Emergency Response Nurses Resolve To Heal The World.
By Cathy Kennedy, RNRN Volunteer
When our Registered Nurses Response Network (RNRN) volunteer teams flew into the Bahamas, it looked like a bomb went off. There were just the trunks of the trees, without any green left. Homes were completely smashed. Cars were overturned.
Hurricane Dorian is on record as the most intense tropical cyclone to hit land — and the worst natural disaster in the history of the country. And long after the media attention moved on, urgent needs remained: shelter, food, sanitation, clean water, and medical care. That’s why, when I was asked to join one of the nine teams of nurses RNRN and International Medical Corps would send in the storm’s wake, I didn’t hesitate.
But even before Dorian made landfall, our volunteers were on the ground in Florida, ready to provide the compassionate care only nurses can. That quick response is only possible because we are supported by incredible volunteers and donors who power our response.
We’ve set a year-end goal of raising $7,500 so that we can send nurses wherever they’re needed next. Can you help us be ready for the next crisis? Make a tax-deductible $10 year-end gift to RNRN today and help us reach our goal by December 31!
As a young girl, I dreamed of joining the Peace Corps. Life got in the way of that dream — but only temporarily. Now, I’ve found a place in RNRN where I can follow that dream, and provide the necessary medical care, emotional support, and whatever else is needed to those who need it most.
One day on Grand Bahama island, we got a call about an elderly woman, Lorraine, who had injured her shoulder. We arrived at the shelter, and as she began the assessment, my fellow volunteer Venessa explained to the patient that she was a registered nurse. Lorraine told us that she was also a nurse, and a midwife. In fact, she was the first midwife to come to Grand Bahama, and had delivered hundreds of babies on the island over the years.
As she was taken to an ambulance headed for the closest operational emergency department, she expressed her gratitude and thanks to us. It was a powerful moment. We were grateful, too, for the chance to care for someone who has given so much to her community. RNRN helps to make sure we can be there when patients like Lorraine need us.
Our nurses are on the front lines assisting and treating people who need medical care and emotional support after natural disasters like hurricanes, typhoons, earthquakes. Volunteers step up at a moment’s notice to rush into disaster zones. It means the world to us to have people like you supporting us.
In unity,
Cathy Kennedy, RN
