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Cure International - 2010 Haiti Earthquake (MEDICAL TEAMS/SURGICAL)

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About this facility

Mission
CURE makes regular trips every 3 months to Haiti from our hospital in the Dominican Republic. Each quarter Dr. Scott Nelson, CURE Medical Director in Santo Domingo, travels to Cap Haitien in northern Haiti, the second largest city in the country. There he evaluates disabled children, performs surgeries and trains national medical professionals at the Hospital Universitaire Justinien, a government teaching hospital and referral center for the northern part of the country. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and has only a fraction of the physicians per capita of that seen in other Latin American countries. There are 42 orthopedic surgeons in Haiti and only one who is specialized in children. Most of the surgeons are very poorly equipped and lack proper training. Only a fraction of the injured and disabled patients in this region are receiving needed operations by the local doctors. The remaining patients go untreated often times remaining disabled for life with problems that could have been easily treated.

Even without a permanent facility, CURE's impact on Haiti is being felt. Due to the great needs, Dr. Nelson and team typically operate day and night with very little rest during their weeklong trips to Cap Haitien. While working within an existing infrastructure we are able to participate in the training of many young Haitian doctors rotating through the university hospital. We have also trained several local orthopedic technicians on the Ponseti method for treatment of clubfoot. Through the generosity of Bridgeway Foundation, CURE has been able to make some significant physical plant improvements at the hospital including the creation of a reliable backup power supply and running water for the operating room amongst others.
Service
Permanent

Notes

BLOG: http://blog.helpcurenow.org/

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5108157969

MYSPACE: http://www.myspace.com/helpcurenow

YOU TUBE: http://www.youtube.com/user/CUREInternational

TWITTER: http://twitter.com/helpcurenow

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PRESS RELEASE FROM THE SITE:

CURE INTERNATIONAL RESPONDS TO CRISIS IN HAITI

Medical Relief Team on the Ground in Haiti; Organization’s Hospital in Dominican Republic Ready to Accept Patients; Organization Establishes Fund to Aid Efforts in Country

Lemoyne, Pa. January 15, 2010: CURE International, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization, has responded to the urgent need caused by the earthquake in Haiti.

“We are extremely saddened by the earthquake in Haiti, and our prayers are with the suffering people of this country,” said Dr. Scott Harrison, CURE’s founder and CEO. “We are now responding to the crisis. Because CURE operates a hospital in the Dominican Republic and sends medical teams to Haiti on a regular basis, we are uniquely positioned to provide both the immediate emergency medical care that is needed and the additional care that will be needed in the weeks and months to come.”

Here is a summary of CURE’s relief efforts:

● A CURE relief team is in Port-au-Prince. The members of the team are: orthopedic surgeon Dr. Scott Nelson, pediatrician Dr. Dielika Charlier, nurse Lucia Hernandez, nurse Susan Beemer and the executive director of the CURE International hospital in the Dominican Republic Steve Bostian.

The team has set up a base in the city and is now providing urgently needed medical care to injured victims. The team expects to begin performing surgeries tonight. Others are expected to join it in the days to come.

● CURE International’s hospital in the neighboring country of the Dominican Republic is ready to provide acute orthopedic surgical care to hundreds of Haitians coming across the border. CURE’s hospital, located in Santo Domingo, is but 160 miles from the epicenter of the disaster, the closest specialty hospital equipped to treat these types of injuries.

● The organization has established a relief fund for those who wish to contribute to CURE's emergency medical assistance efforts to victims of the earthquake.

People can give in one of two ways. They can donate online at helpcurenow.org/haitirelief.

They can also give a $10 gift from their mobile phone by texting CURE to 85944. (The charges will appear on their cell phone bill.)

About CURE International
CURE International is a nonprofit organization that transforms the lives of children with physical disabilities and their families in the developing world through medical and spiritual healing, serving all by establishing specialty teaching hospitals, building partnerships and advocating for these children. Since 1998, it has treated more than 1,000,000 patients and performed more than 70,000 life-changing surgeries.