Medical supplies delivered to remote Puerto Rican island hospital

Photo By Steven Shepard | VIEQUES, Puerto Rico – The Centro de Salud Familiar Susana Centeno on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques as seen from helicopter with its newly installed 19’x35’ Western Shelter tent provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during a medical equipment and supplies delivery mission on Oct. 29.  

VIEQUES, PUERTO RICO

10.29.2017

Story by Steven Shepard 

U.S. Army Garrison Presidio of Monterey

VIEQUES, Puerto Rico – A logistics team from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) delivered much needed medical supplies and equipment to the Puerto Rican island-municipality of Vieques on Oct. 29.

A team of six, led by HHS Deputy Operations Section Chief Cmdr. Tara Gooenbizjak and Logistics Chief Terry Tackett, began their Sunday morning transferring roughly 1,400lbs of cargo by hand from a semi-trailer to an awaiting Sikorsky S-61 helicopter at San Juan’s Isla Grande airport.

“What we’re bringing is stuff like a ZOLL Monitor, which can do EKGs (electrocardiograms) on people to see how the heart rhythms are. Also some other stuff that augments that for just about any emergency,” Tackett said. “What we brought is basically all the equipment you would see inside an ambulance if you stuffed that into a kit.”

In addition, there were much needed medicines such as insulin and glucose. The bulk of the cargo consisted of unassembled parts of a 19’x35’ Western Shelter tent, complete with accessories to create a functioning multiuse space.

“We are delivering the medical needs that the Puerto Rican Department of Health had advised us the hospital in Vieques needed,” Tackett said. “They called the hospital and were advised on some of the hospital’s shortfalls, and that’s what we’re bringing to them.”

An outlying island, belonging to the already outlying U.S. island-territory of Puerto Rico, Vieques is located roughly eight miles off the east coast of Puerto Rico’s mainland and covers 52 square miles of land, just slightly less than the geographical area of the District of Columbia. In comparison, though, while D.C. has a population approaching 700,000, the entire island of Vieques contains less than 10,000 residents. The island also has just one hospital, the Centro de Salud Familiar Susana Centeno.

After touching down on a helipad adjacent to Vieques’ hospital, the HHS team is greeted by the smiling Dora Berenguer, hospital Administrator, who explained what conditions are like working at the isolated location.

“We see everything here. Everything comes from the whole island because we are the only emergency room here,” Berenguer said. “We receive serious conditions. Death or life. We stabilize the situation and transfer the patient to the main island hospitals by either plane or by helicopter. That’s normal for us every single day. We live in an emergency plan every single day of the year because it is Vieques, and we are alone here.”

With the helicopter unloaded and headed back to San Juan, the HHS team, assisted by hospital staff and a few U.S. Army soldiers stationed at the hospital, transfer the equipment and supplies to an area adjacent to the hospital’s entrance. Once the task is done the team waits for the arrival of Medical Director, Dr. Betzaida MacKenzíe, for further instructions.

When Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico on Sept. 20 it caused damage to the integrity of the hospital’s roof. In the 39 days that followed constant rain and heat, combined with limited power supplied by generator, led to the spread of mold and fungus throughout the building. According to MacKenzíe, conditions have become unsafe for both patients and hospital employees.

“When you do not have a safe roof you lose everything inside, and that is what’s happened,” MacKenzíe said. “Every day you find that something else is broken.”

Under MacKenzíe’s direction, the HHS logistics crew moved the medical equipment and supplies to be inventoried, chose a suitable location for the shelter, and quickly began the process of installing it.

“Space. That is my problem right now,” MacKenzíe said. “I was wondering how we were going to move out of the main hospital, and this gives me space to do it.”

• Date Taken: 10.29.2017
• Date Posted: 10.30.2017 16:03
• Story ID: 253483
• Location: VIEQUES, PR