Local aid for Haiti continues

Kendall Hoerner is headed to Haiti with splashes of color to brighten the spirits of little girls in the earthquake-ravaged country.

The Post Falls High senior thought that making about 630 hairbows would be a good way that she and her mother, Julie, part of a 10-person local team leaving Jan. 27 for a medical relief effort, could make young Haitians feel special and cared for.

"I'm really looking forward to helping the people and giving them the simple pleasure of curing whatever they have," Kendall said. "Many of them have never seen a doctor."

Today marks the first anniversary of the earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people. Locals continue to be a part of the relief effort.

The Hoerners will be making their first trip to Haiti. Julie, director of Kootenai Medical Center's emergency department, wants Kendall to experience life outside the United States before she graduates.

"We both have a heart for serving other people," Julie said. "I just want to be there to support her because it will be a life-changing experience."

Julie went on a missions trip to Mexico with her son, Griffin, about two years ago, so she has seen poverty and experienced the rewards of helping those in need.

"Kendall and I have been preparing by praying and asking our church to pray for us," Julie said.

Kendall's only previous missions trip was to a Yakima-area farm, and she has been wanting to assist those in another country.

"I'm looking into going into nursing, so this will be a good experience for me," she said.

Two local dentists - Scott Johnson of Post Falls and Ross Simonds of Liberty Lake - will also make the trip. They are expected to see dozens of patients daily, primarily performing extractions.

Other local team members include Solana Budwig, Patrick Stanford, Audrey Winter and Rachel Wickham, all nurses; Jeff Wickham, emergency medical technician, and Michael Ettner, a KMC emergency room doctor.

The team, which will pay its own expenses, will provide medical care through Feb. 3 through the Haiti Endowment Fund, a nonprofit Christian organization that has worked in Haiti for the past 20 years.

"We're expecting to see about 500 people per day," Julie said. "In the emergency department at KMC, we see between 130 and 140 with a 20-person team."

The team will be based in Hinche in central Haiti about 45 miles north of Port-au-Prince.

Ettner, who has made several trips to Haiti in the past 25 years, said the need for help is still great.

"There are still over one million displaced people living in tents one year later," he said.

The team will examine patients, distribute vitamins and parasite and diabetes medications and perform minor surgeries.

Ettner said perhaps the most gratifying development has been the expansion of the Haiti Endowment Fund's feeding program. Prior to the earthquake, it fed 2,400 children a day.

But now, 12,000 children a day are fed.

"Lord willing, we hope to expand further," Ettner said.

Ettner, with the assistance of the U.S Navy and Marine Corps, spearheaded an effort to ship a container of medical supplies, dental and operating tables, agricultural equipment, crutches, canes, walkers and medications to Hinche in July.

"Those that provided money and orthopedic equipment for Haiti this past year should be greatly encouraged as their gifts are making a very real difference in Haiti," Ettner said, adding that the total estimated value of the local donations last year for the program reached about $70,000.

The local team is gathering 1,500 pounds of medicine and supplies for the upcoming trip, including antibiotics, pain relievers, vitamins, laceration kits and splints.

"We want to make their daily lives better," Kendall said.