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Dedicated Volunteer Dies in Haiti

02 Mar 2010 12:56

To our great sorrow, we have learned that Matthew Bouthillier, a Medical Teams International volunteer, died March 1 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

“We are shocked and saddened beyond words at this enormous loss,” said Bas Vanderzalm, president of Medical Teams International, who recently returned from Haiti. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Matt’s wife, Melissa, and his family, as well as our team in Haiti.”

Matt, 36, served as an emergency-room nurse at Swedish Medical Center in Issaquah, Wash. He had been treating earthquake survivors on a Medical Teams International mission in Haiti since February 20. Matt was pronounced dead from cardiac arrest at the University of Miami field hospital in Port-au-Prince.

Bill Essig, vice president of international programs for Medical Teams International, and Steve Brodehl, chaplain for Hillsboro Fire and Rescue, left immediately for Port-au-Prince to assist staff and volunteers in Haiti.

Please join us in praying for Matt’s family and our team in Haiti at this most difficult time.

Medical Teams International Sends 12th Team to Haiti

19 Feb 2010 17:30

Medical Teams International’s 12th team is leaving for Haiti on Saturday, Feb. 20 and Sunday, Feb. 21. They will be joining the 24 other medical and health personnel currently serving in hospitals and mobile clinics throughout the earthquake area. See details about the team below:

Janey Pinneo, RN of Issaquah, Wash. was a member of our 2,000th team to Uganda. This is Janey’s sixth disaster relief team with Medical Teams International, including Uganda, Louisiana for Hurricane Katrina and El Salvador.

Robert Loring, Paramedic of Bradford, Mass., is serving on his second team with Medical Teams International. He formerly served in Sri Lanka.

Fred Hesser, PA of Babb, Mont., is joining his fifth disaster relief team with Medical Teams International. He previously has worked in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Uganda.

Fran Hesser is also a Babb, Mont., resident and wife of Fred. She is serving on her third disaster relief team, previously working with Medical Teams International in Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

Matthew Bouthillier, RN is a resident of Renton, Wash. and an emergency specialist.

Kristin Westfall, RN lives in Covington, Wash. This is her fifth disaster relief team with Medical Teams International. She previously served in Mexico, Columbia, Sri Lanka and Mozambique.

Flight Details:

Fred Hesser leaves Saturday, Feb. 20 on UA 6337 at 6:35 p.m. at the Spokane, Wash., Airport. If you would like to interview him, please meet him at the United Airlines ticket counter at 5:15 pm.
Matthew Bouthillier and Kristin Westfall depart Saturday, Feb. 20 on DL 740 at 9:45 p.m. from the Seattle International Airport. For interviews, please meet them at the Delta Airlines ticket counter at 8:40 p.m.
Robert Loring leaves Sunday, Feb. 21 on AA 4602 at 6 a.m. from Boston International Airport. For interviews, please meet him at the American Airlines ticket counter at 4:45 a.m.
Janey Pinneo departs Sunday, Feb. 21 on AA 1291 at 9:55 a.m. from Miami International Airport. She will meet press for interviews at the American Airlines ticket counter at 8:30 a.m.

To date, Medical Teams International has treated more than 10,000 people for crushed limbs, wounds and infectious diseases. Medical Teams International has also airlifted and shipped in medicines and supplies valued at $3.5 million.

To Donate: Text “HOPE” to 253-83 to give an automatic $10 to Medical Teams International. Giving is always available online at www.medicalteams.org, or by calling 1-800-959-4325.

Since 1979, Medical Teams International has shipped more than $1.3 billion in antibiotics, surgical kits and lifesaving medicines to care for 45 million people in 100 countries around the world. More than 2,600 volunteers meet the needs of people worldwide each year. Donations can be made by calling (503) 624-1000 or by logging on to www.medicalteams.org.

Medical Teams International Sends 9th Team to Haiti

06 Feb 2010 10:30

Leaving Portland International Airport on Sunday, February 14th

Medical Teams International’s ninth team is leaving Sunday, Feb. 14, for Haiti. All five team members will leave from PDX at 6 a.m. on American Airlines flight 1282. If you would like to interview them, please meet at the American Airlines ticket counter at 4:45 a.m.

About the team:

Stephen Sethi, MD:

Resident of Tualatin, OR
Works for Providence Newberg Medical Center
5th team with MTI; former destinations: Haiti (twice), Bolivia and Bosnia

Mary Burry, MD:

Resident of Portland, OR
Wife of Team 3 member, Tom Hoggard
16th team with Medical Teams International; 18th year with us; former destinations: Albania, Kenya, Honduras, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Ethiopia (3), Mozambique (2), Turkey
12th disaster relief team with Medical Teams International

Enrico Selga, RN:

Resident of Vancouver, WA
6th team with Medical Teams International; former destinations: Uganda, Liberia (4)
5th disaster relief team with Medical Teams International

Andy Mittelman, RN:

Resident of Portland, OR
2nd team with Medical Teams International; former destination: Macedonia

Heather (Deborah) Foster, RN:

Resident of Milwaukie, OR
14 team with Medical Teams International; 9th year with us; former destinations: Nicaragua (2), Oaxaca – Mexico (3), Haiti, Bolivia, El Salvador (3), Peru, Honduras (2)
2nd disaster relief team with Medical Teams International

Medical Teams International Medical Volunteer Calling in Live from Haiti Today at 2 p.m.

18 Feb 2010 09:51

FOURTH DAY OF REPORTING IN FROM THE FIELD

One of 19 medical personnel working in Haiti on behalf of Medical Teams International's disaster relief team, will call in at 2:00 p.m. PST, today, January 25 with a live report from the field.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Media interested in dialing in to hear one of 19 medical personnel on the ground for Medical Teams International report on their work in Haiti and to ask questions, please call 1-866-740-1748, PIN #: 1402, at exactly 2:00 p.m. PST, today, Monday, January 25. The volunteer will briefly describe the scene from their perspective and then take questions for approximately 15-20 minutes.

**Following the conference call, please email Megan Streng, mstreng@medicalteams.org or call 503-624-1022 or 503-341-6620 to let her know if you need photos and a bio of the person who called in from the field.

Photos from the field are coming in steadily now. Please see our photo library at: http://picasaweb.google.com/Med.Teams.Intl Make sure to credit the photos properly (as stated in the title of the photo folder).

Also, just uploaded from the field is video footage of the work Medical Teams International is performing in Haiti. Please credit the footage properly. Here is the link: http://www.medicalteams.org/sf/home/Haiti_Earthquake/Haiti_Earthquake_videos.aspx

Medical Teams International Nurse Returns from Haiti Friday

04 Feb 2010 10:26

Medical Teams International volunteer nurse, Anne Blaufus, will return Friday, Feb. 5 from Haiti's earthquake zone.

Anne Blaufus is an ER nurse with Providence Hospital in Portland. The flight will now arrive at the Portland International Airport at 11:13 p.m. (Delta Airlines Flight 745). FOR MEDIA ONLY: Anne will be available for questions at Delta Airlines baggage claim.

Anne Blaufus is a member of the first-in team on the scene after the 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti on Jan. 12, killing more than 200,000 people and leaving more than 1 million homeless. Anne immediately dropped her plans for a vacation to the Cayman Islands, a non-refundable trip, so she could serve for nearly a month to help save lives in Haiti.

Anne has served on previous "first-in" teams with Medical Teams International. She was on the first team into Honduras in 1999 after Hurricane Mitch decimated villages in Central America. She also served on disaster response teams in Liberia, Uganda and Sri Lanka.

These past few weeks in Haiti have been Anne's second trip to the island nation. Her first was in 2004 after Hurricane Jeanne ripped across the countryside.

Medical Teams International is accepting cash contributions now to help Haiti. To make an immediate, secure gift, please go to www.medicalteams.org. Or call, 1-(800)-959-HEAL. Or send your contribution to: P.O. Box 10, Portland, OR 97207-0010. People can also text “HOPE” to 253-83 to give an automatic $10.

Medical Teams International Staff Return from Haiti Wednesday

26 Jan 2010 10:10

Hear about their work in Haiti at the Portland International Airport, 11:30 a.m.

Medical Teams International staff members will return Wednesday Jan. 27 from the disaster scene in Haiti. Marlene Minor, Vice President of Communications, was in Haiti to coordinate media efforts and Matt Turkington, IT Systems Analyst, handled all the communication logistics and technical support to enable doctors and nurses to provide care to patients during our disaster response. The flight will arrive at the Portland International Airport 11:04 a.m. (Delta Airlines, Flight 1065) Both staff members will be available near baggage claim to answer questions at 11:30 a.m.

Please read what Marlene and Matt have experienced during their time in Haiti:

Marlene’s stories: http://www.medicalteams.org/sf/home/Haiti_Earthquake/haiti_stories.aspx
Matt’s blog: http://www.medicalteams.org/sf/home/Haiti_Earthquake/Haiti_Earthquake_blogs/matt_turkington_blog.aspx

Medical Teams International Sending Tenth Disaster Relief Team to Haiti

10 Feb 2010 10:34

Medical Teams International is sending its tenth disaster relief team to Haiti on Thursday, Feb. 11. The team is made up of eight medical professionals, including Dr. Don Lagrone from Portland, Ore. and Registered Nurse Penny White from Lake Oswego, Ore.

Dr. Lagrone, a pediatrician, and Penny White, a pediatrics RN, are both leaving from Portland International Airport (American Airlines Flight 1282) at 6 a.m. tomorrow. If you would like to interview Dr. Lagrone or Penny White, please meet them at the American Airlines ticket counter at 4:45 a.m.

Medical Teams International has sent more than 40 volunteer doctors and nurses to Haiti since the earthquake hit last month. The volunteers have been working at hospitals and clinics throughout Port-au-Prince performing orthopedic surgeries and treating hundreds of people every day. Medical Teams International has mobilized more than $1.5 million in supplies – enough to help 45,000 people.

TO DONATE: Text “HOPE” to 253-83 to give an automatic $10 to Medical Teams International. Giving is always available online at www.medicalteams.org, or by calling 1-800-959-4325.

Medical Teams International President Will Call in Live from Haiti Friday at 9 a.m.

18 Feb 2010 10:54

Medical Teams International’s President Bas Vanderzalm will call in at 9 a.m. PST, Friday, Feb. 19 with a live report from the field.

What Medical Teams International has accomplished in Haiti during the first month:

Treated more than 10,000 people (crushed limbs, wounds, infectious diseases, births).
Sent 11 volunteer medical teams, more than 50 medical volunteers (including surgeons, general physicians, anesthesiologists, nurses, health administrators, EMTs).
Airlifted and shipped in medicines and supplies valued at $3.5 million, enough to help 60,000 people.
Conducted more than 50 mobile clinics in the hardest hit areas.

What Medical Teams International will do in Haiti in the coming months:

Prevent and treat disease in the temporary shelter camps.
Ensure that people receiving medical care from our teams also have access to clean water, sanitation, shelter and proper nutrition.
Train mothers to keep their children healthy in the camps.
Rebuild and resupply clinics and hospitals damaged by the earthquake.
Support local efforts to manufacture and distribute prosthetics for amputees.

Medical Teams International Doctors Saving Lives In Haiti

19 Jan 2010 14:18

Medical Teams International volunteer doctors and nurses are performing orthopedic surgeries and treating hundreds of people each day at the 350-bed Kings Hospital, just outside Port-au-Prince.

Three doctors, two nurses and an emergency logistician leave on Wed., Jan. 20 to join the six doctors and three nurses already in Haiti. Doctors leaving tomorrow include: Marie Angele Theard (Oregon Anesthesiology Group), Steve Boyer (Oregon Emergency Physicians) and Bob Gibson (Portland physician). Nurses are Carol Caudle (Willamette Falls Hospital, OR) and Kris Repp, (self-employed emergency RN, Renton, WA.) Dr. Theard was born in Haiti but lives and practices in Portland.
The team leaving on Wed. will fly to Port-au-Prince on a private jet supplied by TEC Equipment Inc., who owns VOLVO and MACK truck dealerships on the West Coast. Dave Thompson, TEC Equipment Inc.'s president, made the decision to donate the flight after his employees and VOLVO and MACK Trucks North America donated the funds to pay for the fuel.
One of the volunteers leaving on Wed. is Andrew Davidson, president and CEO of the Oregon Association of Hospital and Health Systems (OAHHS). Davidson is an expert in health logistics and operations in diverse health care delivery settings. In addition, OAHHS, and its counterpart the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA), has committed to raise more than $560,000 in cash and medicines to help Medical Teams International respond to the Haiti crisis.
People can give an automatic $10 gift by texting HOPE to 253-83; on-line at www.medicalteams.org, calling 1-800-959-4325; or mailing a gift to P.O. Box 10, Portland, OR 97207.

Since 1979, Medical Teams International has shipped more than 1.3 billion in antibiotics, surgical kits and lifesaving medicines to care for 35 million people in 100 countries around the world. More than 2000 volunteers meet the needs of people worldwide each year. Donations can be made by calling (503) 624.1000 or by logging on to www.medicalteams.org.

Medical Teams International President Headed for Haiti, Departs February 14, 2010

12 Feb 2010 14:50

Medical Teams International’s President Bas Vanderzalm will leave for Haiti Sunday morning from Seattle, Wash. At 10:00 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 12, Vanderzalm will meet with media at Medical Teams International Headquarters in Tigard to provide an update on our Haiti program activities and to present information about his upcoming trip to Haiti.

Medical Teams International volunteers have provided medical care to more than 10,000 people in Haiti and are treating approximately 800 people a day. 23 volunteers are currently serving with us in hospitals and mobile clinics throughout the earthquake area. We have also airlifted medicines and supplies valued at nearly $3 million into the country.