Dear friends,

Leogane, Haiti is another town that was devastated in the earthquake this past week, and is also the site of the Notre Dame Haiti program for the elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis. I had the opportunity to visit Leogane during my time working for the program and also with a group from Pitt med school who travelled to Haiti over spring break of our first year. I have recently received an e-mail from a friend named Precene who is in Leogane which said "Dear friends, After that tragedy, we can say that Leogane is destroyed about 90%. For now we have many problems. Wedon't have potable water, no food. No schools, all churches are gone. We have nothing. I am living in a camp with about 1000 people, we have onely some scheet. Please do things for us!"

I have since found out Dr. Ralph Pennino, chief of plastic surgery at Rochester General Hospital in Rochester, NY is heading to Leogane, Haiti this coming Wednesday. Dr. Pennino runs a non-profit called InterVol with the mission of "serving others through the recovery and redistribution of medical supplies and equipment; bridging local hospitals and medical professionals with other countries and care-giving organizations in areas of need; and providing international educational support." As you can read in Dr. Pennino's email below, InterVol has had a benefactor donate the use of their 2 corporate jets to ferry medical supplies and personnel to Santa Domingo. From there the US Southern Command has agreed to bring them to Leogane.

I contacted Dr. Pennino to see what medical supply needs he may have and if he is accepting donations. The answer is a resounding yes, and he sent me a list of the supplies he is in most need of for the airlift. I just wanted to pass on his message to those in the medical profession and others who might be interested in what he's doing. For anyone who might be interested in donating supplies, his first airlift will leave the states this coming Wednesday, but as he explains in his message, they are starting to fill 40 ft. shipping containers that will go out when the ports are open, so supplies can be collected on an ongoing basis. I have attached the list of supplies as an excel document, and also have copied the list directly into the message below as well.

Dr. Pennino is also recruiting volunteer doctors, nurses, allied medical personnel to work on the USS Comfort. The commitment would be for two weeks. All types of docs/nurses are requested. Also, ideally looking for teams of surgeons and OR nurses who have worked together as well.

You can read his email below for more information, and can also contact him directly by email at ralph.pennino@rochestergeneral.org.


Also, please feel free to share this information with anyone you would like to share it with.


sincerely,
nicole shirilla
Univ. of Pittsburgh MS-III


(You can see a video that was aired on CNN about relief efforts in Leogane here. Also, ABC news did a story about Fr. Rick and St. Damien's Children's Hospital in Port au Prince. Video here.)


Medical Supplies Needed

Bandages to include:
Bandaids
Gauze
Kling/Kerlex
Ace Wrap
Antibiotic ointment
Hydrogen Peroxide
Alcohol wipes
Hydrogen Peroxide
AdhesiveTape/OR Other Tapes
Hand Santitizer

Other:
Sterile Gloves
Unsterile Gloves
Drapes
Gowns
IV Solutions
IV Tubing
Angio catheters all sizes
Central Line Kits

Medications:
Antibiotics
Analgesics Tylenol/ Advil
Sedatives
Benadryl
Local Anesthetics
Antiemetics
Anit Diarrheal
Splinting/Casting
Splints
Casting material
Slings
Other:
Baby Bottles
Formula
Infant Rehydration (Pedialyte)
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Feminine hygiene supplies
Water purification tablets

helping fr. rick

Dear friends,

Some of you have asked how you can help support Fr. Rick Frechette directly.

I sent him an email asking him what is the best way, and heard back from Robin Schwartz, the home correspondent for the children's hospital and the organization that supportss it, NPFS ) that the best way to get money directly to Fr. Rick is:

1) through his "Compassion Weavers" website via the "paypal" link at www.compassionweavers.com

2) By check payable to "St. Paul's Benevolent Institute" and sent to :

Fr Richard Frechette CP
8980 SW 56th St.
Miami, FL 33165

NBC had a story about St. Damien's children's hospital last night.

Keep praying,

love,
nicole

Please, please pray for the people of Haiti

Many of you have heard about Fr. Rick Frechette in Haiti... this is an update from Friends of the Orphans regarding their programs and sites in and near Port au Prince:

Full article and way to donate to relief efforts can be found here.

On Tuesday, January 12 at 4:53:09 PM (EST) a 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit 10 miles Southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Supported by Friends of the Orphans, Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos/Nos Petit Frères et Soeurs (NPH/NPFS, Spanish and French for "Our Little Brothers and Sisters") has many programs in Haiti. The St. Damien hospital in Tabarre, (15 miles northeast of the epicenter) is not the hospital that has reportedly collapsed but the perimeter walls of the hospital, neighbor Kay Germaine complex and neighboring St. Francisville center perimeter walls have all collapsed. Also all of the walls in the hospital are cracked resulting in major structural damage and minor injuries.

We are waiting for confirmation regarding the Fr. Wasson Center in Petionville and there are several people on their way to assess the situation. Unfortunately all the phone lines are busy which makes communication more difficult.

We have no news from the St. Helen orphanage in Kenscoff, (11 miles east of the epicenter) which is located at an altitude of 6,600 feet. More than 350 children live at this location.

We will post information as we receive it. Please pray for our NPFS family and the team that is en route to Haiti.




Here are two videos I wanted to share-- the first about the work of Fr. Rick Frechette, and the second about the children's hospital that he founded, St. Damien's.