NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- During her break, Bert Fish Medical Center case manager Karen Berkeley practices speaking Creole, rehearsing for her first trip out of the country and the wait is making her
anxious.
Berkeley is joining BFMC physician Dr. Regina Asihene on a 15-person medical mission to Haiti from Sunday through Saturday, Oct. 23. Also traveling with the team is Kelly Ann Green, 17, who learned about the trip from her mother, Eileen Green, also a BFMC employee. The teen is using her trip as the subject of her senior project.
The mission team will be rebuilding homes destroyed by the massive earthquake that occurred last January. The team will also be providing free medical care to residents in the Haitian cities of Port-au-Price, Turbe and Dinis.
Berkeley will be checking the patients' blood pressure, and processing patient information.
"We have our own economic challenges here in the United States, but when you look at a third world country, what we consider to be poor really isn't," Berkeley said.
The team will also distribute hygiene products to homeless Haitians occupying tent cities. In addition to medical care, patients will receive a 30-day supply of medication.
BFMC donated medications and supplies to support the trip.
"We're inspired by the efforts of our employees to promote health and wellness to people who need it most," said Bob Williams, Bert Fish CEO. "They are going above and beyond to enhance the quality of life of families living in Haiti, and we are proud to support their mission."
Asihene is a medical mission veteran and has gone on numerous mission trips to Africa, Central America and the Caribbean. This will mark her second trip to Haiti since the earthquake struck Asihene's church, Calvary Christian Center of Ormond Beach, raised $7,500 for building supplies to be used during the mission. She expects to treat more than 2,000 people during the
trip.
"I've always wanted to take care of the poor, and it's one of main reasons I went to medical school," she said. "I have compassion to help those who can't help themselves."
The extreme gratitude of patients during her last trip motivated her to continue to participate in mission trips.
"When I heard about the earthquake, I knew I had to go," she said. "Some people in our area may not realize how close Haiti is to us - it's just a one-hour flight from Miami. Some of these people have never seen a doctor in their lives, and they begged us to come back."
Members of the community have donated medication, baby blankets, pillows, hygiene items, shoes and clothing to support the mission.
"These trips give me greater meaning of life, and make me value each day even more," she said. "I feel very blessed to be in position to help someone. I'm from Ghana in Africa, and I know what it is to not be
privileged," she said. "When I look at their faces, I know that this could've happened to any of us."
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