Help Haiti!
Since 2007, Southwest Medical Corporation has partnered with a local Tulsa ministry to bring relief to a Haitian Island off the coast of Port Au Prince, called La Gonave. While the church has built a school, hospital and feeding stations, and also drilled wells for fresh water, it has been our privilege to supply equipment to one of two medical facilities on the island. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and La Gonave remains the poorest part of Haiti, so you can imagine the previous living and health conditions.
When the earthquake struck Haiti last Tuesday, people on the mainland started journeying out to La Gonave in desperation, hoping to receive food and medical treatment. This has put an enormous strain on the feeding stations and the clinics in place, which were not ready to serve the mass of people or the extreme nature of the injuries. While our teams on the ground are doing their very best, with the help of the military and the UN, supplies and food are running out at a rapid pace.
Many people across the world have donated money and survival supplies, but are having difficulty getting these resources into the country. Our ministry contacts have been working with Haitian Customs and the Haitian Embassy for the last 10 years, and remarkably, were given clearance yesterday to send a ship directly to the outskirts of the island, avoiding the delays of customs. We understand that this is nothing short of a miracle, and will seize the opportunity while it remains. The ship will be leaving as soon as it is filled, no later than next Tuesday. As you can imagine, time is of the essence and the people’s survival demands on our resources getting to them as soon as possible. Several of our company’s employees are on the Expediting team, and will personally make sure all donations make it onto the boat and from there, onto the island of La Gonave. Ministries and Non-Profit organizations are providing 50 Tons of Non-Perishable Foods and Building Supplies, along with other necessities, but are asking for support from businesses and hospitals in the procurement of medical essentials.
As we have had a hand in this effort for years, the people at Southwest want to do everything we can to give relief to our clinic in La Gonave. We will be sending down as much medical equipment as possible, but we do not sell supplies, nor have access to medication and disposables. This is why we are writing you, to call upon known resources and ask for your help on the items we cannot provide.
With such a rare opportunity to ship directly to our teams, we want to seize this chance. The following page contains a list of items we hope to send down to La Gonave. If you are able to provide even one box of gauze, we would greatly appreciate it. If you can help with several items, even better! Please call or email Caitlin King in our home office with any pledges or donations- 918-254-4080. From there, she can provide all necessary shipping information and information on tax-credit letters. If you would like more information on the ministry we are working with, please go to gutschurch.com and click the link entitled “Help Haiti”. We look forward to hearing from you, and working with you to provide the medical resources needed to save lives.
Thank you very much,
Southwest Medical Corporation
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