Shands at UF receives patient injured in Haiti disaster

Published: Thursday, Jan. 28

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

A patient who survived Haiti’s earthquake was admitted last night to the Shands at the University of Florida medical center. The ShandsCair flight team transported the patient by helicopter from Tampa to Gainesville.

This is the first patient from Haiti to be admitted to the Shands HealthCare system. Shands at UF and Shands Jacksonville are "first-receiver" academic medical centers. Each has a state-designated Level I trauma center and Shands at UF has a regional burn center. UF College of Medicine and Shands teams have been on standby since the earthquakes to support state emergency-response efforts.

Out of respect for the patient's privacy, Shands officials declined to share specific details of the patient's injuries and condition at this time.

Several UF faculty physicians and staff and Shands nurses have joined medical teams serving in Haiti since the disaster. U.S. medical teams caring for critical-care patients injured in the earthquake are treating multiple traumatic injuries, including spinal cord injuries, head injuries, burns and broken bones.

Shands HealthCare officials have also worked with the state and donated medical supplies, hospital equipment, surgical instruments, diverse tools and other materials. Shands also purchased and donated broad-spectrum antibiotics for medical relief efforts.