How we’re helping in Haiti

By nature, healthcare workers are caring, compassionate people who go out of their way to help those in need – whether they are in Niagara or in Haiti.

“We are very proud of the way the people who work at the Niagara Health System stepped up individually and collectively to help the people of Haiti in their time of need following the January earthquake,” says President and CEO Debbie Sevenpifer.

Many in the NHS family didn’t hesitate to make personal donations to the relief effort, and several members of our healthcare team worked tirelessly in the devastated country, putting their skills to use as part of the massive relief effort.

Donna Thiessen, featured in this issue of Niagara Health Now, was on a missionary trip when the quake occurred, and spent the next eight days helping with emergency relief and recovery efforts at the Baptist Haiti Mission.

Another staff member, Else Marie Regier, an RN in the Intensive Care Unit at Greater Niagara General Site, just returned from a two-week volunteer trip to Haiti. Else Marie worked with the Mission of Hope, north of Port-au-Prince, reaching out and helping the people of this devastated country.

Back home, Engineering Manager Bill Lewis helped arrange the delivery of out-of-service equipment (anaesthetic machines, an X-ray fluoroscopy machine and two infant warmers) to St. Joseph Health System in Hamilton, the co-ordinating body for LHIN hospitals to send equipment to Haiti for use in the medical relief effort. «