Haiti Disaster Relief Update

As you may have heard through the media, Haiti has suffered a devastating 7.0 Earthquake.  Thousand of homes have collapsed including the National Palace.
Many are dead and some hospitals have collapsed and communications infrastructure has been severely damaged.  Many are still stuck in buildings and there are many deceased bodies lying in the street that need proper disposal to prevent a second wave of death and disease. The following action plan is in place:

1) Please contact your local, state, and federal politicians and congressional
leaders to provide heavy military disaster relief with large cargo airplanes
flying in and cargo relief and medical ships to set up military type hospitals
with generators and search and rescue teams and treat crush injuries and provide pain medication and disposing of rotting bodies in the street and bring antibiotics.  Food, water, and clothing must be dropped by helicopter throughout the disaster area by helicopters since many roads are not passable.   Military vehicles and manpower are needed to distribute food palates that are at the airport.  Heavy machinery must be brought in to clear road paths from building debris.  These are immediate needs presently.

2) The AMHE will be collecting financial donations to get to the Haitian Red
Cross in Haiti. Please mail any contributions you desire to give to AMHE-NY Chapter ((Checks payable to AMHE-NY -Disaster Relief Fund)

AMHE
166 Eastern Parkway 2nd floor
Brooklyn, NY 11213
Tel 718245 1015

All contributions go directly to earthquake relief with no administrative fees
deducted from your contribution.

3) All physicians/individual persons whom would like to participate are asked to make collection boxes designated as Haiti earthquake relief to collect financial contributions and have these boxed placed at the front desk of our offices and workplaces
to solicit donations from those whom would like to make a voluntary contribution to send to the red cross in Haiti. There will be an ongoing need over the next several weeks. Please send in contributions to the address above.

4) Please encourage community groups and churches to collect canned food,
bottled water and clothing, and first aid supplies and SEND relief in BARRELS to the Haitian Red Cross in Haiti. Label the Barrels:  DISASTER RELIEF FOR RED CROSS IN HAITI. Paying for the shipping will ensure it gets there.

4) Dr. Delcasse and Dr. Jean Claude Compass have already left for Haiti.  Working with the Haitian Consulate the AMHE have obtained a plane from Jetblue to fly medical personnel to the Dominican Republic and to provide a bus to Port-au-Prince.
Councilman James Saunders has recommended tents be used for lodging, and meals ready to eat (MRE’s) from the military instead of food that may require cooking and has committed to providing this.   If you would like to attend please contact Louis Auguste MD ljaugustemd@gmail.com and if you know of others whom may be available please invite them to participate. The contact person is George Angus, MD 516-967-6286.  They are compiling a list to go back and forth to Haiti over the next several weeks.

Thanks in advance for your support, please forward this to others whom may
want to support.
Daniel Laroche MD
President, Empire State Medical Association
Member, AMHE