Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush physicians take part in humanitarian medical mission to devastated country

Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush hand, wrist and elbow surgeon John Fernandez, M.D. and sports medicine physician Jeffrey Mjaanes, M.D. are traveling to Haiti to deliver medical care to those hardest hit by the recent earthquake.

Dr. Fernandez and Dr. Mjaanes are part of a Rush University Medical Center group of approximately 20 medical professionals that departed Monday, January 25, and will return on February 3.

The Rush group is organized by Dr. Stephanie Wang, a Rush internal medicine physician who has worked with the aid group Endeavor on numerous missions to the Dominican Republic. The roster includes internists, pediatricians and specialists and nurses in plastic surgery, cardiology/critical, orthopaedics, pediatric orthopaedics and anesthesiology. The first team will be working with the mission outreach group Endeavor that has an established clinic and acute care center in Port-au-Prince.

"The massive tragedy in Haiti has called us all to help, each in our own way." says Dr. Fernandez. "Despite the chaos and difficulty I am confident we can all make a difference."

The hospital where the team will work is still operating, but the group will sleep in tents. Dr. Geoffrey Van Thiel, a 4th year resident in orthopedic surgery at Rush, has joined Dr. Fernandez and Dr. Mjaanes on the trip.

"We anticipate that we'll see a large number of fractures and, unfortunately, children and adults with severe injuries that will require amputation," said Dr. Mjaanes. "Also, since it's been almost two weeks since the earthquake, we'll likely be dealing with numerous cases of infection."

View news coverage of the Rush Haiti trip

Chicago Tribune picks up AP story on Rush doctors in Haiti
CBS 2 Report: Doctors Go to Haiti to Stave Off New Issues
ABC 7 Report: Chicago Medical Teams Head to Haiti
Haiti Mission: Rush University Medical Center