EMT is going to be in Haiti . And hospitals
in other parts of Haiti will accept patients.
I want to tell you about a meeting 2 or 3 nights ago. All of the medical
care providers were called to the mess hall and told the ship would fill
up soon. The Comfort is advertised as a 1,000 bed hospital. That must have
been written by the same guys who write the description of houses in the
Multiple Listing Services!
Yes, there are 1,000 places to sleep. But in the wards there is an upper
and lower rack. 440 upper and 440 lower. And the upper is pretty damned
high and very difficult to use. The other 120 beds are in ICU and
Recovery, I guess.
Other problems were that medicine and other medical supplies were just
plain running out. And we were using oxygen faster than the ships plant
could make it. We ran out of ventilators and had patients sharing. And
doctors and nurses and others were just exhausted. The leadership had to
face a tough decision.
The medical staff was practicing medicine like back in The World doing
everything to keep people alive. People who were going to die -- The
patient knew it ,and deep inside the staff knew it. But in the USA we do
EVERYTHING do beat the Reaper.
1. At the pace people were coming in and the fact we had nowhere to
discharge them, we were soon going to fill up. Yes, we’d use the upper
racks and stuff but the rate was just unsustainable. And when the ship was
full and nobody could come on, those ashore would receive NO medical help.
We had to get people off the ship
2. We could bring people onto the ship, recognize they were probably not
going to make it, and make what’s left of their life comfortable and, as
the chaplain said, “Help them go in peace.” Again we had to get people off
the ship.
3. We could do a triage at the LZ and not even put those people on a helo.
We’d do that same service and make what’s left of their life comfortable.
But on a cot under a tent at the LZ. In this case we didn't have to get
them off the ship; we just didn't let them on. Try to imagine what the
media would say! Plus that's not why we came here.
I’ve written about the professionalism and dedication of this crew. They
came here to save lives. And I wish you could have heard the ‘discussion’
that followed. Lots of these people have served in Iraq and Afghanistan
and cared for soldier and Marines. They don’t let The Beast win. PERIOD.
Others argued that if the staff spent too much time and resources on
somebody they risked the lives of other who weren’t as badly injured. I
saw Lieutenant Colonel nurses crying.
The meeting had to break up for Taps but the plan was to have more
‘discussions’ because we just weren’t going to make it.
I’m happy to say there’ll be no more meetings. Skipper went to the embassy
and everybody met with the Haitian government and US State Department and
non-profit groups. There is a network of hospitals now so patients can
come to the Comfort. And those who aren’t going to make it will be
stabilized and taken ashore where they’ll be made comfortable. A big part
of this whole process, as I understand it, was the Haitian government
saying, “Listen… this isn’t the U.S. We don’t do that heroic treatment
stuff. When it is time to go, we go. It is God’s will.” And maybe it
really is. Maybe back in The World, society needs to look at the amount we
spend on the last couple months of keeping people alive while we neglect
infant and prenatal care. But I’m not going to get into that!!!
Skipper said last night we are approaching the end of the beginning. The
Navy, Marine Corps, Army, and Air Force are coming together. Remember we
haven’t really been here that long and this is huge. You ought to see all
the ships and helos here.
Today we identified the need for 200 cots ashore and the supply officer
said we didn’t have them and how long it would take to get them. The
Commodore told him, “You tell me what you need. I’m sure that somewhere on
these ships and ground facilities we can find those cots.” Sometimes we
look at these higher staff REMFs as bottom feeders. No value added. But
they’re really pulling this one together.
I don’t want to beat that drum too loudly… But you all can be very proud
of the team you’ve sent here.
Well, for not having much news for tonight I sure have written a lot! And
hey, it’s only 2045 and I’m finished for the night. I’m going up to look
at some stars. You sleep well.
Marty