CMAT deployment to Haiti

1. An Aid worker’s perspective

2.  Established in Toronto, 2005 in
response to the Indian Ocean
Tsunami.
 Volunteer-based, grassroots , non-
profit organization
 Non-religious
 Non-political
 Provides emergency medical relief
 Made up of paramedics, nurses,
physicians, rehab, logistics and
more.
 Charitable tax status granted in
2008

3.  Beneficiaries: women, children and
elderly suffering from natural
disaster or conflict
 Emergency medical disaster
assessment
 Medical relief work through
inflatable field hospitals
 SPHERE accredited
(www.sphereproject.org)
 SPHERE PROJECT: code of conduct
governing effective, humane
distribution of disaster relief to
ensure under represented and
vulnerable groups receive aid.

4.  Small, nimble, ‘virtual’
organization
 6 board members (cross Canada
make-up)
 1 part-time Administrator
 Donated Office Space
 Major use of internet technologies
to save costs and maximize
deployment speed
 Searchable electronic database of
nearly 500 medical and non-
medical volunteers across Canada

5. Similar organizations:
 International Red Cross
 Care
 World Vision
 Medcins Sans Frontiers
CMAT – CANADIAN, EH?!
A truly “made in Canada”
national NGO
Canadians are VERY
generous!
5

8. 3 million homeless
200,000 dead
300,000 injured/ treated.
250,000 residences destroyed
30,000 commercial buildings destroyed
Major damage to the capitol Port-au-Prince, and other
major cities
Among those killed: Archbishop of Haiti, Government
opposition leader, United Nations Head of Mission in
Haiti, many international aid workers.

10.  7.0 Mw magnitude earthquake .
 This magnitude could cause moderate to very
heavy damage even to earthquake-resistant
structures.
 Occurred inland, approximately 25 kilometres
from Port-au-Prince
 Also felt in surrounding countries and regions,
including Cuba , Jamaica , Venezuela, Puerto
Rico , and Dominican Republic.
 Population approximately 3.5 million people
 Quake occurred where tectonic plate shifts
eastwards 20 mm per year .
 Geologists indicate the January 2010 quake was
caused by a major rupture of the fault, which
had been locked for 250 years, gathering stress.
 The rupture was roughly 65 kilometres long and
caused a shift of 1.8 metres (5.9 ft)

11.  A 2006 earthquake study predicted a
worst-case scenario of a magnitude
7.2 earthquake.
 The team recommended more "high
priority" studies, as this fault line was
fully locked and had recorded very
few earthquakes in the preceding 40
years.
 An article published in Haiti's Le
Matin newspaper in September 2008
comments by geologist Patrick
Charles to the effect that there was a
high risk of major seismic activity in
Port-au-Prince

12.  Haiti is one of the poorest countries
in the Western Hemisphere
 It is ranked 149th of 182 countries on
the Human Development Index
 Country is considered "economically
vulnerable" by the Food and
Agriculture Organization.
 It is no stranger to natural disasters;
in addition to earthquakes, it has
been struck frequently by hurricanes,
which have caused flooding and
widespread damage.
 The most recent hurricanes to hit the
island prior to the earthquake were
Tropical Storm Fay and Hurricanes
Gustav, Hanna and Ike, all in the
summer of 2008, causing nearly 800
deaths.

13.  Infrastructure, health care,
governance were all a challenge
before the earthquake
 Years of political unrest
 Significant United Nations
peacekeeping presence
 Half the children are unvaccinated
 Only 40% of population have
access to health care
 Significant number of deaths prior
to the earthquake were due to HIV/
AIDS, as 5% of adult population is
infected.
 90% of children suffer from
intestinal parasites
 Tuberculosis, Malaria and other
diseases are prevalent.

14. A 6-member assessment team departed Miami on
January 16th.

15. Liaised with United Nations, conducted needs
assessment, assisted with search and rescue and
provided some medical care provided upon arrival.

16. Assessment team found need to be greatest in city of
Léogâne

17. Port au Prince
Léogâne

18.  29km west of Haitian Capitol Port-au-Prince
 Approximately 2 hour drive
 Prior to the earthquake city had a large nursing school. an
old hospital, Sainte-Croix (Holy Cross), which had closed
two years previously.
 Léogâne was at the epicenter of the earthquake, and a
United Nations assessment team found that Léogâne was
"the worst affected area" with 80 to 90% of buildings
damaged and no remaining government infrastructure.
 Nearly every concrete structure was destroyed. The
damage was also reported to be worse than the capital.
The military estimated that 20,000 to 30,000 people had
died from the earthquake in Léogâne.
 People have congregated in ad hoc squatter camps and
relief has taken longer to reach Léogâne.[1]

19. 10-person medical team, which was on standby
awaiting further instruction mobilized on January 18th,
with field hospital and medical supplies.

21. 1 orthopaedic surgeon
1 anaesthesiologist
2 general practitioners (MD)
2 nurse practitioners (NP)
4 registered nurses (RN
2 advanced care paramedics (ACP)
3 primary care paramedics (PCP)
1 logistician
Local volunteer translators and drivers (6-10)

22. Canadian Forces:
 Army – armed protection
 Navy – HMCS Athabaskan

23. First patient was a surprize!!

37. www.canadianmedicalteams.org