Well, the time has arrived.some of you are on your way to Miami.
We should feel very lucky and privelged to work along side with Haitian health care workers and of course the patients. It seems that the latest is that the funds are really low and the hospital we are going to work in the only trauma hosptial, critical care hospital in Haiti may close down early october because of no funds.
HOw sad for the people. We are there for a week, lets make a wonderful difference that will help all...........JO

Well, we are now one week away from our deployment....excitement and some fears are normal.. time ot pack, make a list and check it twice...
I know we are travelling to Miami at different times, but for sure we will see each other at the American Airlines to Port qu Prince.
Reminder to re-read the documents and copies we need to take with us..See you soon.....looking forward to hopefully making a difference in the lives of each person we meet.

Hi all,
I did receive a letter informing me that I need to pay for the flight from Maimi to Haiti, as a ' donation' did the rest of you receive this notice????
Please read below,



Common Volunteer Questions
Why do I have to pay $300 if I am already covering my traveling expenses to Miami?
We no longer have the use of private aircrafts and now rely on commercial airlines. Your contribution will help offset the costs of our operation and enable us to continue our much needed work at Bernard Mevs Project Medishare Hospital, which is currently Haiti’s only critical care hospital.
Through our University Partnership program, all medical volunteers who volunteer with our community health program in the Central Plateau either pay for their trip (airfare, in country travel, food expenses) or raise money to cover the cost of their trip. When the earthquake occurred, in an effort to continue our immediate response, we waived the volunteer fees for those volunteering to assist earthquake victims. As many of the news cameras have turned away to cover other areas of the globe, we are receiving fewer donations to cover the operating cost of our critical care and trauma hospital in Port-au-Prince. Project Medishare relies primarily on individual donors to keep our programs operating in Haiti. As we move from relief to recovery, we are asking our Bernard Mevs volunteers to assist with offsetting the cost of their in country expenses while volunteering with us in Haiti. The $300 donation is a mere fraction of the cost it takes to send volunteers to our hospital each week.
Since you are volunteering with a registered 501(c) 3 non-profit your $300 payment is tax-deductible. Once you make your payment online, you will receive a letter as a receipt and proof of your donation for your tax records.
- When do I have to pay the $300?
Volunteers will need to make the $300 payment before they leave for their volunteer trip in Haiti.
- How do I make the payment?
To make an online donation go to www.projectmedishare.org, click the red Donate Now button, click on Donate to an Existing Team, and click on the link Bernard Mevs Volunteers. From there, click on the tab that says General Team Donation, enter $300, and click continue. From there it will prompt you to put your contact information and email so that you can receive your confirmation letter.
If you prefer to pay by check, please make your check payable to Project Medishare and mail it to the following address: Project Medishare for Haiti, P.O. BOX 381208, Miami, FL 33238-1208


- Will I get a confirmation of my payment?
Your $300 payment is tax-deductible. Once you make your payment online, you will receive a letter as a receipt and proof of your donation for your tax records. If you mail in a check, Project Medishare will mail you a confirmation letter of your donation.
- How do I notify you that I already made the donation?
Once you have made your donation online and you receive your confirmation letter via email, forward this to your flight coordinator. Please also indicate the dates that you are volunteering in this email.
- What can I do if I can’t afford a payment of $300?
If you can’t afford the full $300 amount, you can join the Bernard Mevs Volunteer team, and ask for friends and family donate in your honor to help you cover this cost. To do this go to www.projectmedishare.org, click the red Donate Now button, click on Donate to an Existing Team, and click on the link Bernard Mevs Volunteers. From there, click on Join Our Team. You will be prompted to a page, which will ask you for your contact information. You will also be asked to create a username and password. Enter the amount you are able to donate and type in the amount of money you wish to raise for your trip. Click continue.
At this point you should receive confirmation that you have joined the team Bernard Mevs Volunteers. Go to the bottom left column and click Main Login. Use your username and password you just created to login. This will take you to your team headquarters. Here you can click the “My Webpage” tab set up your website for friends and family to donate to Project Medishare to cover the cost. Click on the “Email” tab to send an email to all your friends and family asking them to donate to your team to help you offset the costs of Project Medishare’s operation and enable us to continue the life-saving work at Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare, which is currently Haiti’s only critical care hospital.

If I donate medical supplies, does that count as part of the $300 payment?
While we appreciate the donation of supplies you can bring, we still require the $300 payment. To view a list of supplies needed at our hospital in Port-au-Prince go to www.projectmedishare.org > How To Help > Donate Supplies. This list is updated by our team in Haiti and represents our current needs.


- If I am booking my own ticket direct to Haiti instead of going to Miami, do I still have to make the donation?
The $300 fee we are requesting will still go toward covering your in country expenses which is not limited to, but can include: fuel for transportation and hospital generators, in-hospital meals, clean drinking water, and regular maintenance.
- What about if I have to cancel my trip? Do I get a refund?
If you should cancel and you wish to receive a refund of your $300 fee, we will do so either by crediting the card you used to make an online donation, or by refunding you with a check, if you paid by check. However, should you wish to not be refunded, your donation will still be tax-deductible for your 2010 taxes and will go toward immediately in helping continue our efforts at the Bernard Mevs Project Medishare Hospital.

HI all. please re read the email you recieved. It does state that if you have recieved confirmation on flight up to sept 25th to disregard the email .
Anyone going after this it looks like will have to pay the $300.00.
so, by this it loks like we are fine.......JO

Hi All,
Ordered scrub hats for all who would like with Canadian flags on them. Will be here on the 7th of sept. Contact me if you are interested at ekelly271@gmail.com.
Have added a Humanitarian baggage to my file at West Jet. Call 1-888-293-7853. it is in addition to the 2- 50lb baggage allowed. Spoke with Carol from the Miami end and she believes that the AA flight to Haiti is strict and will allow the usual 2-baggage check in with 1-40lb carry on. I will try and contact them and see if they will allow the same as West Jet.
Regarding supplies, I have sent an email to the guy ( will supply his contact info later-cant even remember his name right now) waiting for a response from him. I will bug t"the guy" again in a couple of days if I haven't heard from him.
Tryng very hard to find a friend that works for "OFF". God I hate bugs.
Getting excited!!

Great info..........I agree getting very excited, some nerves starting to hit me......Great info re the west jet flight, extra baggage.
Wonderful that you go the scrub hats!!!!
I can check wiht someone if we can get discount on "off " also..........JO

HI everyone. I received some more info that I feel is very valuable and I think will answer some questions:
1. There is power to plug in a charge things.
2. There are computers you can use to contact home and check emails. I would not suggest you bring laptops. There is not secure rooms to leave them.
3. Cell phones work, but I believe you need international service or it cost a fortune. I know AT&T and Verizon have service there.

That is it for now.....Your peer.....

HI all. I recieved an email from someone who has been to Haiti recently and I asked re any suggestions. She mentioned to travel light. I asked her any supplies needed, she will get back to me.
I will update if I hear anything.......JOanne

HI there. There is a web site thru St. Michaels Hospital for healthcare professionals. I checked it out and it has some good french translations , that I think will be valuable if you do not have a working knowledge of french.

do you know if there is anywhere in the bathrooms, to plug in anything....Do we need a converter, for our camera batteries, ipods etc hair dryer??