Notre Dame de la Merci (Partnered w/St. Rose of Lima, Murfreesboro, TN), "Cholera Treatment Unit - CTU"

Re: SOS for the cholera patients of Robillard
FROM: Andre Sylvestre
TO: haiti-epidemic-advisory-system@ googlegroups.com
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 10:10 PM

Dear Ted,

Thank you so much for your quick reply and for your intent to assist the cholera patients of Robillard. I will keep you posted about what will happen at our CTC.

A cholera patient from Grizon Garde died last week at the CTC of Robillard. The week before there were 5 people died from cholera at the parish of Labruyere-Souffriere (parish very close to Grizon Garde). We had to give 1000 oral serums to the pastor of Labruyere-Souffriere (father Almonor Jean-Baptiste) because he had nothing to give first aid to the cholera patients in his parish. He drove cholera patients to our CTC last Saturday. Our hope is that they can have a CTC in the area of Grizon-Garde and Labruyere so that we can have less cholera patients at Robillard.

Once again, thank you so much for your quick reply. May God continue to bless your work in favor of the people of Haiti.

Father Andre

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Re: SOS for the cholera patients of Robillard
FROM: Ted Kaplan
TO: haiti-epidemic-advisory-system @googlegroups.com
CC: Maklin Eugene, Julian Malinak, Dr. Jasmin, Carwyn Hill
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 9:45 PM

Sorry to hear that Father Andre.

We just had our semiannual Network meetings and I was in Cap last week and heard nothing of this. This week and last week, there is a huge visiting medical team at the Tovar clinic in Grison Garde, which told me last week that they had hardly any cases of cholera. I suggest you contact Dr. Eugene who works with The Haiti Mission team in Tovar to see if they can assist you, and our Network Support Team received some materials this week that can be of help. Otherwise, you should be in contact with MSPP and with the existing large CTC Bravo in Quartier Morin and the Health Cluster meetings (on Thursdays at 3 PM) to discuss this further, also with the WASH cluster to address the source of the outbreak related to your water supply.

Please keep us in the north posted so we can support you as we can.

Ted Kaplan, MD
for the Cap Haitien Health Network
www.caphealthnetwork.org

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From: Andre Sylvestre
To: haiti-epidemic-advisory-system @googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2011 9:30 PM
Subject: Re: SOS for the cholera patients of Robillard

Hi, all!

I am sad to report that there is increase of cases of cholera at the CTC of Robillard. There were 84 cases of cholera last week alone. Tonight there are 25 patients of cholera at the CTC. The patients come from not only Robillard, but also from Grizon Garde, Labruyere and Soufriere (areas that belong to the municipality of Acul du Nord), because the are is no CTC in those areas and the CTC of Robillard is closer to them than.... That situation is getting chaotic, because:

1) there is shortage of medical people (our few nurses are getting tired, because they do not have enough sleep),

2) there is shortage of supplies such as clorox, IV, soap, and so on; there is no sprayer, no source of energy during the evening: we were in the obligation to buy some lamps and fuel for the patients and their family;

3) because we are not equiped to welcome so many people, there is no place for the parents of the patients to sleep in the evening;

4) the people who come from areas out of Robillard suffer from lack of food, because the cholera outbreak did not give them enough time to bring any money or food with them.

5) The closeness of the two CTC prevent our young men and women to attend the sewing school comfortably. Everybody is stressed out;

6) The worst situation is the fact that it is raining at Robillard almost every day and that the rainy season brings a lot of water in the two tents where the patients stay druing several days to take medication (there is no cement in the ground); so, the inside of the two tents if full of mud. In other words, the current tents are not places for human beings to stay. Someone cannot imagine that human beings would live in such a situation in the 21th century.

7) as a consequence of the chaotic situation, one person died last week and another one passed away this morning at the CTC of Robillard.

The people attending the CTC of Robillard would be grateful to anyone or institution who would provilde some kind of assistance to them. Please assist us before the situation become more chaotic and to prevent more people from dying.


Father Andre Sylvestre
Pastor of the Parish of Robillard

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6/28/11 HEAS post from father Andre Sylvestre,
Pastor of the Parish of Robillard

There is a terrible cholera situation in Robillard. Robillard is a
rural section of the municipality of Plaine du Nord. A few weeks ago
the Doctors without borders gave a tent to our Clinic Rose-Merci.
Since then we use the tent as CTC (center for the treatment of
cholera). The Ministry of Public Health sent us only one assistant
nurse to help with the cholera situation. There were 13 cases of
cholera on Sunday night alone. Some other patients came in during the
day. Since we only have 10 beds in the CTC, we were in the obligation
to lay 3 people with choloera on the floor last night. I was told
that 5 patients with cholera went home during the day. There are
still 11 patients at the CTC tonight. We have shortage of medical
people to take care of the patients with cholera. Our small staff is
tired. We also have shortage of supplies such as beds and medication
to take care of the people with cholera. We wonder why there is not a
movement of solidarity to help the people of Robillard to fight the
cholera as it was the case in other parts of the country. The
situation of cholera in Robillard can become a disaster if there is no
improvement in staff and supplies, because in our CTC we welcome not
only patients from Robillard but also people from Grison-Garde and La
Bruyere. A studay may be necessary to understand the cases in cholera
are increasing in Robillard while it is not the case in some other
places in the North. Any help for the people or Robillard will be more
than welcomed. Your voice in favor of the people of Robillard can make
a bigh difference.
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4/28/11 CHHN Update from Hannah
We have been informed by Farther Andre of Notre Dame de la Merci Clinic, Robillard(contact details attached) to say they had a sharp increase in cholera cases yesterday. They received 27 cases, with no deaths. They have set up their service so they have one member of medical staff present 24 hour a day (nurse or lab tech). They have one doctor present Monday-Friday 9 am-1 pm. They only have one bed, but they have kept a few patients overnight and then transferred them to Milot. Before yesterday they had been receiving 0-2 cases a day since February.

The Cap Haitien Health Network has provided them with IV materials, ORS, soap, gloves and gowns this morning. We are requesting some more materials from IOM (disinfectant and sprayers).

We have also brought this outbreak to the attention of Haiti Hospital Appeal and Robillard will now be using the ambulance service from HHA to transport patients to Bravo CTC instead of Milot.
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2/16/11 CHHN Update
Clinic saw 11 pts. in last 2 wks, no deaths
Setting up to be able to keep pts overnight next month.
Lab has been expanded.
Clinic see around 600 pts per month total. Provides a maternity clinic and blood pressure clinic.
CHHN supplied some meds and cholera supplies.
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12/18/10 CHHN Update
Today I (CHHN) have distribute some cholera supplies to the father of Notre Dame de la Merci. He was really happy and appreciate everything we had given him. We give 200 satchels of ORS, 4 box of IV fluids, 1 box of gloves, 1 box of IV sets, 1 box of catheters, some medications and pads, cholera prevention posters,cholera prevention cards,1 betasept, 1 tape, and 1 ery-tab 250 mg.
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12/13/10 CHHN Update
Need cholera supplies
CHHN Has 800 pks of ORS and 1 dozen RLs left on reserve for them, but have not been able to reach them. Laura has also emailed. Previous supplies have been brought from Justinien where Dr. Turenne also works.

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12/12/10 Assessment questions from Dr. Calil Turenne
STAFF: 1 doc. 1 nurse 4 med staff some volunteers on hand. Staff has received training on cholera.
Community is receiving educatio on prevention.
Began seeing patients on Dec. 3
Total number of pts. since then: 24 No deaths at clinic, but 5 have died in community who refused to come to the clinic.
11 pts. in last week/ no deaths in last week
No. of pts is fluctuating
Normal pts load is 430 per month. They had 109 last week.
5 beds in hospital
Plan to make isolation unit with a tent
2 CTC's within 10 miles- Milot and Plain du Nord (BMC)
Pts travel about an hour to get to the clinic
1/3 pts. require IV fluids
Provides a mobile clinic once a week
There is purified water access for the clinic
Can pick up supplies
LZ for Helicopter: football stadium 5 min. from clinic

Needs: IV ringers, Iv cathethers, buckets, chlorine, ORS, beds, gloves, tourniquets.

12/3/10 Email from Gloria Kane
Sadly the cholera epidemic has reached Robillard, Haiti. The Doctor wrote tonight to inform us that 2 people have died because they refused treatment. Several more were encouraged to come to the clinic for help and they have survived.
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Partners with St. Rose of Lima, Murfreesboro, TN