I resigned from Diquini Hospital today

Day 3 at Diquini Hospital I realized I could not fix all the faulty processes at Diquini Hospital. Yes, I felt that I needed to try. It is kinda like a very poor Enron run by 10 different organizations that don't speak the same language. Yesterday I spoke to the Cuban team about how they had been measured for prosthetics to be delivered today and tomorrow. Well today they were all sent on a bus to pick up the prosthetics that had been made by a different organization. Yes this means wasted resources on two prosthetics. Unbelievable. The money wasted on a second prosthetic could have fed their family for a year. More disorganization and stupidity really -the medication room is around the corner from the patients who are in cots in the hallway stacked with boxes to the ceiling and ripe for the picking. Dollars out the window. I could probably buy it on the street just outside.
I am trying to find the words to describe the filth at the hospital. Kimberly was telling me tonight that one of the patients are her hospital was intentionally peeing through the mesh cot. Don't think they will sterilize before the next patient arrives. ICK! There are not enough sheets for the beds and no one to do laundry. After I changed a bandage of an 11-year-old girl I had to just put a pad down over the blood. Her mother asked for a new sheet and I had to tell her there were none. People are lying everywhere in the hallway. One man today came out of surgery agitated and there was no room in the "recovery" room. I grabbed a few of our interpreters and we picked up the little girls cot and moved it to the hallway so the agitated man could maybe have some supervision. Unbelievable.
I did have fun working with some of the folks from our compound today - they were from TEAM ARUBA. Craig - start booking our trip - I have to get to Aruba!! Did you all know that in Aruba all children learn 4-6 languages. These guys are very fun and very dedicated to helping Haiti.
In the end I helped a great group of PT volunteers outline plans for the future of this hospital's PT program. All in a days work :)

Tomorrow I am heading to a new hospital set up by the University of Miami, apparently funded by Alonzo Mourning. It sounds like after the earthquake they set up 2 large circus tents and created a hospital from the ground up. This should be the model for rebuilding Haiti's hospitals - start from scratch one hospital at a time and fund them with Money, Money, Food, Money, water and again more Money.

Kimberly's team was replaced by a different organization at General Hospital. She is not taking this lying down. She is going anyway. She has unfinished business - people to save, protocols to post and orphans who need coloring books. Well if she gets fired it really doesn't matter since we are coming home Saturday.

Kimberly and I are sitting out on the porch 11pm blogging and trying not to get eaten alive by mosquitoes. Kimberly may have scabies, but not to worry the treatment is some lotion that we have in abundance in our suite. Another positive note of the day. Kimberly warded off being bitten by a patient today and got away with just a deep sorta scratch. Oh and the good news is the lady's test for Malaria was negative.

I've been thinking about all the organic food that we pay for. Basically I have counteracted a lifetime of healthy habits and eating and breathing in just 5 short days of inhaling pollution that I just again don't have the vocabulary to describe.
I'm getting punchy and will sign off. I hope the rooster waits until 5:30 as he seems to be on Pacific time.
Danielle