Imagine one of those 40-foot, intermodal shipping containers that go from truck to rail to ship; but picture it outfitted with medical equipment. That's a Clinic in a Can.

It's the brainchild of Hospitals of Hope, a charity that already has a CIC on the ground in western Haiti. And they're building more to deploy as soon as this weekend.

"We put the whole thing together in advance. That's why Clinic in a Can is such a good idea for this type of situation," said Mike Wawrzewski, Founder and CEO, Hospitals of Hope. "They won't get building material in Haiti for a long time. But in a week we can put together a Clinic in a Can and it's a self-contained clinic and lab to provide basic medical care that most people need on a daily basis." He noted that the CICs provide short- and long-term services.
DOTmed reported on their work last week and some of our readers responded to a call for needed medical equipment by donating items including defibrillators, gurneys, an X-ray view box, and hematology equipment. But Wawrzewski said they need more technology.

Call for Needed Medical Equipment

Hospitals of Hope needs the following items to put into their Clinics in a Can:
-Portable X-ray machines
-Surgical lights
-Manual surgical tables (not electric)
-Anesthesia machines

(Please contact the charity for details on the makes and models of equipment needed.)

Meanwhile, they also need skilled craftspeople to help build the clinics at their facility in Wichita, Kansas. "We are cutting doors and outfitting the inside of the new container, so we will have a Clinic in a Can ready to go soon," Wawrzewski said. Another container is also on its way to the Hospitals of Hope facility in Kansas. Once equipped, the intermodal containers will go by rail to a major U.S. port city to be shipped to Hispaniola. These new clinics are expected to be positioned in the Port-au-Prince vicinity.

Each clinic will contain two exam rooms and a laboratory, as well as a small storage area, and will be packed full of medical supplies to be used in the initial relief effort. In addition to the two new clinics, if funding permits, Hospitals of Hope plans to construct a small hospital in the coming months by combining three shipping containers in a "U" formation. This hospital will contain a surgical suite and recovery area, an X-ray, an inpatient area, exam rooms, and a laboratory.

Hospitals of Hope previously constructed a Clinic in a Can in 2005, which was initially utilized in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and was then sent to Les Cayes, Haiti. This clinic is currently being put to use by relief workers, as refugees flee from Port-Au-Prince to the surrounding communities.

Hospitals of Hope is a Christian medical relief organization based in Wichita. Hospitals of Hope aims to improve the healthcare of the under-served, both locally and internationally, through the gathering and distribution of medical supplies and equipment, the establishment and support of low-income clinics and hospitals, and the sending of volunteers to serve abroad. To learn more about Hospitals of Hope, visit www.hospitalsofhope.org.

You can also visit DOTmed's charity forums to help those in need of medical equipment.

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