Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Thank you!


Thanks to everyone for allowing me to share my extraordinary experience. I hope it helps you understand the difficulties that the people in Haiti will face for weeks and months to come. Also, special thanks to my UW-Health partners and support staff for covering and taking great care of my patients while I was gone – the mission wouldn’t have been possible without you!! I have become amazed at how many selfless people there are in the world. I encourage those seeking a way to help to consider donations to Project Haiti (http://www.projecthaiti.org/)

Craig Dopf, MD UW Health - Orthopedics 1 S. Park Street, Madison.

Dr. Dopf - Media Coverage Update

Media coverage of Dr. Dopf's Haiti trip was extensive in the last 24 hours emphasizing the importance of his work and support of the community. Here are links to some of the stories.

More photos from Dr. Dopf's trip to Haiti are now available on Meriter's Facebook Page

WMTV - Will be airing interviews with Dr. Dopf at 5:10 and 6:10 AM on Friday, January 29th.

Visit http://facebook.com/meriter to see more photos and updates. Visit http://meriter.com/ to learn more about Meriter.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Dr. Dopf Media Coverage Tuesday & Wednesday

Dr. Craig Dopf, UW-Health Surgeon who practices at Meriter Hospital, has returned from Haiti.

Many of you have followed his story on Meriter's Facebook page - www.Facebook.com/Meriter and tonight and tomorrow more stories will appear through the Madison media.

Tune in tonight to WISC-TV Live at 5 at 5 p.m.; WKOW-TV News at 10 p.m.; Wednesday WMTV-TV Morning News and the Wisconsin State Journal.

Visit http://facebook.com/meriter to see more photos and updates. Visit http://meriter.com to learn more about Meriter.

Monday, January 25, 2010

1/25 Update from Krista (with photo)


The group heard that there was a woman with a spine fracture that needed evaluation and treatment in an outside village. Craig and team drove thru jungle like conditions and bad roads north of Leogane to the sea. 27 yo female had been struck in the back from debris from the quake. A nurse had placed a foley catheter earlier in the week. When Craig saw her, she was a complete paraplegic, with no sensation or strength in her lower extremities. Transporting her would be too painful. In addition, the facilities in Leogane were too primitive for any type of spine surgery. On the way to her village, they had passed some Marines. They went back to the military unit, and requested that she be transferred to USS Comfort, as Craig and his team could see it on the horizon, and thought they would have the appropriate needs to help her. This picture is of flares that the marines put off for the incoming helicopter to locate them.


Visit http://facebook.com/meriter to see more photos and updates. Visit http://meriter.com to learn more about Meriter.

Craig in Haiti - from Krista 1/24


Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2010 4:08 PM
Subject: Craig in Haiti


Hi all-

For some of you, this may be the first you've heard. Craig has been in Haiti now for almost a week. No real new news to report for the past two days, but I did speak with him on Thurs. He is doing fine. My last texts from him indicate that he's trying to figure out when and how to get home. It sounds like quite a few more physicians have arrived in Leogane. Meriter Hospital has graciously helped Craig in many ways, and has organized my provided info to share with others. Many of you have already heard this from me, but for those of you who haven't, please check it out. Feel free to pass the link along.

http://facebook.com/meriter

Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes.
-Love, Krista



Visit http://facebook.com/meriter to see more photos and updates. Visit http://meriter.com to learn more about Meriter.

Physician coverage in Leogane, Haiti - 1/24 Update from Dr. Jan Byrd

The people of Haiti will need considerable resources to rebuild their country, their homes and their lives. Organizations that have established roots in Haiti include: The Haiti Project, World Wide Village, and Family Health Ministries. Your ongoing financial support is desperately needed for recovery and rebuilding.

The Haiti Project was responsible for the arrangements and cost of Dr. Craig Dopf’s flights. Jan Byrd, MD, is a retired family practice physician, Columbus, WI and the project coordinator of The Haiti Project. She shared these emails with Krista Dopf, wife of UW Health/Meriter orthopedic surgeon, Craig Dopf. Dr. Dopf arrived in Haiti on Tuesday, January 20.

The following is excerpted from correspondence between World Wide Village staff and Dr. Jan Byrd regarding physician coverage in Leogane, Haiti.


Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2010 8:35 AM

Subject: RE: Transportation of Medical Team


Hi Jan - You're right that the need is great and that the suffering is horrific. However, Randy is also correct that there are 150 Japanese here as well as 5 American teams. We're able now to run 3 ORs all day long, with 3 recovery rooms and move about 200 patients a day through clinic. We have so many providers that there is not room for all of them. We are also out of room for housing between the providers and the tents housing our "inpatients". I've been sending 1/5th of our team out 2-3 times per day as a mobile team to see patients in their houses and bring folks that are otherwise unable to get here.

I can understand your frustration and am very sorry that we can’t accommodate anyone else at this point. Most of the teams have about a 2-3 week time horizon for leaving so it would be easier to accommodate your team at that point.

MSF (Doctors without Borders) is working at Hospital Ste.Croix, the Spanish Red Cross and the Canadian disaster relief team is right across the street near a soccer field. The US Marines are occupying a field near the bypass and near our "landing strip". There are also teams at New Hope Mission and the Sanitorium. I am not sure if there are other good staging grounds in Leogane for a team.

There is a big field in front of the now-destroyed Catholic church, but it has become home to about 1,000 families that would need to be displaced, there is no security, no electricity, and no clean water there.

I have heard that there are still a lot of unmet needs in Grand Goave and Petit Goave further along the peninsula. I have also heard that the mountain communities are in a lot of trouble. We're hoping to be able to organize mid-sized mule expeditions into these communities in the coming weeks.

Chris Buresh, M.D., F.A.A.P., F.A.A.E.M.
Assistant Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine


Sent: Sun 1/24/2010 8:19 AM

Subject: Re: Transportation of Medical Team


I've been watching the CNN coverage and monitoring UN and US military reports too and have been paying particular attention to the information coming from Leogane, attempting to sort out what our people on the ground are telling me via phone and email versus the other info feeds. Even late last night, while on the phone with Chris Buresh, after relaying to him the report I'd just received from the military sources, he again assured me that the community is unable to accommodate all of the medical providers who've flooded in to the community.

A contingent of 150 Japanese medical personnel showed up three days ago and at least seven other organizations have teams in the area.

On another note, the donated 50 bed portable hospitable facility is set to be erected mid week and will certainly increase the capacity, requiring additional providers.

Randy Mortensen
President - World Wide Village Inc.

Visit http://facebook.com/meriter to see more photos and updates. Visit http://meriter.com to learn more about Meriter.

1/23 Update from Tim Bristol via Facebook

Updates from Tim Bristol, PhD, RN, CNE

Bristol is in Leogane, Haiti at the nursing school where Dr. Dopf is currently located.

1/23/10 via Facebook:

am - "Driving through village. People are so nice. They wave and smile. Children playing soccer and sitting on ruins. Beautiful blue sky. Haitian music on the radio so loud I can't hear myself think. It is good to be alive."

pm - "US Marines just showed up to help us see patients outside of Leogane. They took two to care for post partum dehydration. Water is really bad. Lots of diarrhea. Sounds like marines may be able to help us with water for them by Monday."


Visit http://facebook.com/meriter to see more photos and updates. Visit http://meriter.com to learn more about Meriter.

1/23 Update from Tim Bristol via Twitter

Updates from Tim Bristol, via Twitter
January 23, 2010 7:35:41 PM


Saw 40 patients in village today. Brought 20 back to nursing school in Leogane. Lots of diarrhea. Architect affirms that nursing school is safe. Lost a little girl last night in DKA because we did not have insulin. See update at www.haitinursing.org



Visit http://facebook.com/meriter to see more photos and updates. Visit http://meriter.com to learn more about Meriter.

Friday, January 22, 2010

1/21/10 - Krista's Update


Per phone conversation with Krista Dopf - 1/21/10

Dr. Dopf’s OR started as an empty classroom. They are using desks at the OR table and have some shelves for supplies. He walked the people working with him through all the instruments, so they knew what things were. There is no anesthesiologist. Patient’s are sedated with whatever meds they have. No intubation. No pulse ox, EKG or any other monitoring device. There is no cautery, so every bleeder is clamped and tied. He is using a hacksaw for amputations, cleaning off instruments with bleach between cases. No suction. The weather is in the 90’s and humid. They try and keep the flies off the surgical site.

Post-op, they have some pain meds, but as their supply is so limited, they give the patients Tylenol unless they ask for something stronger.

They keep accepting patients until 4 to 5 pm, as they have to stop working at dusk. He said every night, out in the tent city, a man preaches to everyone in Creole, and then everyone sings. He has no idea what they’re saying, but finds it moving.

Visit http://facebook.com/meriter to see more photos and updates. Visit http://meriter.com to learn more about Meriter.

January 21, 2010 - Into the Groove

1/21/10
Falling into the groove. Working out some bugs with running and staffing the new operating room I set up. BKA and AEA and some smaller stuff today.

Probably 10 aftershocks since yesterday morning’s quake. Sleeping in a 2 man tent w/ a barbed wire fence between me and the displaced homeless. Roosters & hammering of shanty makers wakes me every morning. I wish I could have gotten here sooner than I did. Please say hi to everyone.

Very hard to communicate so please forgive me if you don't hear from me daily.

Craig


Visit http://facebook.com/meriter to see more photos and updates. Visit http://meriter.com to learn more about Meriter.

January 20, 2010 Update from Tim

Guest posts from Tim Bristol, PhD, RN, CNE


1/20/10
Dr. Dopf is doing well. Had to go to the hardware store then he had all he needed to go to work.
We need about 10 of him. He is really making a difference.

1/20/10
Quick update. We saw around 100 patients today - 3 orthopedic surgeries. Lots of wounds, lacerations, broken bones, infections. Keep praying!


Visit http://facebook.com/meriter to see more photos and updates. Visit http://meriter.com to learn more about Meriter.

January 20, 2010 - Haiti

Additional notes are added from phone conversations shared from his wife, Krista Dopf.


1/20/10
Trip here on 2 military choppers was pretty cool. Onlookers moved in after the choppers left, and tried to steal supplies. Wild scene as we landed at the nursing school. I’m keeping a diary with graphic details. Also, thanks to Grace, there will be several happy kids here because of the gifts she hid in the tent.

The quake this morning felt like laying in a cot & having 2 people on either end shaking it back & forth. We’re sleeping outside away from any buildings so we can’t get hurt. I spent most of the day driving around the city looking for a hack saw, a rasp & a machete so I could do amputations. I did have time to remove an index finger in a 6 year old & do an AKA (above the knee amputation) on a 29 year old with only sedation on a desk in a classroom. (Through a translator he asked if she understood everything. Her reply was that she just didn’t want to die).

We’re washing things off & reusing them. Hoping someone will bring suction, electrocautery, decent instruments, more casting material, more ketamine, external fixators, fluoro, etc.

Surprisingly, people are amazingly calm. A German surgeon did a bilateral above the elbow amputation on a 2 year old using the camping gigli saw (A Gigli saw is a flexible wire saw used by surgeons for bone cutting) I lent him.

It is incredibly hot & humid. I drank a gallon of Gatorade today & didn’t pee once.

Everyone lives on top of each other because their homes were destroyed. Leogane is by far worse than Port au Prince. Port au Prince looks normal compared to this town. Most houses are destroyed or are unsafe to live in. Most of the homes are flattened or unsafe to live in. Thousands of dead bodies still in the rubble w/ no effort to retrieve them. The stench of the corpses permeates everything. It is far worse than I had anticipated.

Craig


Visit http://facebook.com/meriter to see more photos and updates. Visit http://meriter.com to learn more about Meriter.

Dr. Dopf leaves for Haiti


The heart wrenching news out of Haiti continues to fill newscasts. Last week we encouraged everyone to support the relief efforts by making donations to the American Red Cross.

Craig Dopf, MD, one of Meriter's orthopedic surgeons, had considered medical mission work in the past and this time felt he could no longer just watch. Assisted by his wife, Krista, he began searching online, on the phone and through friends to find the best and quickest way to personally assist the relief effort.

Dr. Dopf ultimately connected with World Wide Village and Family Health Ministries.
After a series of false starts, he traveled to Haiti with 165 pounds of medical supplies and medications donated by Meriter Hospital.

Tuesday Krista received this message from her husband: “Private jet to Jacmel 7am, then airplane to highway landing or helicopter to Leogane. Staying at FSIL nursing school in Leogane. High Security" + "I love you".

At this time Dr. Dopf return plans are indefinite, in large part because there are no commercial flights. Krista is sure he will make a difference in the lives of many Haitians, just as he has already done for patients here in Madison. “I can't imagine the things he will see and do while there.”

Continue to watch Meriter's Facebook page for updates.