NSUCO - The Visionary Fall 2010

the VISIONARY • Summer/Fall 2010 18 the airport lights. Furthermore, this inevitably forced the plane carrying the team to be rerouted to the Santo Domingo airport in the Dominican Republic (where team members slept for the night). After successfully arriving in Haiti the next day, the medical team received an orientation to the University of Miami’s Project Medishare base and began to work. Dr. Blanc served in the triage area, where he was able to better ad- dress the various ocular complaints of the patients that lined up from all over the city. He estimates seeing almost 100 patients per day and served as the sole provider of eye care during the time he was there. Dr. Blanc treated and managed conditions such as dry eye, foreign body complaints, ocular trauma, and bacterial infections. He also provided consultation and baseline ocular test- ing for those patients on tuberculosis treatment. Drug resistant TB is one of the most prevalent infectious conditions in Haiti, and without access to medica- tions as a result of the earth- quake, many were concerned about spreading infection. One of the most memorable patients seen by Dr. Blanc presented with suspected rhabdomyosarcoma (a soft- tissue tumor of the eye). Dr. Blanc worked to medically transport this patient to the United States for better treatment. Dr. Blanc witnessed the systemic and physical consequences of the disaster firsthand, including cases of gangrene of injured limbs and amputations. The rising rates of infectious disease and trauma were astronomical. As was previously mentioned, Toussaint works as the coordinator of low vision services in the United States, but in this mission she served in many aspects that tested her skills outside the College of Optometry. As a fluent speaker of Haitian Creole, French, and English, she provided invaluable interpretation on the base (rep- resenting both Haitians and non-Haitians alike). Bridging the com- munication barrier between those foreign doctors and the Haitian patients was a godsend. She also served as an on-the-spot nurse, where at any given time she took care of about 20 patients. While not on the base, she acted as a social worker and transported pa- tients to their homes and to other facilities. Her knowledge of her hometown city of Port-au-Prince proved to be a precious gift to the foreign agencies conducting disaster relief. (Please see the ac- companying sidebar to read Toussaint’s personal account.) Sustainable Recovery of Eye Care In addition to providing direct care to patients during the emer- gency phase post-disaster, part of the College of Optometry Haiti assistance plan was to connect with the eye care leaders in Haiti to assist in the needs assessment for long-term recovery and de- velopment planning. NSUCO is also home to the North American Center of the UNESCO Chair in Visual Health and Development, who has been communicating with other VISION 2020 USA and IAPB agencies in the eye care response, recovery, and sustainable development agenda for Haiti. NSU optometry and public health faculty member Dr. Janet Leasher, the coordinator of the North American Center of the UN- ESCO Chair in Visual Health and Development, participated in the eye care reconstruction planning workshop on May 17-18 in Santo Domingo, which was hosted by the Ministry of Health of Haiti and the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO). In attendance were PAHO’s collaborating nongovernmental organizations such as Sightsavers International, Lions Clubs International Foundation, Christofel Blinden Mission, World Blind Union, Caribbean Council for the Blind, Orbis International, International Centre for Eyecare Education, Deseret International, IRIS Foundation, Pan-American Ophthalmology Association, the American Academy of Ophthal- mology, and the UNESCO Chair at NSU. Representatives par- ticipated from the Haitian So- ciety of Ophthalmology (SHO), the National Committee for the Prevention of Blindness (CNPC), the University Hospital (HUEH), and the Haitian Soci- ety for the Blind (SHAA). PAHO carried out an evaluation report of the damage to the eye care system and the results were reported. Prior to the earthquake, the Ministry of Health in Haiti had an es- tablished eye health program, which included community health education, vitamin A distribution, surgical interventions for cataracts (with the Cuban partner, Operación Milagro), nominal salary support for some ophthalmologists in the public sector, and partial support of the ophthalmology residency training program at the University Hospital. Most of the ophthalmology clinics in the affected region sustained damage. One ophthalmologist died, clinics were destroyed, equip- ment damaged, and services stopped. Those who were providing services were asked to provide care for free by the Ministry of Health. Unfortunately, eye care providers also sustained personal loss, and this lack of income has stressed the eye care system even further. The immediate need is to recover those ophthalmologists who suffered loss of their practices, families, and homes. The Committee for the Prevention of Blindness in Haiti had been working on getting approval for a national blindness prevention plan (VISION 2020: The Right to Sight) with the Ministry of Health before the earthquake. Now, infrastructure and administrative support is much needed to continue and broaden those efforts. An attempt to register and coordinate the aid that is arriving was decided to be the responsibility of this body. Anyone interested in eye care reconstruction should contact the CNPC. “The rising rates of infectious disease and trauma were astronomical.”