Medical Volunteering in Haiti
Hello Everyone, thank you for taking to time to check out our project. If you don't know us we are Jeff Casebier and Evan Higgins. Evan is an Oregon certified EMT and will start a RN nursing program this Fall. Jeff Casebier is currently a 4th year dental student at OHSU School of Dentistry. I have one final year left in my program. Jeff has done a fair amount of dental volunteer work in Portland at events like Oregon Mission of Mercy and has helped organize and plan events for the Global Health Center at OHSU. Evan has volunteered in and around Portland with the Josiah Hill III clinic, helping to screen families for lead poisoning, as well as performing general health education. Together we will travel to Port-au-Prince Haiti in September. Today we are asking for you to help us provide medical aid to the Haitian people.
In 2010, after two years of devastating hurricanes, Port-au-Prince experienced a massive earthquake, leveling what remained of the already hard-hit infrastructure. Support from the rest of the world flooded into the country and many people worked tirelessly to help the small nation recover. But as the news cycle moved on, and other disasters occurred around the world, that support has slowed to a fraction of the amount that came in immediately after the earthquake.
Jeff and I are going to Haiti to provide free medical aid to the people of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas. The infrastructure of the country is still in shambles, and medical problems we in the States consider minor are life-threatening in Haiti. Cholera is a major problem as fewer than .5% of the population has ready access to potable water. I will work with the nurses, doctors, and physician assistants on my team to provide immunizations, antibiotics, and advanced medical care. Jeff will work on with the dental team providing extractions and advanced dental care, severely reducing pain, inflammation, and lowering the chance of infection in a very unsanitary place. In the 7 days we'll be in clinic we will serve close to 2,000 patients, many of them children.
The people of Haiti are still working to rebuild and can very much use your assistance. By donating today you'll allow us to purchase new medications, vaccines, and tools to help Haiti. Times are hard for plenty of folks here at home, so we are only asking you to provide any amount that feels right. Whether you provide five dollars or one-hundred your help will save lives. Your help will reduce pain. Your help will allow Haiti to continue to recover and build a better future.
