HAENA— “Keeping small problems small” has been the theme at the Hanalei Colony Resort medical clinic, according to Dr. James Ireland, Oahu physician who volunteered at the clinic Sunday.
“The team has seen over 100 patients with minor medical issues as of noon Sunday,” he said. “Cuts, infected cuts, skin infections, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, eye injuries, people requesting tetanus shots, breathing and asthma issues, and allergies are some of the issues we’re seeing.”
The medical team is comprised of volunteers with the state-activated Kalawao Rescue, in conjunction with Hawaii Healthcare Emergency Management. His medical team will be stationed at the Hanalei Colony Resort in Haena, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., for several days.
Ireland arrived with a shipment of medication on Sunday morning and was retrieved from the Lihue Airport by American Medical Response, which took him as far as the Hanalei road closure.
He was bringing medications because while there are supplies at the site the team brought initially, the goal is to resupply from Oahu pharmacies for medications and antibiotics so Kauai pharmacies aren’t depleted.
“Our pharmacist brought in a duffel bag Saturday morning, and I brought one in yesterday,” Ireland said on Monday. “Later today we are sending our third shipment.”
Since the clinic, which is housed in one of the rooms at the Hanalei Colony Resort, was already staffed with a doctor nurse and paramedic, Ireland took a supportive role on Sunday, though he said he did see a few patients.
“The bulk were seen by Dr. Monte Elias, who regularly works at Straub ER. Chris Crabtree is a paramedic and in charge of our group,” Ireland said. “The idea is we want to keep ‘small problems small’ meaning we want to be very aggressive with topical (and oral if needed) antibiotics to keep infected cuts from becoming life-threatening infections.”
Much of the flood water was contaminated with raw sewage from septic systems and cesspools, he said, so any little cut on the legs and feet is at risk for infection.
“People cleaning up their homes and yards naturally get cuts and scrapes in the process, so we want to see and treat those,” Ireland said.
Residents and visitors alike are urged to continue to take precautions and ensure their safety in the days ahead, DOH representatives say. Those steps include staying out of brown water and practicing good sanitation, protecting against mosquitoes, getting rid of anything that’s collecting mold, and throwing away spoiled food.
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Jessica Else, environmental reporter, can be reached at 245-0452 or jelse@thegardenisland.com.
