Medical relief group prepares to ship supplies from Minnesota to Haiti

By Dan Haugen
January 18, 2010

A semitrailer full of relief supplies will roll out of Patty Nelson's driveway in Aitkin, Minn., on Wednesday, beginning a 2,000-mile journey from northern Minnesota to northern Haiti.

Nelson is coordinator for Project Haiti, a medical relief group that's delivered doctors and supplies to the country during annual mission trips since 1989.

It's among the dozens of small organizations nationwide rushing to help meet the big need for food, water and other essentials as the nation digs out from the rubble of last Tuesday's deadly 7.0 earthquake.

"The outpouring of help has been just phenomenal," said Nelson, a retired nurse who is also secretary and treasurer of Project Haiti.

Since Tuesday, the organization has received more than $16,000 in donations. Those gifts are being used to purchase food and medical supplies, which are now piling up in boxes in Nelson's garage.

The truck that leaves on Wednesday will drive to Miami, Fla., where its contents will be transferred onto a military cargo jet and flown to Pignon, Haiti, about 60 miles north of the capital of Port-au-Prince. The supplies will be accompanied by a team of doctors and nurses, including Nelson, she hopes.

Project Haiti has a long-running relationship with a village hospital in Pignon. Past mission projects have focused on expanding and improving the facility, including the addition of a second floor, two new operating rooms and upgraded equipment.

The top priority this time around will be making sure the hospital has enough staff and supplies to operate, said Nelson. The facility wasn't damaged in the earthquake, but it is now contending with a surge in patients along with a dwindling supply of food, fuel and other necessities.

"They're in a real hard way," said Nelson.

The shipment will include things such as needles, medicines and feeding tubes, she said. They're also packing food for themselves and the people of the surrounding area.

For Nelson, it will be her 42nd trip to Haiti. The first was in 1989 after Project Haiti co-founder Dr. Paul Severson, a surgeon at Cuyuna Regional Medical Center in Crosby, Minn., asked her to join a mission.

Aside from the compacted schedule, preparations for this trip haven't been too different from those for Project Haiti's annual trips.

"It's pretty much the same routine," Nelson said, "only on a bigger scale."

Thankfully, that bigger scale has been accompanied by a bigger outpouring of support, she said.

"The people in Haiti suffer so much, but the world didn't really know that until this earthquake," Nelson said. "Finally people are really taking notice that these are the poorest of the poor people."

Project Haiti donations may be sent to Project Haiti, 123 Minnesota Ave. S, Aitkin, MN 56431. Nelson can be reached at 218-927-2634 or projecthaiti@charter.net.

"We appreciate everything everybody is doing for us," Nelson said. "We won't let them down."

Contact reporter Dan Haugen at 612-217-1057 or dan@bringmethenews.com

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