Rotary Program June 21, 2010
The featured speaker will be Major Patrick Brizay of the Canadian Forces. Major Brizay lead a field hospital team in earthquake ravaged Haiti. earli in the new year. The following was taken from a news release.
CFB PETAWAWA, Ont. - The 1st Canadian Field Hospital is awaiting the final word before deploying to Haiti, to assist with medical relief efforts still desperately needed in the quake-ravaged country.
After Defence Minister Peter MacKay announced Thursday the medical unit will be made available to set up operations in Leogane, a costal community 29 kilometres west of Port-au-Prince, where 90% of the buildings were destroyed, the unit was put on four-hour standby at the base.
On Friday, the field hospital's 112 doctors, nurses, specialists and medics were packing the last of their supplies, preparing to ship out as early as that evening.
The unit already has a two-man advance team in Leogane conducting a reconnaissance of the area.
"We're desperately needed there," said Deputy Commanding Officer Maj. Patrick Brizay, who will be leading the field hospital in Haiti.
The deployed hospital will include an operating room with two surgical teams, two resuscitation beds, two critical-care beds and 100 immediate and minimum-care beds. It will be powered by its own generators, and will have laboratory and diagnostic-imaging capabilities.
The unit will also come with two ambulances.
"Once we're on the ground, we're configured to receive casualties and treat people right away," said Maj. Brizay, adding it will take one day to completely set up the facility, partially constructed out of tents and metal sea containers. "We can do anything a regular hospital can do, except we're under a tent."
The population in Leogane and the surrounding region prior to the Jan. 12 quake was about 200,000. However, relief organizations and the United Nations have estimated the death toll just in this area could be between 20,000 and 30,000. Food and supplies have taken longer to reach Leogane because the main roads were wiped out, a factor Maj. Brizay added may delay their move into the city.
"They don't have anything standing," he explained. "Even if they have the doctors or nurses the hospitals are flattened."
This is the first time the field hospital has deployed as a unit since the 1991 Gulf War. For many of its members, this will be their first disaster assistance operation.
"We're kind of anxious," said Cpl. Stephanie Shaw, a medical technician who has been to Afghanistan twice. "We're trying to think ahead, plan and make sure we have everything."
Surgeons expect to deal with severe medical cases, such as patients with severely broke bones, crushed by collapsed buildings. Many of those injuries, festering since the quake, now require amputations.
"People are suffering so we're looking forward to doing our part to help," said Sgt. Simon Charlebois, a veteran of Bosnia and Afghanistan.
As a lab technician, Sgt. Charlebois will be assisting the physicians in diagnosing ailments and selecting the appropriate treatments. He'll also prepare blood transfusions and monitor patients for side effects.
Able Seaman Greg Cornect, a medical technician, said he was excited about heading out on his first deployment anywhere. While his job will be to assist the nurses in the Intensive Care ward, the sailor said he hopes to help as many of the Haitian people as he can.
"They're devastated by this earthquake," said Able Seaman Cornect. "They're going through the trial of a lifetime."
The base has already sent 88 soldiers with the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) as part of Operation HESTIA, the Canadian humanitarian response in Haiti. A total of 2,000 Canadian Forces personnel have been committed to the rescue mission.
Petawawa troops could be in Haiti for up to 60 days, however the federal government will make the final decision as to the length of their stay
After Defence Minister Peter MacKay announced Thursday the medical unit will be made available to set up operations in Leogane, a costal community 29 kilometres west of Port-au-Prince, where 90% of the buildings were destroyed, the unit was put on four-hour standby at the base.
On Friday, the field hospital's 112 doctors, nurses, specialists and medics were packing the last of their supplies, preparing to ship out as early as that evening.
The unit already has a two-man advance team in Leogane conducting a reconnaissance of the area.
"We're desperately needed there," said Deputy Commanding Officer Maj. Patrick Brizay, who will be leading the field hospital in Haiti.
The deployed hospital will include an operating room with two surgical teams, two resuscitation beds, two critical-care beds and 100 immediate and minimum-care beds. It will be powered by its own generators, and will have laboratory and diagnostic-imaging capabilities.
The unit will also come with two ambulances.
"Once we're on the ground, we're configured to receive casualties and treat people right away," said Maj. Brizay, adding it will take one day to completely set up the facility, partially constructed out of tents and metal sea containers. "We can do anything a regular hospital can do, except we're under a tent."
The population in Leogane and the surrounding region prior to the Jan. 12 quake was about 200,000. However, relief organizations and the United Nations have estimated the death toll just in this area could be between 20,000 and 30,000. Food and supplies have taken longer to reach Leogane because the main roads were wiped out, a factor Maj. Brizay added may delay their move into the city.
"They don't have anything standing," he explained. "Even if they have the doctors or nurses the hospitals are flattened."
This is the first time the field hospital has deployed as a unit since the 1991 Gulf War. For many of its members, this will be their first disaster assistance operation.
"We're kind of anxious," said Cpl. Stephanie Shaw, a medical technician who has been to Afghanistan twice. "We're trying to think ahead, plan and make sure we have everything."
Surgeons expect to deal with severe medical cases, such as patients with severely broke bones, crushed by collapsed buildings. Many of those injuries, festering since the quake, now require amputations.
"People are suffering so we're looking forward to doing our part to help," said Sgt. Simon Charlebois, a veteran of Bosnia and Afghanistan.
As a lab technician, Sgt. Charlebois will be assisting the physicians in diagnosing ailments and selecting the appropriate treatments. He'll also prepare blood transfusions and monitor patients for side effects.
Able Seaman Greg Cornect, a medical technician, said he was excited about heading out on his first deployment anywhere. While his job will be to assist the nurses in the Intensive Care ward, the sailor said he hopes to help as many of the Haitian people as he can.
"They're devastated by this earthquake," said Able Seaman Cornect. "They're going through the trial of a lifetime."
The base has already sent 88 soldiers with the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) as part of Operation HESTIA, the Canadian humanitarian response in Haiti. A total of 2,000 Canadian Forces personnel have been committed to the rescue mission.
Petawawa troops could be in Haiti for up to 60 days, however the federal government will make the final decision as to the length of their stay