February 04, 2010 15:13:50
Subject: Thinning out
Today we can see that there is more room in the church, the location in which many of the trauma patients stay. Some patients with injuries too extensive for us to care for have been sent elsewhere as new additional resources became available. Others have gone home. Some remain to complete treatment, including starting rehabilitation for the loss of a limb. A few remain because they have nowhere else to go, as their home and possessions were destroyed
Today we saw one young man who cannot go home because there is not enough food at home for him to eat. Other members of the family have moved in and the family simply cannot afford to feed the people now living with them.
Tomorrow morning we have one last case to do in the operating room, as well as 16 dressing changes (3 with anesthesia). We will try to get all this done plus packed and ready to catch our bus to Port-Au-Prince at 11:30. We will spend the night in a tent city, and then return to the states leaving very early on Saturday morning. We don't know yet if we will make it home to Philadelphia on Saturday due to the weather there, but we will certainly try to get as close as possible.
Michael
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