While TV news cameras have switched focus to the horrific oil pollution overtaking the Gulf of Mexico, the human suffering continues on the island of Haiti which was in the international spotlight in January following a devastating earthquake.

Volunteers poured in from all over the world to help with immediate disaster relief.  Months later, however, there is still much work to be done in the Pearl of the Antilles.

Bayada Nurses, headquartered in Moorestown, NJ, has not forgotten help is still needed and is dedicated to making a difference with its Bayada Nurses for Haiti relief program.

The company is committed to sponsoring 12 nurses - RNs and LPNs - from across the country to spend a month working in Haiti. Volunteer candidates do not have to be employed by Bayada Nurses.

Bayada Nurses will cover all travel and living expenses and reimburse participants for all recommended inoculations. In addition, each Haiti-bound nurse will get a care package with island necessities such as a tent and mosquito netting (which nurses are asked to leave behind to help with the need for shelter), a headlight, fanny pack for personal items, rain gear and more

FIRST VOLUNTEER: Hubert Ling, RN, the first volunteer nurse dispatched to Haiti as part of the Bayada Nurses for Haiti Volunteer Relief Campaign, provides care to a wounded Haitian infant. Ling lives in Bridgewater, NJ, and works in Bayada's North Brunswick office as a field nurse. However volunteers for Bayada's Haitian relief program do not have to be employed by Bayada. photo courtesy Bayada Nurses

"When I first entered nursing, I knew I wanted to do mission work," said Ling via information provided by Bayada. In Haiti ".we've saved the lives of people who can't afford medications or who are reluctant to see a doctor. The people are very appreciative and it feels good to be a little part of the recovery. Haiti is certainly not a garden spot. but this is a great opportunity to help people who have nothing and had little before [the earthquake]."

Kathleen Fellows, RN, certified midwife, is a Bayada visiting nurse in Tucson, AZ. But she just wrapped up a visit of another sort, as the second recruit to return from Haiti. She traveled with a group of nurses to Hinche, a remote town that's a 4-hour drive over mountains from Port au Prince. "If you just look around you, you can always do something to help somebody," said Fellows, "and it feels so good to help them."

 Shared Goal

Sheri Hathaway, MPH, BSN, RN, works as a clinical manager in Bayada's pediatric services office in Pittsburgh, PA, and in the step-down unit for heart-lung transplant patients at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Now in Haiti, Hathaway lends her efforts to one of 15 medical clinics or the emergency department of Hôpital de l'Universitaté d'État, the large hospital in Port au Prince.
"The work day is long and hard but it is rewarding," noted Hathaway. "Nothing could have prepared me for how I would deliver skilled nursing services to my patients. But I have met so many dedicated people from the U.S. and Canada here, all working toward the same goal."

Director of Health Services at Presbyterian Children's Village in Rosemont, PA, Lynda Feigenbaum has experience as an emergency department nurse, certified school nurse, clinical supervisor and most recently as director of Health Services at Presbyterian Children's Village in Rosemont, PA.  But working in Haiti with International Medical Corps has brought new insights. "The only way to help these people is to join up with a group that has been here and knows what and where the needs are," said Feigenbaum. "The simple act of caring is my motivation and drive to return tomorrow and do it all again. Caring is its own reward."

The fifth recruit is Karen Chung, RN, who will begin work in the ED at Jersey City Medical Center, Jersey City, NJ, when she returns from her about-to-begin stint in Haiti. A seasoned nurse who has worked in Australia and with volunteer organizations in the U.S., Chung's assignment in Haiti is coordinated through Heart to Heart International.

"I hope I can give something to this devastated community that will help it recover, even in a small way, from the recent, horrible earthquake," said Chung.

You Can Get Involved

If you'd like to add you own voice to the Bayada Haiti Volunteer Relief Campaign, there are still spots remaining for nurses who want to roll up their sleeves and help.

"We recognize there is a great need in Haiti and want to extend our efforts to an area that desperately needs assistance," summed up Mark Baiada, president and founder of Bayada Nurses, and the driving force behind the Bayada Nurses for Haiti Relief campaign.

The organization, through employee donations and dollar-for-dollar company matching funds, already raised an impressive $62,000 for seven Haiti relief organizations prior to the start of the current volunteer campaign.

For more information contact Cheryl Kendra at haiti@bayada.com or call 401-272-3375.

 Valerie Neff Newitt is senior associate editor at ADVANCE.