Friday was Dr. Tina Whitty’s last day working in an environment she’s come to know quite well.
She’s trading in that comfort to head to a country where residents rarely get to experience it – Haiti. But Whitty is not going alone; in fact she is leading a team of Simcoe County health care workers to the island country in an effort to provide basic medical services to Haitians.
"Health care resources are really lacking and people just don't get to see physicians and nurses like they do here in Canada."
The team is comprised of eight physicians, six specialized nurses and a physiotherapist. Dr. John O'Sullivan – one of two orthopedic surgeons making the trip – is hoping to put his expertise to good use.
“We have so much here. We have to share it and that's what I’m doing,” he says.
The trip is being done in conjunction with an organization called Broken Earth. The organization was created in the aftermath of a magnitude 7.0 earthquake that shook Haiti and left more than 300,000 people dead.
Canadian volunteer task forces have been going down to the country ever since.
“To make people in our community and in our country aware that Haiti is still lacking in resources and healthcare and when teams like our go there even for short periods of time we are really making a big difference.”
Haiti is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, which is why the team sat in on a security briefing earlier this week. The picture that was painted was grim.
“Government institutions don't work well. Poverty and crime are off the charts, very dire circumstances,” says field security advisor Rob Brennan. “It’s a bad place for local Haitians unfortunately.”
The team leaves for Haiti this weekend and will spend seven days providing acute care to those who are in dire need.
CTV’s Roger Klein will be travelling with the group to document the team’s effort in a series we are calling: Broken Earth/Healing Hands: Mission to Haiti. You will be able to follow along with team’s journey right here on our website.
