Hospital Cabral y Baez

SKing

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Nov 22, 2007
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Someone sent me a link to Midwives for Dominican Republic on Facebook and I have been looking through their pictures of when they were at the public hospital in Santiago Cabral y Baez, this is the hospital that I would love to volunteer my time and education when I am back in DR.
In the meantime, I have noticed that in the pictures that many of the women laboring in the beds did not have sheets. They are laboring and delivering on plain mattresses. This will be my first project. Sheets for the beds in the maternity ward. I will give myself a goal of raising a certain amount of sheet sets to be sent via Montero shipping to the hospital with a delivery sometime next summer (this will give me time to raise an ample donation of sheet sets) and this will also include bed pads to place under the women while they are laboring after their water has ruptured. This is what I would like to know from you guys, oh wonderful DR1 members.....
:)

1.) Does anyone know anyone in said hospital that can get me in contact with someone in charge of the Maternal Services and/or Neonatal services? Someone de confianza please.
2.) Are the beds in those hospitals average twin size?? That's what it seems but I am not sure.
3.) I will be calling Montero shipping to get round about price quote to ship about 50 sheet sets (this is my goal), if you guys know of any other shipping companies that may have better prices I would appreciate it as I will swallow the shipping cost myself. Any $$$ I can raise, I will use when I go to Santiago to buy pillows.
4.) Amy other suggestions???

I do not see a hindrance in raising the sets, the nurses and physicians in my hospital are usually very generous. My fear is sending them to the hospital and then the next time I visit the hospital, no one can "find them". This is why someone of confianza in the hospital will be essential

Thanks guys

SHALENA
 

SKing

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Nov 22, 2007
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I also sent an email to the Midwives link, I am sure they should know the administrators. I didn't think of that before....

SHALENA
 

william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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Nice project SK......

Are you thinking all new sheet sets or are you accepting used?

If used, think hotels as possible donors.... boyth US and Rd based
 

Chip

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Jul 25, 2007
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Santiago
Call my sister in law Emilia at 809-582-9874 and tell her you are a friend of mine and she will put you in contact with the people you need to speak to.
 

SKing

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Nov 22, 2007
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Nice project SK......

Are you thinking all new sheet sets or are you accepting used?

If used, think hotels as possible donors.... boyth US and Rd based

Great idea! I will type up something tonight to send out to local hotels. I am going to be collecting new sets but will take the used also for backups

SHALENA
 

SKing

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Nov 22, 2007
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Call my sister in law Emilia at 809-582-9874 and tell her you are a friend of mine and she will put you in contact with the people you need to speak to.

Thanks Chip, I will call her tomorrow. I do not like to disturb people on Sundays especially in DR ad that is usually their only day off

SHALENA
 

MaineGirl

The Way Life Should Be...
Jun 23, 2002
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suerte!

What a nice project! I wish you good luck with it. Let me know if I can do anything in any way. I am good at setting up webpages with information for example.

I am curious though, a hospital with no sheets might also not have the cleaning supplies necessary....maybe raising funds for a washer/dryer might help with the sheets donation?

Again a lovely idea and I wish you all the best with it.
 

SKing

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Nov 22, 2007
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What a nice project! I wish you good luck with it. Let me know if I can do anything in any way. I am good at setting up webpages with information for example.

I am curious though, a hospital with no sheets might also not have the cleaning supplies necessary....maybe raising funds for a washer/dryer might help with the sheets donation?

Again a lovely idea and I wish you all the best with it.

I was wondering about that also. Although I don't know anyone there yet and I am skeptical to donate something of that magnitude just yet but I think that that will be a great idea once we get past the sheets and pillows.
I will be in Santiago in November for 10 days, I hope through Chip's cu?ada, I can get to know some of the administrators of the Maternal areas and maybe take a tour and assess the situation.
Also in one of the pics there was a female doctor asleep in one of the patient beds. It reminded me of once when I worked during a storm and got to stay in one of our doc call rooms and complained because it took housekeeping forever to empty the trash. At least our call rooms have a bed with clean sheets, pillows, TV, and Computer. Y there that doctor is sleeping on a mattress in a bed surrounded by 4-5 other beds with laboring women in them!!

SHALENA
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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Oh they used to have sheets and pillows...it is just that they were all stolen, and that is just what will happen to anything you send down. I am sorry to be so negative, but they will be used for a couple of days, even weeks, and then PooF~ !! no more.

They used to have surgical greens for all the doctors, but they were soon seen on the streets, being shown off by the residents, and are no longer available at the hospital!!

I think if you were here to supervise and monitor, it would be great. If you could find someone to be responsible for what every donation you find, a real b!tch or B@stard, a bean counter meanie, they might last a while...but responsibility seems to be a meaningless word over there.

And remember, my son has served there for about 30 years...

HB
 

SKing

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Nov 22, 2007
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Yes, HB, someone PM'd me and said the same.
I was wondering if the charge nurse could be responsible, maybe I can get a huge wardrobe from 8A and keep them locked up with padlock and key with only the supervising nurse having access and someone being responsible for taking them off of the bed when a patient is discharged? I am willing to do something quarterly for the nurses if they can keep that in check, I know that they are low paid. Maybe that would give them an "incentive" to stay on top of it.

Any ideas anyone??? I definitely don't want to go through the trouble to have them stolen but also sheets just seem like something so basic for birthing with dignity, and those pics just made me want to do something
I don't know how this would be well handled

SHALENA
 

keepcoming

Moderator - Living & General Stuff
May 25, 2011
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I remember visiting someone in the hospital who was having a baby and it seemed that the family brought in sheets and pillows (due to non available). Love your idea. My sister in-law is a obgyn at a hospital outside of San Francisco de Macrois and she told me that when a pt comes in ( to deliver) there are given a packet so to speak which contains bed pads, sanitary napkins, small plastic basin and a few other items. She also told me that when sheets are available they are also given to the pt at that time. They have someone ( trusted I assume) that goes around after the pt discharges and collects the sheets. That person brings them to a central area and is given some money for the sheets he/she turns in. Reason I know that part is because my neice ran up a phone bill and my sister in-law made her work it off by collecting the sheets. I used to do billing for a hospital back in the US and would help collect masks, gloves etc to send to my sister in-law. I still have some contacts there so I can ask around the MIU and L & D and see if they have some suggestions. I know that they donated a large amt of supplies to Haiti about a year ago for mothers and their newborns.
 

SKing

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Nov 22, 2007
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Yes, but sometimes the family does not have extra sheets to bring or I'm not sure what happens. I would love to get a solution. I don't mind "rewarding" the nurses monetarily quarterly, but I guess I will see what the hospital says. I wish I was still there then I could monitor it but hey.....
There's gotta be a way.
Thanks for asking around, let me know what people say

SHALENA
 

Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
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Sorry to be negative but I agree with Hillbilly - the sheets will be stolen. In my experience no public hospitals I have been to has sheets nor pillows - the family provides them. The same applies for toilet paper and everything you might need apart from the bed itself. It is a nice idea though.

Matilda
 

SKing

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Nov 22, 2007
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Does anyone know if the thefts are happening from stockrooms or if the patients were just taking sheets when they were discharged??

SHALENA
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
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OK... regroup..... you will be "giving" sheets to the soon-to-be mothers.... they can keep them ..... rewards for returns might not work.

Same game plan............ just need more sheets.... more hotel donors.... other hospitals ( North American) ??

Manufacturers seconds??
 

AlterEgo

Administrator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
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South Coast
Thinking outside the box..... how about stenciling the name of the hospital, indelible black ink, across the sheets and pillowcases?? It might deter some thieves.....

Let's face it, 99% of the people there hang their wash outdoors.... not something you can hide.

AE
 

Chip

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Jul 25, 2007
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Santiago
I wouldn't get involved with the logistics of how they maintain the sheets as it get be interpreted in the wrong way nor would I do any type of monetary compensation because chances are if it goes to a nurse and her director finds out she could get fired and if the directors get it you are really just shooting craps.
 

Chip

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Jul 25, 2007
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Santiago
Thinking outside the box..... how about stenciling the name of the hospital, indelible black ink, across the sheets and pillowcases?? It might deter some thieves.....

Let's face it, 99% of the people there hang their wash outdoors.... not something you can hide.

AE

Problem is people hang the stuff in their back yard where nobody can see it. :)
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
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Thinking outside the box..... how about stenciling the name of the hospital, indelible black ink, across the sheets and pillowcases?? It might deter some thieves.....

Let's face it, 99% of the people there hang their wash outdoors.... not something you can hide.

AE

AE..... respectfully....... ever see people walking w/ shirts or clothing.. " Property of San Diego Zoo" or something like that?

Might become a badge of honor to have a stamped sheets from the women's hospital on your fence.
 

SKing

Silver
Nov 22, 2007
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OK... regroup..... you will be "giving" sheets to the soon-to-be mothers.... they can keep them ..... rewards for returns might not work.

Same game plan............ just need more sheets.... more hotel donors.... other hospitals ( North American) ??

Manufacturers seconds??

I thought of that but I will need to get some big time donors. My hospital here delivers ~7000 babies per year and I'm sure Cabral y Baez does more....that's a lot of sheets to be giving away.
Also, I do nor want people to not bring their own sheets as is custom just to get a new set. I wanted to have them available for the most poor who did not have any or any family to bring them some.

I'm still thinking.....

SHALENA