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| Written by Administrator | |||
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One of our core missions is to provide needed emergency medical care in the wake of a natural disaster. Shortly after the earthquake hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti, we had a team on the ground and began providing assistance to those in need. When the earthquake hit Port-au-Prince, James L. Clark was watching television like a lot of people. Having grown up in California, he's familiar with the damage they can cause. The difference being that in California, building codes help assure that the damages are less than they might otherwise be if those codes aren't followed. And that's exactly what took place in Haiti; contractors there have minimal training, use inferior products, and don't build to a standard that will help protect the occupants of buildings should an earthquake take place. Thousands upon thousands of buildings totally collapsed, killing and injuring hundreds of thousands of people.
With limited supplies, no sleep, and language barriers James L. Clark's team arrived in Haiti and began walking the dirt streets assessing the damage and looking for the sick and injured. And they found them. From horrific crush injuries to minor lacerations, hundreds of patients sat around suffering because hospitals weren't functioning. One of their first patients was a young girl who had been injured by falling debris; she had been struck in the abdomen and lower back. Another 13 year old boy had a broken leg. Still others had major gashes, amputated fingers, toes, hands, and feet. Most of the patients they saw were suffering from infections and cellulitis around the injuries. Antibiotics were in short supply, but they continued to seek out clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, and other places they could acquire them from to provide assistance to those in need near their base camp. BOTG exists to provide emergency medical assistance to those affected by natural disasters, armed conflict, and for those who live in remote and austere conditions. If you'd like to support our efforts, please click on "Support Us" found in the menu.
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