The use of volunteer interpreters during the 201 0 Haiti earthquake: lessons learned from the USNS COMFORT Operation Unified Response Haiti.

On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude Richter earthquake devastated Haiti, leading to the world's largest humanitarian effort in 60 years. The catastrophe led to massive destruction of homes and buildings, the loss of more than 200,000 lives, and overwhelmed the host nation response and its public health infrastructure. Among the many responders, the United States Government acted immediately by sending assistance to Haiti including a naval hospital ship as a tertiary care medical center, the USNS COMFORT. To adequately respond to the acute needs of patients, healthcare professionals on the USNS COMFORT relied on Haitian Creole-speaking volunteers who were recruited by the American Red Cross (ARC). These volunteers complemented full-time Creole-speaking military staff on board. The ARC provided 78 volunteers who were each able to serve up to 4 weeks on board. Volunteers' demographics, such as age and gender, as well as linguistic skills, work background, and prior humanitarian assistance experience varied. Volunteer efforts were critical in assisting with informed consent for surgery, family reunification processes, explanation of diagnosis and treatment, comfort to patients and families in various stages of grieving and death, and helping healthcare professionals to understand the cultural context and sensitivities unique to Haiti. This article explores key lessons learned in the use of volunteer interpreters in earthquake disaster relief in Haiti and highlights the approaches that optimize volunteer services in such a setting, and which may be applicable in similar future events.

Three phases of disaster relief in Haiti--pediatric surgical care on board the United States Naval Ship Comfort.

BACKGROUND: On January 12, 2010, Haiti experienced the western hemisphere's worst-ever natural disaster. Within 24 hours, the United States Naval Ship Comfort received orders to respond, and a group of more than 500 physicians, nurses, and staff undertook the largest and most rapid triage and treatment since the inception of hospital ships. METHODS: These data represent pediatric surgical patients treated aboard the United States Naval Ship Comfort between January 19 and February 27, 2010. Prospective databases managed by patient administration, radiology, blood bank, laboratory services, and surgical services were combined to create an overall patient care database that was retrospectively reviewed for this analysis. RESULTS: Two hundred thirty-seven pediatric surgical patients were treated, representing 27% of the total patient population. These patients underwent a total of 213 operations composed of 243 unique procedures. Orthopedic procedures represented 71% of the total caseload. Patients returned to the operating room up to 11 times and required up to 28 days for completion of surgical management. CONCLUSIONS: This represents the largest cohort of pediatric surgical patients in an earthquake response. Our analysis provides a model for anticipating surgical caseload, injury patterns, and duration of surgical course in preparing for future disaster response missions. Moreover, we propose a 3-phased response to disaster medicine that has not been previously described.

The 2010 Haiti earthquake: a pathology perspective aboard the USNS Comfort.

The US Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort played an integral role in the initial phases of Operation Unified Response-Haiti following the devastating earthquake that struck near Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, on January 12, 2010. Deployed to Haiti from its home in Baltimore, Maryland, just 4 days after the earthquake, the USNS Comfort would become the region's primary tertiary casualty receiving center for 6 weeks. The pathology and laboratory department staff onboard the ship helped support the mission and experienced unique mass casualty/disaster relief scenarios while underway. This article reviews the accounts of the core laboratory, microbiology, anatomic pathology, and blood bank divisions on the USNS Comfort from the chaotic first few weeks to the final patient discharge 40 days after Operation Unified Response-Haiti began.

Dermatology aboard the USNS COMFORT: Disaster relief operations in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.

On the 12th of January 2010, Haiti was struck by a 7.0 Richter magnitude earthquake that devastated its already fragile capital region. Approximately 230,000 people died immediately or during ensuing weeks, mostly due to acute trauma. Countless others suffered significant life- or limb-threatening injuries. As a part of the United States' response to this tragedy, eventually named Operation Unified Response, the United States Navy deployed hundreds of physicians and other medical response individuals on a hospital ship. Operation Unified Response was a military joint task force operation augmented by governmental and nongovernmental organizations. Its mission was to bring medical and logistical support to the region.

Utilization of surgical resources during the USNS COMFORT humanitarian mission to the Americas, June to October 2007.

In 2007, the United States Navy Ship (USNS) COMFORT (T-AH 20), a full-capability medical treatment facility, departed for Partnership for the Americas, her first large-scale humanitarian civic assistance (HCA) mission. Analysis of operational data describes surgical resource utilization. Lessons from previous military humanitarian assistance operations were helpful when placed in the cultural context of Latin America. Premission planning decisions that included time in each port and funding determined the services that were offered to host nations. Surgical, dental, immunizations, preventive medicine, and biomedical repair services had lasting impacts. COMFORT and similar hospital ships are a superior platform to combatant vessels in providing comprehensive surgical care. Medical planning is heavily dependent upon statistics. Collection of additional clinical data on subsequent HCA missions could aid future planning decisions regarding manning, equipment, supplies, and objectives.

Making a difference: CRNAs aboard the USNS Comfort respond to the disaster in Haiti.

The devastating earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, resulted in massive destruction and human suffering that captured attention worldwide. This column details the experiences shared by the anesthesia department aboard the USNS Comfort. A total of 843 urgent and emergent surgical cases were completed. The mission included cooperation of both military and civilian anesthesia providers. The level of devastation and trauma provided an experience unparalleled by most trauma units and will forever be etched in the minds of those who responded.

Bringing comfort to Haiti.

On January 12, 2010, a devastating earthquake ravaged one of the poorest nations in the western hemisphere. A week later, the U.S. Naval Ship Comfort was anchored off Port-au-Prince to perform a mission of mercy for hundreds of critically injured victims of this disaster. The staff of the U.S. Naval Ship Comfort included military as well as civilian volunteer healthcare professionals, working as a team day and night under adverse conditions to save lives and optimize outcomes for the survivors.

Practicing internal medicine onboard the USNS COMFORT in the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake.

On 12 January 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated the island nation of Haiti, leading to the world's largest humanitarian effort in over 6 decades. The catastrophe caused massive destruction of homes and buildings and overwhelmed the Haitian health care system. The United States responded immediately with a massive relief effort, sending U.S. military forces and civilian volunteers to Haiti's aid and providing a tertiary care medical center aboard the USNS COMFORT hospital ship. The COMFORT offered sophisticated medical care to a geographically isolated population and helped to transfer resource-intensive patients from other treatment facilities. Working collaboratively with the surgical staff, ancillary services, and nursing staff, internists aboard the COMFORT were integral to supporting the mission of the hospital ship and provided high-level care to the casualties. This article provides the perspective of the U.S. Navy internists who participated in the initial response to the Haitian earthquake disaster onboard the COMFORT.