Local medical team documents plight of Haitians

A local group is sharing their experience from a recent medical mission to Haiti.

It is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and they fear people there are being forgotten.

The local medical team raised money for their trip and travelled with a filmmaker to document the need for help in Haiti.

One veteran nurse tells Action News she has seen progress, but there's still a very long way to go.

A pair of 22-day old twins were the first patients Dr. Stacy Smith-Elfant saw once the team set up a clinic in the mountains of Haiti.

The babies' mother was dehydrated and not able to make enough breast milk to feed both infants.

She says Haiti is a stark difference from her everyday life as a pediatrician in Mount Laurel.

"You think you know poverty, you don't believe what kind of poverty you see mile after mile," Smith-Elfant said.

It was her first trip to Haiti, but Registered Nurses Maggie Mohnacs and Theresa Curcio have gone several years; they call themselves 'lifers.'

"The people over there are so resilient and humble and gracious and that's what keeps me going back," Mohnacs said.

This year, Maggie's brother Paul Fitzgerald, a filmmaker, joined them and is sharing his video with Action News.

"I think most people in the US might have forgotten about Haiti. We heard about the earthquake, but that was five years ago and I think that people don't realize how bad Haiti was even before the earthquake," Fitzgerald said.

That was something that struck me on my trip to Port-au-Prince with Project Medishare in 2011.

But Theresa, who has gone to Haiti six times, says she has seen progress.

Some medical clinics are now self-sufficient.

Still, many areas she says, "There is nothing. They have absolutely nothing."

That's where they set up mobile clinics and see about 300 people a day.

Diagnosing problems and giving medication and education.

They also visit orphanages.

Millions of dollars were raised to help Haiti, but it's been alleged the money never reached many people in need.

"It's really frustrating because that money could be used for education, for schools, for clean water, for just simple things that we take for granted every day," Curcio said.

For now, she says her group and numerous others will continue their work.

"It is heartbreaking because you can't save everyone and help everyone but we do help a lot of people over there," Mohnacs said.

Sadly the one twin did not survive, but by helping the mother, the other twin is now doing well.

If you want to help, the group works with Life Connection Mission; they have a local fundraiser to help pay for their trip and to buy medical supplies and clothing for the kids.

To help the mission in Haiti:

http://lifeconnectionmission.org/

To support next year's trip:

http://www.gofundme.com/teambtc2016

To buy mowi beads to support local medical mission to Haiti:

mowibeadjewelry@gmail.com