22nd MEU sailors, Marines provide health care to Haitians

Photo By Chief Warrant Officer Bobbie Curtis | Navy Lt. Vanessa Hofilena, a dentist with Combat Logistics Battalion 22, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, applies fluoride to a child's teeth during a medical and dental civil affairs project at Little Brothers of St. Theresa Monastery in the hills south of Carrefour, Haiti, March 16, in support of Operation Unified Response. The 22nd MEU has conducted humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in Haiti since Jan. 18, in response to a major earthquake that devastated the Port-au-Prince area Jan. 12.  

CARREFOUR, HAITI

03.16.2010

Story by Cpl. Bobbie Curtis 

22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit

CARREFOUR, Haiti — Sailors and Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary unit conducted a medical and dental civil affairs project at a monastery south of Carrefour, Haiti, in support of Operation Unified Response March 16.

The project objective was to provide medical and dental care to a community with little access to local health care, Navy Lt. Joseph A. Nellis, the 22nd MEU's lead medical officer who headed-up the mission explained.

Nellis worked closely with the 22nd MEU's civil affairs team, which was instrumental in strengthening ties between Haitian citizens and local government, to locate a suitable location to conduct the operation.

The civil affairs team identified Little Brothers of St. Theresa Monastery, a small compound in the hills south of the bustling city of Carrefour, as a prime location to bring medical care to needy citizens.

With the location of the operation identified, Nellis and Navy Lt. Vanessa Hofilena, the 22nd MEU's dental officer, a small team of hospital corpsman, and a dental technician traveled to the monastery with enough medical supplies to spend an afternoon providing care to surrounding patients.

The team of medical professionals treated 186 patients in approximately a four-hour period.

"We provided dental education and fluoride to the Haitians," Hofilena said. "[Fluoride] helps make their teeth stronger and helps prevent future decay."

There was also a clinic for general medical complaints and illnesses, Nellis explained.

Corpsmen treated patients using French/Creole speaking Marine linguists and a few volunteers from the community who helped translate for patients. To ensure proper dosing, corpsmen wrote medication prescriptions in French/Creole with the assistance from the linguists.

"It went very well," Nellis explained. "The community was very receptive with no civil unrest.

"Some of the people associated with the monastery and the community jumped right in and helped us with our mission," he continued. "That was a huge help."

After providing medical care to the local community, the team packed up and headed back to the USS Bataan, which waited off the coast of the island nation.

Local leaders with the Government of Haiti, the United Nations and non-governmental organizations have taken over primary responsibilities of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations around Haiti.

• Date Taken: 03.16.2010
• Date Posted: 03.20.2010 00:28
• Story ID: 46919
• Location: CARREFOUR, HT