A medical team headed by St. Helena Hospital orthopedic surgeon Daniel Skeoch is preparing for a week-long mission to the storm-ravaged Bahamas, hit by three hurricanes in September.
Hurricanes Frances, Ivan and then Jeanne snapped trees, tore thousands of homes apart, and flooded entire villages in the islands. Although the death toll was miraculously low, thousands of people were left homeless and medical services remain limited.
“Their government made a real effort, but resources are terribly limited,” Skeoch said.
Despite the islands’ reputation as a resort destination, most residents of the Bahamas are desperately poor. Skeoch said the region survives on the tourism industry, but even that “is a superficial veneer.”
“There are some fishermen, but beyond that virtually no agriculture and no industry. People live at a very subsistence level, many in shanties that don’t have windows or doors,” he said.
In May, he was invited by Island Encounters’ executive director to tour the devastated island. He agreed to be medical director for the mission.
Island Encounters is an interdenominational mission group that recruits young people to perform community service and construction work, church mission crusades, sports and nursing clinics in the islands. It is expanding to include the medical mission.
Other physicians planning to make the trek include Drs. Bryan Henry (obstetrics and gynecology), John Hodgkin (pulmonology), Mark Potter (surgery), and Lorelai Repique (cardiology). Nurses, therapists and other specialists make up the rest of the team of about 20 people.
Skeoch said local doctors welcome them as advisors. “They are open to having us come in,” he said. “They don’t want us to run their own clinics, but to help their physicians learn skills they need so we can bring their quality of care up. We will work hand-in-hand with them.
“This trip is unique in that we are not just going to bring medical aid, but (will) educate and train them to be more self-sufficient,” Skeoch said. “We will be leaving them with the education, training and equipment that will allow them to provide improved medical care to the Bahamian people on an ongoing basis.”
While the five doctors are busy with physician education, clinics and surgeries, other members of the group will work in community clinics providing patient education and teaching proper hygiene and diet, according to a statement from St. Helena Hospital.
The medical team will travel to Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, and work first at Rand Memorial Hospital, a small 82-bed facility on the northern island serving up to 60,000 residents. During the storms, its roof was blown off.
“If they have surgical cases they are unsure about, we’ll do the surgery with them,” he said.
Skeoch took his medical training at Loma Linda University and his residency at White Memorial Medical Center, both in Southern California. He moved to Napa Valley 26 years ago.
He said corporate sponsors and St. Helena Hospital have donated medical equipment and supplies that will be left in the Bahamas.
In recent years St. Helena Hospital has supported similar mission efforts by sending used medical equipment and supplies to Mexico, China and other countries.
The Bahamas trip is scheduled Jan. 15-22. St. Helena Hospital officials indicated there will be subsequent trips several times each year.
Napa Valley residents can help by making contributions to be used toward the purchase of additional medical supplies. Donations should be sent to the St. Helena Hospital Foundation, earmarked “Bahamas Mission Trip.” For more information, call 963-5257.
By Pat Stanley, Napa News
