Helping Haiti

Three intensive care nurses from Sonoma Valley Hospital are already on scene, and two labor and delivery nurses are hoping they will be sent to help as soon as funds are available. Steve Lombardi is an ICU nurse who is also trained to work with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's Disaster Medical Assistance Team, which deploys medical professionals to disaster sites all around the world. Lombardi was previously sent to help during the Southern California wildfires and, because of his extensive training, he was able to leave for Haiti just days after the quake hit. Sue Rolling, who is the ICU lead nurse at the hospital, said she did not know what Lombardi's exact assignment would be, but said he'll be sent back to California Feb. 1.

Rolling said ICU nurses Steve Harper and Cindi Evans are also currently providing medical aid in Haiti. Rolling did not know what organization Harper was working with or what his assignment was, but thought that Evans was working with the military on a hospital ship through Feb. 20. In their absence, the remaining nurses will work extra shifts to fill any staffing gaps. "We're all kind of pitching in and working around them," Rolling said.

Labor and delivery nurse Susan Lawler said that, immediately after hearing about the quake she wanted to help, as did her colleague, Sandy Petrini. That desire grew when the pair learned there are around 200,000 full-term pregnant women in Haiti, who are not being treated as a priority as there are so many injured people from the quake. She learned about the organization, RN Response Network (RNRN), a branch of the California Nurses Association, which sends qualified nurses to aid in the aftermath of disasters.

"They're prioritizing which nurses to send based on need," Lawler said. "Orthopedic and crush injuries are big needs, but also maternal health." According the UNICEF, Haiti has the highest rate of infant and maternal mortality out of any country in the western hemisphere. Lawler joined the list of more than 11,000 nurses across the state who wanted to volunteer their services in Haiti. Because Lawler's expertise is in maternal health, she has been immunized and she can speak basic French, which is spoken there, she is more likely to be selected to serve in Haiti by RNRN. But the organization is hampered by a lack of funds to get the necessary equipment and personnel into Haiti.

"They are securing the area and setting up a medical area for us to go," Lawler said, adding many aid organizations are bottlenecked trying to get resources into the country without a clear idea of where the resources will end up. "They (RNRN) don't want to add to the bottleneck, they want to get us set up so we can go to work."

Lawler said she has committed to spend two weeks in Haiti, which is time she has to take off from work either as vacation time or an unpaid leave. She is not sure what to expect when she gets there, but is trying not to focus on herself.

"This isn't an excitement thing, I'm going to work," Lawler said. "It will be dangerous, with the looting and crime. They can't guarantee the safety of the nurses. If I don't come back, well, at least I was doing something good."

To help send nurses to Haiti through the RN Response Network, visit www.SendANurse.org.