Yesterday was a good day. It started with the delivery of a beautiful baby girl about 1 and a half minutes after I walked into the ED at 7AM. I wish I could take credit for delivering her, but it was Mom’s sixth baby, so all we really did was catch. Mom and baby did great, and about 3 hours after she delivered, Mom called someone over to let them know she was leaving. She had 5 other kids waiting on her, so it was time to go. I hope she didn’t have to walk home.

It was also a good day for another reason. Today was the day that the medical ICU moved out of tents and indoors. Here are some before and after pictures of the ICU.

We no longer have to worry about the river that flows through the tents when it rains. It used to be a race to pick up all of the power strips that run the lights, fans, and the occasional ventilator off of the ground before the river engulfed them. Now, the patients are protected from the elements (including the heat--it feels about 15 degrees cooler in here than it does in the tents).

One of the interpreters told me that he was very nervous being inside again. His house was only minimally damaged in the earthquake, but he still prefers to live in a tent for fear that it will collapse when he’s in it. It will be interesting to see how the patients and families react to being inside 24 hours a day.