Help for Haiti

L-R nursing alumna makes trip to save lives.

Like many others, L-R nursing alumna Jennifer Haughney '09 was transfixed by the images of suffering and destruction appearing on television after a catastrophic earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, 2010.

Unlike most others, she knew what to do. Haughney is a nurse in the Trauma Unit at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. As she watched the news reports showing traumatic amputations, crushed bodies and broken bones, she thought to herself, "I know how to fix that."

She discussed the situation with several colleagues who also felt moved to act. A week later, they were on a private plane headed to Haiti.

They had made contact with local missionaries first, so their arrival was expected. When the medical team got to the hospital in the small town of Bonne Fin, they found about 100 patients waiting for them, along with family members who had brought them there.

Some of the injuries were traumatic. One patient had her leg amputated when a building in Portau-Prince collapsed on her. Another patient had been trapped in rubble for several days. In desperation, she cut off her arm to escape.

"Trauma medical care is what I do and what I love," Haughney said. However, the situation in Haiti was nothing like the Level I Trauma Center in Charleston where she worked. "Basically, it was triage." The team had to choose which patients would receive IV fluids and certain types of medication.

"The hardest thing was knowing that if we were at home, we could fix this," she said. Having local missionaries and other residents available to help made the job much easier. They helped collect what medical supplies were available locally, ran errands and otherwise assisted.

After a week in Haiti, her group returned home. "People shouldn't forget about Haiti," Haughney said. "They still need health care, fresh water, places to live. Everyone needs to keep the Haitian people in their thoughts and prayers."