Trip FAQ

trip faq

1.) Do I need a passport?
Yes, you must have a current passport that will not expire within 6 months of the trip. If you do not have a passport, you can get the forms at your local courthouse or on-line, and you will need a passport photo which you can get at CVS or Walgreens. You will need a copy of your birth certificate and a photo ID. It may take several months to get the passport, so begin this process soon. Scan your passport and email it to yourself and save it. I would also bring a copy of your passport with you.

2.) What vaccinations do I need?
Tetanus vaccination must be current. Hepatitis A and B vaccination is recommended if you have not received it. Typhoid vaccine can be given orally (Vivotif Berna) and can be obtained at a pharmacy with a prescription. It must be refrigerated and is an oral dose every other day for 4 doses.Consider meningococcal vaccine and seasonal influenza vaccine.

You will need to take Chloroquine 500 mg weekly starting before the trip and continuing for 4 weeks after you return for malaria prophylaxis. We have Chloroquine with which we can supply you.

3.) What about mosquito repellant?
The mosquitoes that carry malaria are most active in the evening, so window screens and/or bed nets are very important. Insect repellant with a high Deet concentration is recommended (Ultrathon, MaxiDeet,
and Ben's are good choices). Remember that you cannot carry aerosol cans on planes. Treatment of clothing with Permethrin is a good idea. Permethrin will kill insects but is not toxic to humans once it dries. Clothing treated with Permethrin can be washed multiple times without re-treatment. The military strength Permethrin is a good choice.

4.) How do we get there?
Generally we have had to fly from Indianapolis to Miami, stay overnight in a hotel near the airport, and then fly to Port-au-Prince on the following morning. We ask that you bring your personal clothing and items in a carry-on bag and a knapsack, so that we can bring medical supplies and equipment in the checked baggage. If we fly to Les Cayes from Port-au-Prince, we will take a smaller plane from Tortug'Air.

5.) What does it cost?
The cost will vary with the airfare, and would include the hotel in Miami, room and board in Haiti, and transportation in Haiti. I would estimate roughly $1100 per person, as airfare has been higher lately. We ask each person to try to raise at least $500 in funds or donated items to help buy medications and supplies for use in Haiti. This can be raised from your church, family, friends, employer, etc. Funds are donated to Medical Missions South Haiti and are tax deductible through Liberty Chapel. Your expenses are also tax deductible. MMSH uses donated funds to purchase needed medications, supplies, and equipment, to pay for translators, to cover the expenses of our Haitian doctors and to pay them, and to pay for incidental costs in-country. Other than one or two restaurant meals, sodas and beer, and souvenir trinkets, there should be few costs to you in country. Some people like to bring home rum and coffee and vanilla.

6.) What should I bring?
Clothing should be light weight synthetics and dry quickly.
Light colors are cooler. Scrubs are fine for clinic. Open toed shoes are not a good idea in general, but a pair of flip flops for the shower may be a good idea. A swimsuit is needed if we are going to the beach. At least one pair of long pants and a long sleeved shirt are a good idea for evenings to reduce mosquito bites. Sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses are necessary. Keep jewelry to a minimum and consider a money belt. If you bring a camera, remember extra batteries, a charger, and memory cards, as they may be hard or impossible to find in Haiti. Consider bringing clothing that you can give away before leaving. Bring basic toiletries in small bottles, a bar of soap, and a cheap towel that you can leave behind.
Medical personnel should bring a stethoscope and doctors should bring an oto/opthalmoscope. We have a pulse oximeter, plenty of blood pressure cuffs, a video otoscope for teaching, an ECG, specula for otoscopes, electronic thermometers, and similar equipment.
Headlamps or a flashlight are very useful. Extra contact lenses or glasses would be wise.

7.) How can I contact home?
We will have a Haitian cell phone and it is very reasonable to call the US with a phone card purchased in Haiti. We should have email access also. Some US phones work in Haiti, but it can be quite expensive to
call from there.

8.) What language do they speak?
The common language is Haitian Creole. Schools are taught in French, and many people will speak some French. I have found the Rosetta Stone French program to be quite good. English will be more limited, but we will have translators for clinic.

9.) What form of money is used in Haiti?
The basic Haitian currency is the Gourde. 5 Gourde are 1 Haitian dollar. The exchange rate is usually 7-8 Haitian dollars to 1 US dollar, or about 40 Gourde to 1 US dollar. Everyone will happily take US currency, but we are usually better off using Haitian currency as it is cheaper. Almost no one takes credit cards, and traveler's checks are unheard of. We will bring a fair supply of cash for incidentals and emergencies.

10.) Can I drink the water?
NOT FROM THE TAP! Almost every water specimen we have checked has been contaminated. Bottled water is readily available. Bring a water bottle to fill from the larger 5 gallon water jugs. You need to work at keeping well hydrated. Ice is not safe.
If you cannot peel it, and it is not cooked well, don't eat it. We will have ciprofloxacin and Imodium available if you get traveler's diarrhea. Brush your teeth with bottled water. Bring a small bottle of sanitizer for your pocket, and refill it as needed.

11.) Do I need travel insurance?
You definitely need medical evacuation insurance to cover medical evacuation flights, which can cost over $25,000. This can be obtained from various sources. One I have used is Travel Guard. Your medical
insurance generally does not cover you when you are out of the country.

12.) What sort of donated items can be used?
Soccer balls and equipment are always appreciated. We have brought new and gently used shoes, reading glasses, sewing machines, tools, school supplies including pencils, pens, protractors, erasers, small calculators, crayons, pencil sharpeners, etc., stickers, gum, candy, toothbrushes and paste, small toys, small stuffed animals, Frisbees, and similar items.
Medical supplies, including as basic surgical supplies, dressings, gauze, antiseptics, sterile drapes, instruments, suture, antibiotics, NSAIDs, Tylenol, vitamins, infant formula, acid reducing medications, anti-hypertensives, antibiotic ointment, anti-fungal ointment, syringes and needles, IV supplies, canes, crutches, walkers, gloves, splints and braces, ace wraps, Coban, and similar items are
needed.

13.) Will electricity be available?
It generally is available where we stay, and you can recharge items there. It is often not available where we hold clinic. The power in Haiti is the same as what we use in the US, and adapters are not necessary.

14.) What laboratory tests are available?
We will have very simple lab tests, including urine dipsticks, pregnancy tests, rapid malaria tests, finger stick glucose, and possibly others if we have power. We do have pathology services donated in the
US by Dr. Steven O'Sheal, and we can bring back specimens for analysis.