Many thanks for your
prayers. Mark and I arrived on January 4th. One of our team members,
Joy, an emergency medicine resident from Rhode Island, was here before
us. We met with physicians from Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital on the
afternoon of January 5. We discussed our plans for the trainings for
the A&E (Accident and Emergency- ER) for doctors and nurses at KHMH
and also for the paramedics and EMT's from the Belize Emergency Response
Team (BERT), the ambulance service for Belize District, and for SLRT
(Spanish Lookout Response Team).
The rest of
our team members were scheduled to arrive on January 6th. Donna and
Steve, from New York, were the only ones who arrived that day, due to
the frigid weather in the midwest. Marching onward, Donna presented the
opening lecture for the training. Mark, Donna and Joy rotated through
the emergency room on all shifts that day.
Chris, Erin,
Duane, Bob, Curt, Afsaneh and Suneel arrived on January 7th. Despite
having to overnight in Houston and Miami they jumped right in that
afternoon to begin trainings at KHMH and BERT. On January 8th, Loretta
arrived from Milwaukee via Chicago and Miami.
There has been a
Belizean Core Group (CG) of physicians, nurses and paramedic/EMT's
identified for whom our trainings are directed. It is with these people
that we are focusing the trainings, although others have been welcome.
Our schedule is below.
At 7am each
morning a case presentation is given by a Belizean physician followed by
a lecture on that presentation topic by a US physician. This is
attended by all Belizean CG participants.
Afterwards, physicians
begin dailly rotations through the A&E, nurses begin topical
trainings and rotations in the A&E, paramedics go to BERT to give
classes for all paramedic/EMT's from BERT and SLRT.
Suneel has
begun AirTraq intubation trainings with doctors and nurses during the
day and will do the same at BERT. He will also begin sterile suturing
technique trainings next week. Steve has had meetings with doctors
involved with administration at KHMH and the A&E primarily to
develop quality assurance measures for the A&E. Steve has
contributed many good ideas for followup trainings and continuous
improvement.
I have tried to keep everyone in the right place at the
right time. There have been quite a few trips to the airport! I try to
make sure that everyone gets where he or she needs to be each day!
Thankfully, we are all well and safe and in good humor! There has
been lots of discovery in this endeavor. Everything that we're doing
has been well received. There are many more things to work on!
Please continue to pray for our safety and for wisdom. People are
working at night. The paramedics have started to do ride-alongs at
night in Belize City. Duane will overnight tomorrow in Spanish Lookout
to do ride-alongs with SLRT. We need to know how to address issues at
KHMH and BERT. Progress is being made and that is very exciting!
We are all learning many things!
We
do appreciate your prayers for us. This is a great team- I could not
be more pleased with the professionalism and expertise being presented
to our Belizean friends. We are all doing well. Blessings, Moira
