Tide Loads of Hope and OBI aid cholera center

Posted: December 8, 2010   By: Sarah Pate

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Every day, Wilky’s job brings him face to face with a deadly disease.

At St. Luc’s cholera treatment center in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the 22-year-old technician is responsible for carrying patient’s waste buckets to the disposal area, washing their dirty sheets and linens, and occasionally assisting the medical staff with IVs.

But these days, his job is becoming a lot easier—and safer—thanks to gifts from Operation Blessing and Tide Loads of Hope.

When cholera reached Port-au-Prince, clinics and hospitals were in desperate need of bleach to keep areas disinfected and prevent further spread of the disease.

But when stores began to run out of bleach, treatment centers like St. Luc’s faced a critical crisis.

“This is a horrible, horrible disease,” said Father Rick Frechette, doctor, priest and hospital director for St. Damien and St. Luc. “Unlike the aftermath of the earthquake, where we were helping victims without needing to worry about our own safety, this disease is waiting in every bed pan, in every dirty sheet...waiting to jump on you and infect you.”

Fortunately, Operation Blessing had the solution St. Luc needed – and plenty of it.

OBI has two chlorine generators that run round the clock, producing 120 gallons of bleach solution every 12 hours. The bleach is then packaged in 5-gallon plastic jugs for distribution.

OBI has been supplying the St. Luc treatment center with hundreds of gallons of the bleach solution which staff use to spray down tents and beds, do laundry, soak the sponge mats at the entrance of the center, and more.

“We use bleach to wash our hands, wash clothes, wash everything. Without the bleach it would be difficult for us to work here. It will make my job easier now and make this area safe,” Wilky said.

In addition to the bleach, the second gift came from Tide Loads of Hope, who supplied a commercial washing machine and drier to help with the ongoing laundry needs of the clinic.

The current washing machine and drier run 24 hours a day trying to keep up with the demand of the center. For Wilky, that usually means staying awake through the night to make sure the laundry gets done.

“We only have 2 washing machines, so if we have more, it will help. Sometimes we run out of sheets for people, so it will be a blessing for us,” he said.   

Most importantly, it will be a blessing for the patients who rely on St. Luc staff to care for them. Especially staff like Wilky, who see their work as much more than a job.

“Everything I do, I do with my heart,” he said. “When I see a lot of people who have cholera and I can help them to survive…that makes me happy.”