Today, we were able to bring in another supply flight with desperately needed supplies and medical personnel. We feel we have turned the corner on the acute shortages of badly needed antibiotics and analgesics. As you know, following the earthquake, we had record numbers of patients. We were using a month's worth of supplies for each day of operation. The USA based team quickly went to work on the challenges in procuring and transporting medical supplies as well as medical teams specializing in the treatment of trauma injuries. There were many nail-biting days as our regular supply lines using commercial shipping and airlines into Port Au Prince had been interrupted by damage to the port facilities as well as restrictions flying into Port Au Prince.
As people around the world began to grasp the impact of this catastrophe, it has been incredibly gratifying to see the almost instant and generous response of individuals, corporations and foundations offering to help the people of Haiti through HAS. Donations of money, medical supplies, surgical teams and even private aircraft to fly in people and supplies quickly surfaced. We are very pleased to be recognized by the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors http://rockpa.org/haiti-relief/ as a recommended organization providing relief to Haiti.
Despite the complications of matching up the right supplies, medical team skills with the aircraft capabilities and ground vehicles in Haiti, we are now able to deliver supplies utilizing airstrips at Cape Haitian and Pignon. We were also able to squeeze in a couple of flights into Port Au Prince amid the heavy traffic of the international aid organizations.
John Walton
Board Chair HAS
The following pictures are of todays flight into Pignon:
