ICM Works With Doctors & Support Staff to Provide Much Needed Medical Services in Haiti

Jan. 30, 2010 - PRLog -- In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Haiti on January 12 that has injured hundreds of thousands of people, International Cooperating Ministries (ICM) is responding to the crisis by sponsoring a team of 16 doctors and medical support staff who will travel to the country’s capital city to provide much-needed medical services to Haitian earthquake victims.

As the sponsoring organization, ICM is providing logistical support via the ministry’s partners in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. According to ICM Executive Chair Janice Rosser Allen, because the ministry has helped to build 28 churches in Haiti and 38 in the Dominican Republic, ICM was uniquely positioned to assist in the medical outreach.

“When ICM was approached by a group of doctors, nurses and other medical and support staff through a contact at the Williamsburg Community Chapel, we felt it was God’s leading to act as the sponsoring organization,” she said. The medical outreach has been in the planning phase for approximately 2 weeks. Allen said she can see the hand of God even in the most recent developments.

“According to our partner who is coordinating things from the Dominican Republic, it has truly been incredible,” Allen said. “We have been given an opportunity to set up the medical outreach at a location directly opposite from the presidential palace in Port-au-Prince. Another Christian organization has been there, treating between 250-300 people a day, but they’re leaving Sunday, and no other organization was scheduled to use the facility” she said. “That gives us a day for transition before our sponsored team takes over. The Richmond group will be able to hit the ground running.”

The medical team, Virginians 4 Haiti, a Richmond, Va.-based organization, is headed up by team leader Allan B. Harvie, Jr., former owner of the Richmond Renegades hockey team. Harvie, who is also a physician’s assistant, said that he felt compelled to coordinate the outreach.

“After seeing the suffering on T.V., I couldn’t just sit back and write a check and say I’ve done my part,” Harvie said. Shortly after the earthquake Harvie initially contacted some friends who were medical professionals to see if they might be willing to travel to Haiti and he began to explore ways to make the trip happen. Now, with the final logistics being taken care of, Harvie says when his team arrives in Port-au-Prince they will need to pace themselves to avoid burnout. “We hope to alleviate the pain and suffering of as many of the Haitian people as possible,” he added.

The medical outreach team will initially travel to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Friday, January 29. There they will meet Maribel Delgado, ICM Dominican Republic Project Coordinator for Construction and Mini Bible College. The team will pick up additional food, water and supplies and travel by bus to the border. Harvie says they will have to sleep on the bus there until the border reopens early Saturday morning. The group then will complete the trip into Port-au-Prince and begin working. They are scheduled return to the U. S. on February 7.

Delgado acknowledged the importance of the team’s visit to Port-au-Prince at this time. She said that many injured refugees are now succumbing to the effects of “secondary” infections because their initial wounds were left untreated. According to Delgado, on the day she first visited the medical clinic, she observed a four-year-old girl who needed to have her leg amputated for just such reasons.  

Harvie said that the level of support and coordination between his team and ICM has been, “Unbelievable.” He said that Delgado traveled extensively to locate the best place to conduct the medical outreach and that she’s taken care of all the logistical work. “She’s been amazing,” Harvie said.

For more information about ICM’s work in Haiti, visit: www.icm.org/Haiti.
To learn more about ICM visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9PlDknn7VM



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ICM (www.icm.org) is a non-profit, trans-denominational parachurch ministry guided by God’s Word, a strong statement of faith, & the Lausanne Covenant. Cooperating with His grace, ICM helps to nurture believers & assist Church growth around the world.