613 Organizations Assisting Haitians in Earthquake Relief Efforts

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reports that a total of 613 organizations and institutions are working alongside the local Haitian population in the relief efforts in Haiti and I'm sure all are doing their best to provide whatever aid they can.

However, with so many organizations asking for donations of money and volunteer services it's difficult to choose which to support. I've decided to give my full support and promote the efforts of the following organizations that are doing a tremendous job of extending help and hope to the victims of this horrendous calamity in Haiti.

The Salvation Army

Read about how the Salvation Army is extending aid to Haiti's coastal communities such as offering support and assistance to the approximately 20,000 displaced families taking shelter near their compund in Port-au-Prince. Their relief team, working with the US Army 82nd Airborne, delivered more than 174,000 meals to the coastal community of Petit Goave (Little Gulf). You will also read about their efforts to help the thousands of children with feeding programs and other assistance. These are just examples of the many ways the Salvation Army is working to save lives and improve living conditions.

International Medical Corps

Their Emergency Response Teams are working around the clock to save lives in Haiti and to help the Haitian people lay the groundwork for long-term recovery.

In the past few days, the Emergency Response Team has opened up 8 mobile clinics - 2 in Petit-Goâve and 1 each in Petionville, Boloise, Jacmel, Gressier, St. Luces and Carrefour. Each team is seeing anywhere from 40 to 120 patients a day. The emergency medical team is working at the Hospital De'l Universite d'etat d'Haiti, a 700-bed hospital that is barely functioning. They established an emergency surgery facility in conjunction with other NGOs where 30 to 50 surgeries are performed each day.

Doctors and nurses looking to volunteer, please click here

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Register to be an organ and tissue donor & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Register to be a donor in Ontario or Download Donor Cards from Trillium Gift of Life Network. NEW for Ontario: recycleMe.org - Learn The Ins & Outs Of Organ And Tissue Donation. Register Today! For other Canadian provinces click here

In the United States, be sure to find out how to register in your state at ShareYourLife.org or Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

In Great Britain, register at NHS Organ Donor Register

In Australia, register at Australian Organ Donor Register

Your generosity can save up to eight lives with heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine transplants. One tissue donor can help up to 100 other people by donating skin, corneas, bone, tendon, ligaments and heart valves

Has your life been saved by an organ transplant? "Pay it forward" and help spread the word about the need for organ donation - In the U.S. another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 11 minutes and 18 people die each day waiting for an organ or tissue transplant.

Haitians still dying of injuries due to lack of medical care

10,000 people a day are being buried using earthmovers. Clinics have a 12 day waiting list. An estimated 100,000 to 250,000 injured survivors need surgery that most will never get. Please help International Medical Corps in their efforts to deal with this medical tragedy.

I've decided to keep this article as my blog's top post through the weekend. According to the World Health Organization in a release Wednesday, surgical care is Haiti's most urgent medical need. Emergency surgery, treatment of wounds, and tetanus prevention present an "overwhelming" need, WHO stated.

I'm pleased to post this request from International Medical Corps who need help in a big way to deal with the horrendous workload they face in Haiti. 80% of patients need surgery. It broke my heart as I listened to the news this week about the close to 50 amputations that had to be performed over the last couple of days at just one makeshift operating room because patients did not get medical attention soon enough to prevent gangrene from setting in. I'm not sure which medical team or teams performed these amputations but every second counts as crushed arms and legs fester and disease spreads throughout the makeshift tents.

Donating $10 to help the people of Haiti is as simple as sending a text message of the word "haiti" to 85944.

Click here to donate other than texting - urgent action is needed - Doctors and nurses who wish to volunteer please Click here - thanks.

Here's the urgent memo I received Wednesday:

"Dear Merv

International Medical Corps is a global, humanitarian, nonprofit organization, founded by volunteer doctors and nurses and dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through relief and development programs. Our emergency response team is in Haiti responding in force and I would like to ask for your help to get the word out to the readers of Merv Sheppard's Transplant Network. There are still thousands of patients seeking treatment of which approximately 80% are in need of surgery and are running out of time - especially with the tremendous aftershocks still devastating this country. The team is treating crush injuries, trauma, substantial wound care, shock and other critical cases with the few available supplies - And they're in it for the long haul. I would love your help spreading the word by blogging or tweeting about IMC's rescue efforts. We've put up a blogger friendly widget here on our site:

http://www.imcworldwide.org/haiti
(click here to donate - urgent action is needed - doctors and nurses who wish to volunteer please visit this site - thanks) Note: This site is updated daily with news of ongoing activities of International Medical Corps in Haiti. Merv.

With the widget it's really easy to let your readers know that donating $10 to help the people of Haiti is as simple as sending a text message of the word "haiti" to 85944. If you have any questions just let me know and I will do my best to help you out. If you are able to post the widget or tweet, I would appreciate it if you could send me the link.

Thanks so much,

Ellie

--
Ellie Brown
International Medical Corps"

“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Register to be an organ and tissue donor & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Register to be a donor in Ontario or Download Donor Cards from Trillium Gift of Life Network. NEW for Ontario: recycleMe.org - Learn The Ins & Outs Of Organ And Tissue Donation. Register Today! For other Canadian provinces click here

In the United States, be sure to find out how to register in your state at ShareYourLife.org or Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov

In Great Britain, register at NHS Organ Donor Register

In Australia, register at Australian Organ Donor Register

Your generosity can save up to eight lives with heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine transplants. One tissue donor can help up to 100 other people by donating skin, corneas, bone, tendon, ligaments and heart valves

Has your life been saved by an organ transplant? "Pay it forward" and help spread the word about the need for organ donation - In the U.S. another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 11 minutes and 18 people die each day waiting for an organ or tissue transplant.