GlobalGiving.org: CDRS: Supplies for Haiti's Earthquake Recovery

New fundraising goal of $250,000!

Laila Karamally — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:32:15 GMT

Dear Supporters,

Due to the continuing need on the ground and in the absence of municipal healthcare workers and funding, the SHINE/CDRS mission in Haiti will be extended for four to six weeks.

With your support, we have collected in excess of $180,000. With the extension in mind, our aim is to reach fundraising goal of $250,000 which will enable us to run the services for the additional time period and handover at that point to local non profits.

We need medical volunteers to staff the main facility and outreach camps and mobile health units. Ground teams see between 300 to 800 patients daily, and are working closely with AEMIR Haiti to facilitate the distribution of much-needed food and water.

SHINE/CDRS is also assisting in the establishment of a new tent village for families with small children. We hope to put in place a medical camp that will attend to the needs of mothers-to-be and children.

Please visit us on our new website, www.shinehumanity.org. And now, Words of Appreciation for Todd Shea (Executive Director, CDRS):

1. “The success of IMANA mission is due to sincerity, quick action and most of all networking and collaboration. First credit goes to our relief chairman Ismail Mehr and Tod Shea of CDRS who acted fast and decided to make a team of IMANA, CDRS/SHINE and AIMER Haiti which brought further cooperation of other organizations like USAID to Zakat Foundation.” Dr. Parvaiz Malik President Federation of Islamic Medical Associations [FIMA] and Member IMANA Relief

2. "Todd I was really impressed with your dedication and hard work. I guess the word NO has no place in your dictionary. I was pleasantly surprised to come across people who knew of you once they saw you photos.” M Azhar Ali MD Feb 18, 2010

3. “ It was an honor to serve with you Todd. ” Ronald A. Tomo MPA, CCP, CNA VP & Chief Information Officer Nassau University Medical Center  February 9, 2010

4. “I want to thank you again for all you did for me from finding me a place to stay in DC, getting me fantastic transportation from Santo Domingo to Haiti, the city tour of P-a-P, the midnight egg sandwiches, and so much more. I consider the week I spent in Haiti the most important significant thing I have done professionally and again wish to thank-you for your part in making it happen.” Janet Jasper Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 February 8, 2010

5. “Todd has really proved that even in very difficult circumstances, when there is a will there is a way and by creating a set up and a platform , where we could all work was a great achievement. Rest of the components of the team starting from communication, logistics, nursing and doctors really blended very well and I can say with utmost confidence that this was the best combination. This model should be a good one for IMANA relief to expand on and refine.” Saeed Akhter MD, MPH, FACS Chairman and Professor of Surgery Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, Pakistan February 14, 2010

6. "Todd, I always knew you are doing a wonderful work with remarkable consistency and dedication but after visiting you in Haiti I am convinced. Thank you for making our team's stay so positive. Please keep up the good work." Asim Ashary CFO SHINE February 20, 2010

8. “We are all extremely proud of you Todd, it is not easy to do what you are doing. Thank you once again for taking such good care of all of us and keeping the atmosphere so positive.” Farzana Naqvi MD. Board Member, SHINE Feb 20, 2010

"I was deeply touched after reading all the attributes dedicated to your relentless efforts from these people who witnessed your commitment and hard work up close and first hand." Adeela Ahsan MD. Board Member, SHINE February 21, 2010

Two more teams to head out of Southern California

Laila Karamally — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:14:10 GMT

SHINE/CDRS Haiti Update Feb 9th, 2010

SHINE/CDRS will deploy two of its own teams to Haiti. The first leaves out of Southern California on Feb 11th, and among the 12 team members are two SHINE board members, Asim Ashary (Chief Financial Officer) and Dr. Farzana Naqvi. The next group leaves on Feb 19th, and will consist of 24 doctors, nurses and non-medical personnel.

We are now in Week 3 of the Haiti mission. Operations are running smoothly on the ground. The main mulit-agency hospital in Bojeaux Barc continues to see upwards of 300 patients a day who present with a variety of issues - including post operative care, infections and primary health conditions. We are currently staffed by 25 volunteers from three different agencies across the United Sates, with each individual performing at a high level of excellency.

Medical volunteers are providing care out of the main hospital, as well as deploying to surrounding general hospitals, community hospitals and church clinics. They are also conducting two to three outreach missions daily to poor neighborhoods. On one occasion earlier this week, some of the volunteers working the night shift at the general hospital were able to save the life of a young woman who was hemorrhaging from an ectopic pregnancy. In addition, Executive DIrector Todd Shea met with actor/humanitarian Sean Penn and his foundation representatives on the ground last week and he has been asked to provide medical volunteers to the facilities that the foundation runs in Haiti.

SHINE/CDRS is also supplying food, water and medical supplies to camps housing the homeless, distributing rice, cornmeal, and other staple food products. We are continuing an appeal for donations of baby food, infant formula and oral rehydration salts.

Field Update

Laila Karamally/Todd Shea — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 03:01:26 GMT

Shea briefs doctors

Dear Friends and Supporters,

SHINE/CDRS started from nothing on January 14th. Now we assist with a multi-agency effort that has saved hundreds of lives and taken some of the pressure off of tertiary care hospitals. As a team, we have a wealth of disaster relief experience and a strong partnership with a reputable local organization. To date, we have: Delivered medical care to over 4,000 patients

Delivered food aid and water to thousands affected by the quake

Facilitated over 100 medical staff and logistics support volunteers

Maintained a well-stocked pharmacy

A secure compound with professional security staff and around the clock support with four vehicles and six local employees

We are pleased to announce that we are the proud recipient of a grant from the Canadian agency, IDRF (International Development and Relief Foundation) (www.idrf.ca) which covers much-needed food aid, water and medical supplies needed for earthquake survivors.

We now need your support with a few more key resources and pieces of equipment to enhance our capabilities and service delivery. Our running costs are $10,000 a week to keeping existing services going. You have helped us come so far- Please help us see this mission successfully through till its conclusion in early March.

To view a list of the supplies that we need, please see the attached file.

To those of you who have deployed with us, our deepest thanks and appreciation. They have some kind words of feedback to offer us. Monica Adorno, an emergency responder who plans to redeploy says: “Todd Shea is simply awesome. What SHINE/CDRS has accomplished on the ground with so little is staggering..”

Dr. Nabile Safdar, also of IMANA, adds: “SHINE/CDRS is bringing their experience to the relief effort in Haiti. For many IMANA Relief volunteers, Todd Shea and his crew were among the first to greet them at the airport, help arrange for transportation, and provide valuable debriefings regarding what to expect.”

For more information, please contact Laila Karamally at 714-261 1044 or lailakaramally@cdrspakistan.org

Thank you, Todd Shea Executive Director Comprehensive Disaster Response Services Bojeux Parc Joint Medical Relief Mission (CDRS/SHINE, IMANA, Destiny World Outreach and Aimer Haiti) Haiti Cell Phone: 011-509-3790-2108 e-mail: toddshea@cdrspakistan.org

Attachments:

Supply needs (XLS)

CDRS Update - January 27, 2010

Laila Karamally — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 06:01:06 GMT

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Fifteen days have passed since the 7.0 earthquake shook the island of Haiti, claiming 200,000 lives and leaving 3 million homeless. CDRS has been on the ground since January 14th, and in the words of CDRS executive director, Todd Shea, it has been “simply hell” out there. Early teams witnessed death and misery of an untold scale and even for the volunteers, it was too much to bear.

Chaos and confusion are now beginning to subside, and with improved coordination and the opening up of supply lines, the delivery of aid and medical care is gradually coming up to speed. We have much good news to report:

- SHINE/CDRS assisted in the identification, and setting up of a multi-agency field hospital at Bojeux Parc, right at the city limits of Port Au Prince, which is now seeing up to 200 patients a day. Congresswoman Maxine Waters visited the facility, and had praise to offer the collaborative Hatian and American effort. Following her visit, USAID facilitated the establishment of a fully-fitted air-conditioned operating tent where volunteer doctors are now able to perform more complicated procedures. - SHINE/CDRS continues to play an active role at the facility, providing ground support, supplies and food/water aid to assist in the running of the hospital, which is also providing post operative and outpatient services. - The agency is facilitating in the deployment of volunteers from the United States. Our ground staff meet the volunteers at the airport in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, provide overnight lodging, transfer into Haiti by road, followed by accommodation, food, communication, medical supplies and security in Haiti. So far we have facilitated over 100 doctors and medical staff. -SHINE/CDRS facilitates 2-3 mobile health teams a day that go out to poor neighborhoods and provide on-site medical care to earthquake victims. The more serious patients are transported back to the hospital where they receive further attention. At present, these mobile health units are seeing up to 300 to 500 patients a day. - The agency is poised to set up a medical camp at a tent village. We hope to funnel doctors, medical supplies and donations of food and water to the earthquake-affected families seeking shelter in the village.

SHINE/CDRS is honored to have received the following note from Marie Lochard-Lubin, an RN who volunteered with SHINE/CDRS in the first week:

“I found that Mr. Shea was very resourceful. He conducted a meeting at the end of each day, so that we may be updated on his activities, to hear about our day, and to strategically plan our next day. Also during our daily meetings, he would update us on the news, medical stock, transportation status and he required us to provide him a list on what stock is needed. I don’t believed that any one was looking for everything to go 100%, but in spite of all obstacle Todd Shea did a great job. Todd would remind us almost daily that any issue we had to make sure that we address him. I do believe that it is everyone's responsibility to do your home work, regarding the status of a country before you decide to come on board. Overall Todd Shea was a great facilitator, and was very attentive to our needs.”

SHINE/CDRS’s efforts in Haiti also received a mention in a story on the State Department’s web site, at

http://www.america.gov/st/develop-english/2010/January/20100125092525smtotrob0.6124079.html

Our current fundraising total is in the excess of $58,541. Our thanks to each and everyone of you for your prayers and support. Looking ahead, we anticipate a six to eight week deployment in Haiti. At every stage, we need to be responsive to changing needs on the ground and do what it is that this small and nimble agency does best: fill the gaps in the system and work closely will all other agencies on the ground.

For the next week, we expect to continue to facilitate surgeries and trauma patients. There is a dire need for food and water for patients and their families. Following this, we expect to shift our focus to primary care, mother and child health, and aftercare. We are in the process of securing an additional four medical satellite facilities and hope to establish supportive relationships with four to five additional facilities led by other field agencies. The need for additional volunteers will continue to evolve with the changing ground realities. Right now, nurses are in short supply.

On a closing note, we wanted to highlight the effort of one of our youngest volunteers. Thirteen year-old Saanya Hassan Ali, of Washington D.C. designed beautiful "Hope Haiti" cards, and got her friends together to make over 100 cards. A couple of hours and e-mails later, there were so many orders and donations for almost $1,000 for SHINE/CDRS. Saanya, thank you!

A note of thanks also to all our volunteer teams and ground partners: AIMER Haiti, Destiny World Outreach, IMANA, NOAH NY, and NYC Medics. Without you all, none of this would have been possible.

Acute need for logistics support

Laila Karamally — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 07:37:37 GMT

Aftershocks felt in Haiti More than a week after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, strong aftershocks were felt through the area, adding to the devastation. Over 200,000 may have perished in the last nine days; the dead have yet to be buried. But as one survivor said, "We need now to pray for the living".

Todd Shea, Executive Director of CDRS, reached Haiti on Jan 14th and has since then facilitated the deployment of close to 100 doctors and medical staff, set up a warehouse in Croix de Bouquets and opened an urgent care facility where we are seeing over 70 cases a day. Medical supplies are critically short, and patients are arriving everyday who have not yet received any medical treatment. Todd has pointed out two key problems - the limited number of supply lines that have been established and the lack of sharing of resources and intel by some of the larger agencies on the ground.

Our goal is to continue facilitating teams of the ground, and ramp up to 10 Urgent Care Centers over the projected six week deployment. Our supporters have reached deep and so far we have raised close to $40,000 in donations and pledges. Our goal is to raise $186,000, so there is a ways to go.

We need your help so that we can continue to deploy doctors where they are most needed, and help fill the gaps in availability of water, relief supplies and medical necessities. On the stateside, CDRS is joining hands with NYC Medics and IMANA to create an on-line registry of medical and non-medical volunteers, and with the use of GIS mapping, create an accurate match between demand for and supply of volunteers over the affected areas.

How to Volunteer For those interested in volunteering in Haiti with CDRS, please fill out the electronic Volunteer Form, which can be found at: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dFlNVGtzc1M1dXdpdkRjdDVTR3JrSmc6MA

We will get back to you as soon as we can. For more information, please contact Laila Karamally at lailakaramally@cdrspakistan.org or at 714-261-1044.

Update from Haiti

Todd Shea — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 02:59:36 GMT

Dear Friends,

We are working very hard to ramp up to minimize the loss of life from a second wave. Things are very dire. CDRS is coordinating with multiple agencies on the ground and in the US to identify the system bottlenecks and put people and resources where they are most needed. Please help put the word out - we need all the volunteers and funds we can get. Todd's latest report from the ground is posted below:

"I'm sad to report that the situation in Haiti is acute and worsening-people are beginning to get even more desperate and frustrated. The leadership of the Government of the U.S. and its partner nations are "forming up" great things that will take shape in a week or so down the road, but they really need to quickly work through the current paralyzing logistical challenges Many large agencies are failing to think selflessly and share their financial, operational resources with smaller but super-effective agencies. This attitude is is not helping anyone. Quite frankly, I would have though some of them would have learned an important lesson from other disasters where some of the same mistakes were made. Here's the bottom line: If things don't start improving very rapidly, then life and limb-threatening infections and deadly dehydration and unnecessary conflict will likely emerge on a scale that has the potential of becoming rampant and widespread. The correct option would be to stage multiple and overwhelmingly robust and well managed multi-national supply lines and helicopter sorties using locations and bases other than Port Au Prince Airport, particularly from the Dominican Republic through the border near Jumani. It's a darn good road compared to the roads in the Pakistan earthquake affected areas that I've been traveling on for the past four years. Distributing aid from several points over a more widespread area can reach far more people far more quickly. Everyone needs to accelerate and better coordinate relief efforts to avoid conflict and a potentially dangerous escalation of tensions being felt by Hatians throughout the country, some of whom I found waiting and suffering without any outside help whatsoever so far. The first team of four doctors from IMANA and a nurse from Destiny World Outreach is here. I came back from Haiti to pick them up and will deploy them and more medicines/supplies at 9 am Sunday, after picking up one more doctor. At least 5 more teams are planning to arrive in the next 7 days. The border is OPEN for our mission. Some rumors have led people to believe that the border is closed. The gate in shut and locked it at night, I have been coming and going at all times, including 2 am last night/morning. Photos of our mission will be provided when I come back to Santo Domingo to deploy more volunteers (Tuesday). VOLUNTEERS: PLease contact Laila Karamally at lailakaramally@cdrspakistan.org (or call at 714-261 1044) for further information. Our needs at the moment: a steady supply line of syringes, I/V Fliuds and lines, anti-inflammatory pain medication, Oral Rehydration Salts, first line anti- biotics, Pediatric Medicines and supplies, ob/gyn medicines and supplies, surgical gloves, alcohol swabs, Q-tips, baby formula, baby wipes, tents, clothes, cash for renting more trucks and purchasing fuel and critical field supplies AND as much water (and water purification systems) as can be procured through donations or government distribution. These can be mailed directly from the US or procured with funds here (please contact Laila Karamally for further information). Sincerely, Todd Shea