St. Elizabeth School of Nursing students collecting items for Haiti mission trip

Students and staff from the St. Elizabeth School of Nursing are collecting non-prescription and over-the-counter medications and medical supplies for their annual medical mission trip to Jacmel, Haiti.

Four nursing staff and seven students will be in Jacmel, Haiti from Feb. 27 to March 6, 2009. The trip is a course option to study transcultural nursing. The trip assists students in ways to recognize, understand and appreciate cultural similarities and differences between individuals seeking medical care in the United States and in Haiti.

The medications that are taken for granted in the U.S. are the medications most desperately needed in Haiti. The group needs the following non-prescription items:

• Children’s vitamins with iron (chewable),
• Prenatal vitamins,
• Adult vitamins, preferably with iron,
• Tylenol (acetaminophen) and/or ibuprofen any strength or generic,
• Liquid Tylenol suspension such as Children’s Tylenol or generic,
• Adult and children’s cold and cough medicine,
• Tums, Rolaids or any calcium antacids,
• Acid reducer such as Zantac,
• Triple antibiotic creams,
• 1% hydrocortisone creams,
• Eye drops/lubricants such as Visine or generic,
• Aloe and vitamin E hand/body lotion and
• Small bars of antibacterial soap.

The goal of the supply drive is to have enough medication to give each person at least 90 days (3 months’ worth). In other words, to meet the goal for children’s vitamins we need 300 bottles of 90 tablets. Cash donations are also accepted; checks should be made payable to St. Elizabeth School of Nursing – Student Haiti Mission and sent to the school at 1508 Tippecanoe St., Lafayette, IN 47904.

All donations must be received by Friday, Feb. 20. A student or staff member can arrange for donation pick-up, or donations may be dropped off at the St. Elizabeth School of Nursing main office.

For more information or to arrange a donation pick up, please contact Mary Matheson or John Jezierski at (765) 423-6408 or Bo Kuzee-Baumis at (765) 423-6427.