Updates from Puerto Rico

In October, we returned to Vieques, Puerto Rico for our 4th visit this year to assist with post-hurricane medical care and recovery.  People on Vieques have had extremely limited access to healthcare since Hurricane Maria struck more than a year ago. The IMR team arrived on October 19th, and conducted a two day clinic in Esperanza, where we saw approximately thirty patients.  The team was made up of Drs. Sleemi and Schiller, two Emergency Medicine resident physicians from Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, Drs. Suman Gupta and Cecily Sotomayor, and our colleague Ana Aurrecochea, a surgical nurse from California.

In addition to clinical care, IMR worked in conjunction with local community leaders  to provide home visits for Vieques’ more vulnerable patient population, in which we were able to assess needs and provide appropriate medications and follow up.  

The trip was short and sweet, but  there is still much to do. While Vieques has achieved a measure of stability in its access to healthcare, it’s still experiencing interference in basic infrastructure.  Electrical power is interrupted on a regular basis, putting patients reliant on ventilators at high risk for decompensation, as well as compromising refrigerated food and medications (such as insulin) for the more susceptible patient population.  Please continue your support of IMR so that we can support those who need it most.

Looking forward to a productive 2019!