UM doctor returns from Haiti

MIAMI (WSVN) -- One of the first doctors to hit the ground in Haiti is now back in South Florida... for now.

UM/Jackson Memorial Hospital's Dr. Barth Green shared his experiences in Haiti, Tuesday morning after being one of the first doctors to arrive on the island nation a day after the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake killed hundreds of thousands. "I'm an old guy whose been though a lot of things, and a day hasn't gone by where I don't cry," he said at a press conference.

Green took a charter flight from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Wednesday morning. His medical team included the first doctors to arrive in Port-au-Prince with medical supplies, satellite phones and even crowbars to help dig people out of the rubble. "Hundreds of thousands of people were dead and trapped and screaming and moaning," he said. "It was quite overwhelming."

Everyday since his arrival, he has had private planes fly in with more supplies and staff. The planes are then sent back loaded with critically injured patients bound for local hospitals. "There are now thousands of orphans," Green said. "There are tens of thousands amputees. There is not one prosthetic placed to give artificial limbs. There's no wheelchairs or canes or crutches."

Green is also credited for coordinating all of the countries and the U.S. military's medical staff, as well as setting up urgent care stations in Haiti. In the process, he is also training Haitian doctors.

The reason why he has taken the medical lead in Haiti stems from his 20 years experience of working in that country with the organization Project Medishare. "The reason why Barth Green, who is my hero, is able to do this is because he knows the people of Port-au-Prince," said Pascal Goldschmidt of the UM Miller School of Medicine.

To date, 48 earthquake victims have been treated at JMH and more are likely to come. There have already been many stories about the patients Green has saved, including a 7-year-old boy whose head was crushed, a 5-year-old who lost an arm and an Arizona college student who lost a foot. All have received treatment at JMH, and all of them are very thankful for Dr. Green's help.

But Green said those who are in critical condition are too many to count, adding that he could not have done it alone. There are about six private jets flying doctors in and patients out of the country thanks to corporate donations. Even former Miami heat Star Alonzo Mourning flew over to help put up permanent hospitals.

Green plans to head back to Haiti on Thursday, he said, because there are so many more people in need of help.

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