Members of AAWC Board of Directors Participate in Haiti Relief Efforts

     Over the past few months, several members of the AAWC Board of Directors responded to the University of Miami’s call for volunteers to support its wound care relief program. Under the administration of Robert S. Kirsner, MD, AAWC Past President, the University has organized a program that organizes multidisciplinary teams of volunteers and deploys them for stays of 1 week or less in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.      AAWC President, William J. Ennis, DO, MBA, was among those who traveled to Haiti. In his last address to AAWC, “It Takes an Earthquake to Shake Us Up,” published in the 2010 Winter/Spring AAWC Network Newsletter, Dr. Ennis wrote, “Within 4 days, AAWC Past President, Dr. John Macdonald, was on the ground assessing the situation. Dr. Robert Kirsner (founding member and past president) and the University of Miami (through Project Medishare), established a hospital on the airport grounds in Port-au- Prince. AAWC members lined up to volunteer and the process was put in place to help.”      AAWC Past President, John Macdonald, MD, FACS, traveled multiple times to Haiti. Recounting his experiences to AAWC’s Executive Director, Tina Thomas, he said, “The Wound Care Relief Program that has been established in Haiti has been a glorious success at these beginning stages. Everyone who has participated has done a remarkable job! The wound care program seems to be among the most organized programs there at this point. Volunteers are working day and night. People are positive and hopeful. The Haitian healthcare providers appreciate the training they are receiving and the help the volunteers are giving to the patients. The Haitians could not be more thankful for the volunteer support.”      Dr. Ennis commented, “I was fortunate to be able to head a team in Haiti for 1 week (February 8–14). My years of trauma surgery, vascular surgery, and inpatient wound care in a 700-bed, level one trauma center did not prepare me for the overwhelming clinical and emotional situation my team and I would experience.”      Dr. Ennis added he was in awe of the display of the true spirit of collaboration he witnessed while volunteering. He summarized the experience into a few, poignant sentences for all in wound care to consider: “I would bet that if each of us tried to work with that attitude, even for part of the week here at home, our institutions would run better, patient satisfaction would go up, and quality would be the norm. Why does it take an earthquake to shake us up? …We likely all went into the field with the passion I saw in Haiti. We all joined AAWC because its mission is about collaboration. How many of us fail to remember this on a daily basis?”      Additional members of the AAWC Board of Directors who have participated in this endeavor include (but may not be limited to, depending on the timing of this publication) Thomas Serena, MD, FACS, FAPWCA; and Barbara Bates-Jensen, PhD, RN, CWOCN. Other AAWC Members also participated and have begun to send AAWC accounts of their experiences. If you are an AAWC member, we welcome your report of your experiences to AAWC’s Executive Director, Tina Thomas at tthomas@aawconline.org. Your message will be featured in an upcoming issue of the AAWC member-only Network Newsletter.      Also, AAWC Members or others can participate in the Wound Care Relief Program established by the University of Miami. If interested, please send the following information to RKirsner@med.miami.edu:      Full name      Contact phone number      Home address      Date of birth      E-mail address      Languages spoken      Title or profession      Specialty/skills      Country of citizenship      Passport number with expiration date      University of Miami affiliation? If not, what organization?      Due to the volume of responses, please do not expect an immediate reply when you send the information; however, on the behalf of the University, please accept AAWC’s sincerest thanks for your volunteerism or any initiative you may take to support Haiti at this time. AAWC Additional Membership Benefits      Wound Clinic Business 2010 is the nation’s premier event devoted to managing the Wound Care Revenue Cycle for Hospital-based outpatient wound care departments and affiliated physicians and non-physician practitioners. This regional program is produced and managed by HMP Communications, LLC, a trusted leader in healthcare education and information.