Monday, February 8, 2010

New Orleans Saints

Who knows in what fortunes and misfortunes God chooses to intervene but yesterday he/she must have felt compelled to support the Saints in their efforts to bring forth a miracle. The city of New Orleans, a city of great tenacity in the face of great adversity, will be uplifted by this miracle and we should all celebrate, even those from Indianapolis, the efforts of strong and determined people to acheive their loftiest goals.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Helping in Haiti

My partner and I volunteered immediately after the earthquake to offer our expertise in Haiti. We tried to do so through multiple organizations as well as the White House. We were placed on a list but I am certain that there were many physicians throughout the world who also volunteered to provide assistance. The problems, of course, were many. Getting to Haiti was at first a major challenge and planes with doctors could not even land. Furthermore, there were no facilities initially for providing medical care for the seriously injured. The first physicians to arrive were those who already had disaster management experience. Sadly, any patients requiring neurosurgery due to head injuries would have had to receive attention within hours. Certainly, individuals with spine injuries may still require stabilization procedures and many are being transfered to the USS Comfort or to Miami. We know, however, over the coming months and probably for next couple of years there will be individuals in Haiti who suffer injuries and illnesses that require neurosurgical intervention. I hope that all who have offered their expertise in the acute phase of this disaster will be willing to help as future needs arise.