ER Doctors Share More On Haiti Mission

They saved dozens of lives in Haiti. Now they’re talking about how they made it happen.

By: Tina Tyus-Shaw | WSAV-TV
Published: January 21, 2010

(Savannah) On stable ground in a modern hospital, two savannah trauma doctors are back practicing medicine. "If I need a neurosurgeon I call a Neurosurgeon. If I need an Orthopedic Surgeon I call an Orthopedic Surgeon. Any supplies I want we have," says Dr. John Rowlett. Unlike a week ago. When the earthquake rocked Haiti these doctors were at the mercy of that country's environment and the lack of supplies. "Our 2 nurses just worked as hard as they could. Rather than just irrigating with sterile solutions we were irrigating wounds with well water. We just did the best we could with what we had," says Dr. Brian Kornblatt. Now Dr. Rowlett thinks about all the medical equipment he's thrown away over the years. " We go through an awful lot of stuff in the United States. You don't realize how much stuff we could use better till you're some place where you have a Green Beret making a splint out of a palm frond."
Creativity that would help save dozens of lives, lives that will be on their minds for days, months, and years to come. "There's a little boy that had his hand destroyed that I took care of down there that fortunately had a U.S. passport. His father is one of the pastors there, and they flew him up to North Carolina. He had his hand operated on yesterday. He looks like he's going to make a good recovery, “says Dr. Kornblatt. The doctors themselves... recovering from a grueling mission... putting their jobs in perspective. "You learn how fragile life is and how quickly it can disappear." The doctors say they look forward to going back to Haiti someday.

ER Doctors Share More On Haiti Mission

ER Docs Share Haiti Mission Experience (Added: January 21, 2010)

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