Monday morning – lots of people needing to be seen, the entire team is working really well together and Hadi is smiling a lot more. Tama and Nancy got the shelves up. Tama flirted with the Greek construction laborers to get them assembled and they are up in the supply room and already filled with bins awaiting her label maker. This organizing is SO IMPORTANT. The time it takes to run around and find things really diminishes the time spent with patients. There are now bins for each provider with gloves, tongue blades, oximeter, blood pressure cuff and whatever they need.
The meds are organized with Semas guidance. There are now packages of paracetamol, ibuprofen, vitamins,probiotics and there are comfort packs with tissues, chapstick, emergency C packets and cough drops to easily give people. Lily is tackling the wound care section bins and shelves.
All this in between seeing patients – I think 80 today. Some are really sick. At the end of our shift today, after we had cleaned up and were waiting to leave, some men came running to the gates. One was being carried on the other’s back, making lots of noise, saying “bleeding!” Scott let them in. They were from Ghana. The patient had a slight bloody nose, but was shaking and in a full blown panic attack. His blood pressure was really high, his pulse pounding and he just cried and cried. I put my arm around him and cradled his head as Leslie checked him, held his hand and calmly spoke to him.
What is his story?
A big group of people gathered by the entrance waiting for a bus. Many were going to Athens today. They had gotten their papers and were moving out of the camp. Athens is a next step in the refugee process here. In Athens they have to find a place to live and work, which is very difficult I hear. People live 9 to 10 in a 2 bedroom apartment.
Oh yeah, and today’s car damage – the van backed into a ditch . . . needed 6 -7 men to lift it out and there was some damage to the back bumper. It is really, really difficult to park anywhere here and especially with a 3 seater van. Last week we got a side mirror knocked off.
