February 18, 2005

Missives on mission: MGHers share tsunami relief experiences

It has been three weeks since a brave group of MGHers left their homes, families and jobs and traveled around the world to Southeast Asia to spend 30 days providing care to the survivors of the tragic tsunami that devastated that area Dec. 26. The MGH contingent traveled there aboard the USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) hospital ship as part of Project HOPE, an organization coordinating the deployment of health care professionals to provide medical support for the military personnel who are already serving in the relief effort.

The group of 25 nurses, 14 physicians, two social workers and a dietitian arrived in the tsunami-stricken region Feb. 1 and are already caring for patients who are now facing dire conditions after the tsunami. Many are injured or suffer from disease, and food, water and medical supplies are limited.

Peter L. Slavin, MD, president of the MGH, and Jeanette Ives Erickson, RN, MS, senior vice president for MGH Patient Care Services and chief nurse, left Boston Feb. 11 to join the MGH volunteers on the ship, meet with Project HOPE staff and give moral support.

Since their arrival, several of the MGH volunteers have been corresponding with colleagues via e-mail, describing the horrific conditions the survivors are facing. Below are a few excerpts from these communications:

"I went to shore yesterday and worked in the emergency ward at the local hospital. There was no electricity so we had to use flashlights to put in IVs, and there was no running water. The people on this ship are amazing. Everyone is so supportive of each other, and we try to keep each other smiling and laughing."
- Emily Schnapp, RN, from White 8

"I got off the ship for the first time yesterday since arriving here. I went to the emergency department of a hospital in Banda Aceh. The conditions are poor. Filth and mud are still everywhere despite the efforts of the locals. This is indeed the experience of a lifetime, and I'm grateful to be here despite the many frustrations and personal discomforts."
- Anne Blake, RN, of MGH Cardiology

"It took my breath away to see the children. They were malnourished, scared and so ill looking. As we walked through the corridor, the rooms were filled with families, some people sitting on the floor, others piled in the bed with the sick children. I felt privileged to be surrounded by so many hard-working, dedicated and whole-hearted people."
- Rene' Cloutier, RN, of MGH Surgery

For more information about the MGH volunteers on the Project HOPE mission, visit http://www.massgeneral.org/hope/. MGHers who wish to contribute to the MGH Tsunami Relief Fund can visit http://is.partners.org/mghintranet/tsunami/index.htm.

Above, Ives Erickson and Slavin ready to travel

the USNS Mercy