Physician to volunteer again in Haiti

<p>A local physician is heading back to Haiti to offer her services after establishing a strong connection to the people there following a devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake in January 2010. </p><p>Dr. Julie Clark, who serves as an obstetrics/gynecology physician at the Petaluma Health Center and Petaluma Valley Hospital, will leave at the end of February and again volunteer for two weeks at St. Damiens Hospital in Port-au-Prince.</p><p>“The situation there reminds me of why I went to medical school. I have an altruistic motive,” she said. “I feel that I again should do something about the situation, and I will. It's a place where change is necessary, and I can affect it from the ground up.</p><p>“Haiti should not exist. It's a travesty.”</p><p>The earthquake devastated Haiti's capital city, Port-au-Prince. An estimated 316,000 people died, and the presidential palace, parliament building and many other important structures were destroyed, along with thousands of homes and businesses, leaving many people homeless and unemployed.</p><p>Clark volunteered from June 30 to July 14, serving patients at St. Damiens Hospital. When Clark arrived in Port-au-Prince, she wasn't prepared for what she was about to experience.</p><p>“I had read about Haiti being a poor, underdeveloped country, but my expectations were understatements,” she said. “Transportation was difficult and the air was foul, partly from the smell of bodies that were still burning, I imagine. There was no sewage, no one cleaned the latrines, and people did not have food on a regular basis.</p><p>“There was no electricity in the hospital where I was working, and no local blood bank. I wasn't quite ready for the deplorable medical conditions of the people there. An overwhelming number of them needed help.”</p><p>Clark, like other medical volunteers, stayed in a tent. She shared with 20 other people six bathrooms that had no hot water, but this was a luxury compared with other “tent cities,” where more than 75 Haitians shared one bathroom.</p><p>As a physician, many things that she took for granted were unavailable in Haiti.</p><p>“My first day back at work in Petaluma, I had an emergency case. In the room, the lights were on, there weren't any mosquitoes and I had everything I needed. The distinction was overwhelming.” Clark said.</p><p>She shared her experiences in a riveting, highly descriptive petaluma360.com blog, and will be doing so again during her upcoming trip. In one of her blogs, she wrote of the many people who came from around the world to help in Haiti.</p><p>“Have I told you that this Haiti is full of heroes?” she wrote. “The local doctors and nurses and teachers who refuse to give up. The nuns from the South Bronx who smuggled in money and built a house. The ex-pats from Salinas who came back to teach and distribute food. The Italians who cuddle and sing to the orphans. The Germans who treat malaria and diarrhea out of dusty tents. The Kenyans who have begun to count and name people living in the refugee camps.</p><p>“In the year 2010, just 90 minutes from Miami, this Haiti is real. This Haiti and these Haitians need our help. Take a moment and ask yourself what can you do? What will you do?”</p><p> Since returning to Petaluma, Clark has spoken to church, Rotary, school and hospital groups about the plight of the Haitian people. If $10,000 can be raised, the Janus Foundation has agreed to provide a matching grant of $10,000 for St. Damiens Hospital, and just as during her last trip, local health-care providers, groups and residents have donated manual breast pumps, antibiotics and obstetrics.</p><p>“There has been an outpouring of donations,” she said.</p><p>Before serving last year, Clark prepared by reading a couple of books about Haiti, studying Haitian Creole and speaking with other doctors who had served on medical missions. She has broadened her preparation this time around. </p><p>“I'm brushing up on my Italian, French, Spanish and Creole. Most of the professionals I worked with spoke French,” she said.</p><p>French is the main written and administratively authorized language in Haiti, and is spoke in schools and the business sector. Haitian Creole, closely related to Louisiana Creole, is a French-based language. It is strongly related to French and Spanish, and is influenced by West African languages, Taino (a Caribbean language) and many other European languages.</p><p>Clark, a native of San Luis Obispo, received her educational degrees in New York City, obtaining an undergraduate degree in Eastern European literature and languages from Columbia University's Barnard College before receiving a medical degree from Cornell Medical College. She spent 17 years in New York City before relocating to Petaluma four years ago.</p><p>“I'm very grateful to be in Petaluma. And I'm grateful to my co-workers, who will again cover for me when I'm in Haiti,” she said.</p><p>Clearly, Clark also has developed a significant connection to Haiti and its residents.</p><p>“The Haitians are amazing. They make do with what they have, with smiles on their faces,” she said.</p><p><i>(Contact Dan Johnson at dan.johnson@arguscourier.com)</i></p><p>A local physician is heading back to Haiti to offer her services after establishing a strong connection to the people there following a devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake in January 2010. </p><p>Dr. Julie Clark, who serves as an obstetrics/gynecology physician at the Petaluma Health Center and Petaluma Valley Hospital, will leave at the end of February and again volunteer for two weeks at St. Damiens Hospital in Port-au-Prince.</p><p>“The situation there reminds me of why I went to medical school. I have an altruistic motive,” she said. “I feel that I again should do something about the situation, and I will. It's a place where change is necessary, and I can affect it from the ground up.</p><p>“Haiti should not exist. It's a travesty.”</p><p>The earthquake devastated Haiti's capital city, Port-au-Prince. An estimated 316,000 people died, and the presidential palace, parliament building and many other important structures were destroyed, along with thousands of homes and businesses, leaving many people homeless and unemployed.</p><p>Clark volunteered from June 30 to July 14, serving patients at St. Damiens Hospital. When Clark arrived in Port-au-Prince, she wasn't prepared for what she was about to experience.</p><p>“I had read about Haiti being a poor, underdeveloped country, but my expectations were understatements,” she said. “Transportation was difficult and the air was foul, partly from the smell of bodies that were still burning, I imagine. There was no sewage, no one cleaned the latrines, and people did not have food on a regular basis.</p><p>“There was no electricity in the hospital where I was working, and no local blood bank. I wasn't quite ready for the deplorable medical conditions of the people there. An overwhelming number of them needed help.”</p><p>Clark, like other medical volunteers, stayed in a tent. She shared with 20 other people six bathrooms that had no hot water, but this was a luxury compared with other “tent cities,” where more than 75 Haitians shared one bathroom.</p><p>As a physician, many things that she took for granted were unavailable in Haiti.</p><p>“My first day back at work in Petaluma, I had an emergency case. In the room, the lights were on, there weren't any mosquitoes and I had everything I needed. The distinction was overwhelming.” Clark said.</p><p>She shared her experiences in a riveting, highly descriptive petaluma360.com blog, and will be doing so again during her upcoming trip. In one of her blogs, she wrote of the many people who came from around the world to help in Haiti.</p><p>“Have I told you that this Haiti is full of heroes?” she wrote. “The local doctors and nurses and teachers who refuse to give up. The nuns from the South Bronx who smuggled in money and built a house. The ex-pats from Salinas who came back to teach and distribute food. The Italians who cuddle and sing to the orphans. The Germans who treat malaria and diarrhea out of dusty tents. The Kenyans who have begun to count and name people living in the refugee camps.</p><p>“In the year 2010, just 90 minutes from Miami, this Haiti is real. This Haiti and these Haitians need our help. Take a moment and ask yourself what can you do? What will you do?”</p><p> Since returning to Petaluma, Clark has spoken to church, Rotary, school and hospital groups about the plight of the Haitian people. If $10,000 can be raised, the Janus Foundation has agreed to provide a matching grant of $10,000 for St. Damiens Hospital, and just as during her last trip, local health-care providers, groups and residents have donated manual breast pumps, antibiotics and obstetrics.</p><p>“There has been an outpouring of donations,” she said.</p><p>Before serving last year, Clark prepared by reading a couple of books about Haiti, studying Haitian Creole and speaking with other doctors who had served on medical missions. She has broadened her preparation this time around. </p><p>“I'm brushing up on my Italian, French, Spanish and Creole. Most of the professionals I worked with spoke French,” she said.</p><p>French is the main written and administratively authorized language in Haiti, and is spoke in schools and the business sector. Haitian Creole, closely related to Louisiana Creole, is a French-based language. It is strongly related to French and Spanish, and is influenced by West African languages, Taino (a Caribbean language) and many other European languages.</p><p>Clark, a native of San Luis Obispo, received her educational degrees in New York City, obtaining an undergraduate degree in Eastern European literature and languages from Columbia University's Barnard College before receiving a medical degree from Cornell Medical College. She spent 17 years in New York City before relocating to Petaluma four years ago.</p><p>“I'm very grateful to be in Petaluma. And I'm grateful to my co-workers, who will again cover for me when I'm in Haiti,” she said.</p><p>Clearly, Clark also has developed a significant connection to Haiti and its residents.</p><p>“The Haitians are amazing. They make do with what they have, with smiles on their faces,” she said.</p><p><i>(Contact Dan Johnson at dan.johnson@arguscourier.com)</i></p>