The Privilege of Medical Work in Haiti

A team of medical volunteers from Florida hasn't stopped working since arriving in Haiti on Feb. 3. There is just too much to do.

It has been nearly one month since the massive earthquake shook this impoverished nation. Some estimates have placed the death toll as high as 200,000. Following an initial assessment by Florida and Southern Baptist disaster relief representatives, Florida joined South Carolina, Kentucky and Mississippi in mobilizing emergency medical teams to help lead the Baptist response, following initial medical teams from Arkansas and North Carolina.

Each day, Haitians line up to be seen by the Florida medical personnel who are working out of a field hospital situated in the police barracks directly across from Haiti's presidential palace -- a once-proud looking structure whose grand domes now sit slumped in crumbled surrender.

Rick Picerno, an orthopedic surgeon and member of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, helped organize and recruit the Florida medical team.

"This entire process, although we all feel very thrown together at the last minute, has obviously had God's hand all over it," Picerno said. "The needs here on the ground specifically for this week so accurately met the makeup of our team. There was a big need for a dentist, an OB/GYN and a pediatrics nurse. That's exactly what we brought, without knowing the need."

Picerno said the entire Florida team has been moved by the spirit of the Haitian people they have treated. "The people we have seen, even those in such desperate situations, have come across so thankful and grateful," he said, adding that the doctors and nurses are praying for each person with whom they come in contact, even if it's for the briefest moment."

Florida team members have seen evidence of a society growing restless -- gunshot wounds and stabbings have come through the clinic -- but there have also been moments of joy. On Feb. 6, team members assisted with three births, one by emergency Caesarean section.