CrossWorld News - November 16

Cholera Outbreak in Haiti

Hospital Tent for Cholera Patients

A few days ago, if you had arrived at the Berachah Medical Center (CMB) in LaPointe, Haiti, you would have seen people lying on the porch, under the trees and anywhere they could find room. The wards are overflowing, and they have no room for the influx of those who have contracted cholera.

CrossWorld Community Development missionary, Bruce, saw the incredible need and sent a crew of Haitian men to put up a large tent on the hospital grounds for the overflow, helping to alleviate the crisis (see picture). The hospital is continuing to receive more cases, people are starting to die, some before they can reach the hospital.

The flooding from Hurricane Tomas has caused a lot of problems, and water in rivers and other places is being contaminated by those who are sick. Even though the hospital staff is exhausted, there is an incredible spirit among them that has not been seen in a long time. They've admitted 269 cases of cholera during the first week of November alone, and more are arriving each week - on top of all the other normal patients in the hospital.



Of course, most people are unable to pay for the care and services they receive. Jenny, CrossWorld missionary and Assistant Director of the House Of Hope, the children's hospital/orphanage annexed to the hospital, saw the need for more medications for the patients. She contacted our CrossWorld personnel in Port-Au-Prince who are obtaining more meds to ship up to the hospital.

A former CrossWorld missionary medical doctor is organizing at least one team to go to Haiti to help in this crisis and to relieve the exhausted staff.

CrossWorld has responded with a large grant to the hospital to purchase mattresses, beds, sheets, IV's, and whatever else is needed in this crisis out of the Haiti Relief Fund.

Rich, CrossWorld missionary in Port-Au-Prince, realized the need for clean, potable, drinkable water before the outbreak and began working on a plan to have a large water filter system installed in the area hardest hit by the cholera in the Artibonite Valley. With funds from our Haiti Relief Fund we were able to make this plan a reality and a small shed to house the system and the system itself should be operational in another week.

Please pray for Haiti....God is the One who will help all of Haiti get through whatever is ahead!

See also: Scenes from Haiti's Cholera Outbreak - Photo Essay - TIME