Into the eye of the storm: volunteers land in Haiti

Volunteers from the medical center speak to the media on Friday before they left for Haiti over the weekend. Pictured are, front row from left: Ayman El-Mohandes, M.B.B.Ch., M.D., M.P.H., Corrigan McBride, M.D., David Young, M.D., Jessica Foulk, and Jeffrey Yuskevich, M.D.; back row from left: Oluyemisi Odugbesan, M.D., Miguel Daccarett, M.D., Mary Celis, Maria Teresa Gumabong, Nicholas (Nick) Hall and Michael Bozung.

UNMC surgeon Corrigan McBride, M.D., led nine medical center health care professionals into Haiti on Sunday morning, marking the medical center’s official entrance into the earthquake ravaged nation.

“All is good to go to do good,” she said via satellite phone to the UNMC logistical team in Omaha.

Rubens Pamies, M.D., UNMC vice chancellor for academic affairs, was set to lead a second group into Haiti this morning. The four UNMC health care specialists were to be accompanied by several Creole-speaking physicians from around the United States.

The 13 volunteers — seven physicians and six nurses — are the first wave of volunteers the medical center plans to send to Haiti, where hundreds of thousands of people were killed and wounded following a massive earthquake on Jan. 12.

“While there is a lot of uncertainly about what we will face, we are prepared to work to the best of our ability to help the people of Haiti,” said David Young, M.D., an associate professor of surgery and one of the medical center’s initial volunteers.

Support the effort Donations to the UNMC Haitian Relief and Outreach Fund will support this and future deployments to Haiti. In addition, please considering asking your family, friends or colleagues who work at Union Pacific to support this fund. Union Pacific will match dollar-for-dollar employee contributions to the UNMC fund.

Dr. Young — who has friends and family in Haiti — plans to spend several weeks working there.

“We are proud to be the first team from Nebraska to send volunteers into the eye of the storm in Haiti,” said Ayman El-Mohandes, M.B.B.Ch., M.D., M.P.H., dean of the College of Public Health. “But obviously the needs in Haiti won’t be fulfilled by 13 people in two weeks.”

Dr. El-Mohandes did not deploy but he spearheads the medical center’s response to the Haitian tragedy along with Dr. Pamies.

The medical center workers will deploy to Port-au-Prince and other hard-hit areas to provide aid. Most will spend one week in Haiti, others will be there longer.

The volunteers include:

• Two trauma surgeons;
  
• An orthopaedic trauma surgeon;
  
• An adult anesthesiologist;
  
• A pediatric anesthesiologist; and
  
• Nurses with various specialties including trauma, orthopaedics, intensive care and transplant.

“I salute these courageous doctors and nurses going to Haiti,” said UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D. “It is a risky adventure and they are great individuals who are making major sacrifices to go there.”