Maryland nurse going to Haiti to help in earthquake aftermath

By Lisa Robinson

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    BALTIMORE, MD (WBAL) — Help is already pouring into Haiti, some coming from Baltimore, after Saturday’s 7.2 magnitude earthquake that left more than 1,200 people dead.

A Maryland couple who was on the front lines for the last earthquake in 2010 is reaching out again.

Merrill Herzenberg is a registered nurse with a master’s in international public health. She and her husband, John Herzenberg, traveled to Haiti in 2010 and she says she can’t believe it happened again.

“I can’t believe this is happening again, and they never seem to get a break between earthquakes, hurricanes,” Merrill Herzenberg said.

Haiti just can’t seem to get a break when it comes to natural disasters as Tropical Depression Grace drenched the island Monday.

Merrill Herzenberg will head to a hospital in Haiti on Tuesday along with an orthopedic trauma surgeon.

“Our friend, Dr. Scott Nelson, is working there tirelessly and he needs a lot of help from all of the crush injuries that are coming in from the earthquake,” Merrill Herzenberg said.

“They are overwhelmed right now, just being inundated with injuries one after another, and they all need to have surgery, most of them,” John Herzenberg said.

John Herzenberg, a surgeon, can’t go with his wife because of his surgery schedule at Sinai Hospital, but, at his request, the hospital is sending supplies.

“We’re sending medicine, surgical equipment, drapes and gowns and gloves. I texted my buddies and said, ‘What do you need?’ They said, ‘Size 8 gloves and No. 2 nylon sutures,'” John Herzenberg said.

For Merrill Herzenberg, the mission is personal

“In order to make a difference, you have to be in for the long haul. You can’t just parachute in and parachute out. It’s about supporting not just the individual, but the whole health care system,” she said.

John Herzenberg said he’s worried about his wife’s safety because of the political instability.

“The unfortunate reality is that street gangs are controlling the city, so just the act of getting from the airport the hospital is a real challenge because there are roadblocks, kidnappings, ransom,” John Herzenberg said.

Merrill Herzenberg has a deep love for the Haitian people and said she isn’t concerned.

“I think God will provide and I have complete faith that the people there, that the gangs, everybody, come together at times like this, so I don’t think anyone will give us a hard time,” Merrill Herzenberg said.

Merrill Herzenberg said depending on the roads, her trip to the hospital could take one hour or three.

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