HELP Haiti Earthquake Relief in Health IT Headlines

[Randy Roberson]

How health IT will help Haiti - FierceHealthIT

As far as I can tell from news reports, what little healthcare infrastructure Haiti had before last week's earthquake is all but gone now. Yet, some advanced health information technology soon will... Read more...

More Recent NEWS COVERAGE HERE

[John A. Liebert, MD]

Does anyone know whether this Disaster Medicine problem falls within the criteria for the Gates Foundation? Their grants tend to assume an uncomplicated, if primitive, ground scenario.

On the other hand, Boeing developed sophisticated Medical Communications and Coordination Platform that could meet the current exigencies of this Disaster. It was under direction of Robert Olsham at McDonnell Division of Boeing in St Louis. It was excellent technology, but I don't know whether the program survived the downdraft in our economy. John Liebert, MD

[CC-Conrad Clyburn-MedForeSight]

Colleagues,

Remember ... the ATA (American Telemedicine Association) is also creating a database of telemedicine options for potential employment in support of Haiti earthquake response. If you have telehealth-specific offers, please log them with the website that ATA has established:

http://www.americantelemed.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageID=3525

CC

[CC-Conrad Clyburn-MedForeSight]

Colleagues,

See message traffic from MedTech-IQ member, Randy Roberson, below. If anyone has the direct capacity to support Randy's requests, please contact him directly thru the MedTech-IQ network, or at the phone number listed below.

CC
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Randy Roberson has sent you a message on MedTech-IQ

That would be great!

Here's some additional info (below). Please feel free to use as much or little as you like. Sorry so brief. Lots going on.
THANKS!
Randy

Overview of Earthquake Haiti Relief Mission:

WATER: We will be taking in 4 water purification systems which I already have on hand. Each one is capable of sanitizing 500-2000 gallons of water per hour. As you may know, following earthquakes there are always inflows of sewage into drinking water systems (cracked pipes, etc.). As such those who survive the initial disaster start becoming sick 2-3 days into the rescue effort. I have used this same model of unit in many other countries/disasters with significant success and effectiveness. Each one can take care of an entire village or large relief camp. By incorporating it into our mobile medical clinics we have been able to treat numerous camps each day (a cup of cool water).

Medical: We will also have our telemedicine backpack and supplies. This is a virtual medical clinic in a bag. It is not only filled with numerous medical supplies but also a satellite uplink and various diagnostic equipment including EKG, Pulse oximeter, digital stethoscope and more. It also contains digital cameras and audio gear. So direct from the disaster, I can link back to doctors in Arizona, Minnesota and beyond. They can provide diagnostic reach-back and guidance for tougher medical issues. As you may no doubt guess, the medical surge capacity in the area is grossly overwhelmed. As such, tools like this have been a huge force multiplier in other disasters we have responded to, and will be well received again in Haiti. This is also the tool from which we can provide a live link back to your groups (if interested). I believe it to be a great way to offer your groups a ring side seat in a 3rd world disaster and – as a result – engage hearts and minds in a whole new and very effective way.

ADDITIONALLY: We are working to secure the support to move the telemedicine container clinic we developed (currently at our Arizona office) and that may also be deployed as soon as we secure shipping expense funding. I am then be willing to leave it there as an ongoing working clinic to meet the needs of the poor. It would also be a location which would have that live web-based connectivity that the backpack provides, but on a permanent basis (studies/testing/proof-of-concept). I will be endeavoring to work all of this through existing missions already in operation prior to the earthquake in an effort to extend the sustainability of the operation permanently.
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From: Randy Roberson
To: CC...Conrad Clybu...

Hi Conrad,

I am deploying shortly for Haiti to stand up a mobile medical clinic, possibly one of our containers clinics and two large water purification projects. I am seeking a way to either:

A. Tap into to more free or reduced fee bandwidth on the INMARSAT network (I'll be using a BGAN unit to stream live/audio back to a few docs here in Arizona and a large teleICU unit in the Chicago area).

B. Find financial support to cover $16 per minute sat time (if anyone is interested we can also shoot them a live feed and/or stand up field testing/research efforts to add benefit for their support.

Looks like we may also be doing a live link to an NBC affiliate here in Arizona as well as a CBS affiliate in the Chicago area.

Just passing this along in case you have any thoughts or know others who may have a heart to help. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

Randy
928-595-1127