A lot can change over the course of a few days.
On Saturday, Tim Randolph, Ph.D., associate professor of clinical laboratory science at Saint Louis University, returned home from his semi-annual trip to Haiti. For a decade Randolph's non-profit organization, Randolph World Ministries Inc. has partnered with medical clinics in Haiti to improve health care for the poorest of the poor.
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Tim Randolph, Ph.D., works with health care providers at a Haiti clinic
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During his three-week stay, Randolph and a team of volunteers, including SLU students, worked with established clinics and pursued plans to partner with an eighth clinic outside the country's capital in Port-au-Prince.
Tuesday, just two days after he returned home, disaster struck. A 7.0 earthquake jolted the country, killing thousands and devastating buildings in the area.
Garrett Ungerer, a first year student in the physician assistants program at SLU, joined Randolph on the most recent trip to Haiti. In the wake of the earthquake, he said he was feeling "heartbroken and devastated."
"We were just there. Obviously I feel guilty, and wish I were still there to help. I've asked all my friends and family to keep Haiti and all the people there in their prayers," Ungerer said.
While plans to build an additional clinic have been put on the backburner, Randolph has been working around-the-clock to get muchneeded supplies to his clinics in Haiti. Wednesday was consumed with phone calls and emails to his networks of supporters, including vendors, financial donors, past team members, medical supply donors and prayer groups. By the end of the week, Randolph hopes to reach Haiti with the first of many shipments of medical kits, surgical supplies, wound care materials and other clinic necessities. He suspects the urgent need will last for months, if not longer.
Randolph says he needs medical supplies, toiletries and monetary donations to cover the cost of shipping supplies.
"Our turnaround is very fast because we're a small organization and made up entirely of volunteers," Randolph said. "Approximately 99 cents out of every dollar donated goes directly to our clinics in Haiti."
Past student volunteers also have expressed interest in helping, including sophomore Tim Toby who joined Randolph on a trip to Haiti last summer.
"I loved my experience in Haiti - the people are amazing. When I heard about the earthquake I was devastated because I have all these connections to the country, yet there is little I can do right now to help. I'm eager to help Dr. Randolph is any way possible, and definitely hope to go back on future trips to help in the relief efforts," said Toby, who is majoring in investigative and medical sciences.
About Randolph World Ministries Inc.
Randolph established Randolph World Ministries Inc. in 2000. Through the non-profit organization, Randolph provides lab services, training, medical supplies and consultations to physicians and technicians who are fighting HIV, malaria, sickle cell disease, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.
Each year, Randolph and teams of volunteers travel to Haiti in June and December to service the 23 existing clinics. Randolph says his primary job is to assess the resources a clinic has in place and the patient population it serves, which helps him determine how they can best improve and provide medical services.
"A functioning laboratory plays a critical role in clinics. Laboratory data provides precision to diagnoses and takes out the guess work. While we started out focused on providing laboratory supplies and service, our work has evolved as our team of volunteers has grown to include doctors, nurses, physician assistants and other health care professionals," Randolph said.
According to Randolph, everything his ministry does is in the spirit of the Gospels.
"We're there because God called us to be there. And by healing the body, we open up lines of communication for sharing the Christian Gospels," Randolph said.
Currently, donations can be mailed to Randolph World Ministries, Inc., 318 Vandalia St., Collinsville, Ill 62234. In the near future, Randolph plans to set up a PayPal account to collect donations on his Web site:https://www.randolphworldministries.org
