Team Rubicon - an analysis
One of the first groups into Haiti was
Team Rubicon:
What We Do
We are the new face of disaster response. We bridge the gap between catastrophe and large-scale response, utilizing flat command structures, social networking technology, and simple decision making processes. We don�t wait for ideal situations to develop, we make dysfunctional situations ideal.
We are men and women not satisfied with standing on the sidelines. We believe that inaction is not an option; that our skills are needed, and that Team Rubicon is a model for delivering them. We are 21st century �Medical Minutemen.�
We are capable of doing MORE with LESS. We are self-sustaining, self-reliant and self-deploying. We bring only what we need, deploying rapidly to where we are needed. We arrive on-site, identify problems, create solutions and GET THE JOB DONE.
We are doctors, firefighters, medics, nurses, physician assistants and military veterans.
We are Team Rubicon.
What they do not say is that the majority of the Doctors are Military and therefore expert in Triage -- something that is dearly needed when a disaster like this hits. They also have the logistics, training and experience to deliver a 40-bed inflatable hospital into the middle of Haiti when other aid organizations and caregivers are stacked up at a ruined airport and harbor (TR went into the Dominican Republic and drove to Haiti).
Writing in
Emergency Physicians Monthly, Dr. Mark Plaster writes of his experiences and what he learned -- an excellent read:
Nine Things I Learned in Haiti
by Mark Plaster, MD
Problem: If EPs wait for big organizations to act, they will miss their real need.
As soon as I saw the scale of disaster in Haiti I knew I wanted to respond. But because I was on the West Coast, I was unprepared to respond to the Navy�s call to join the USNS Comfort. I then wasted a week looking for another group, finally joining Team Rubicon, an NGO that had only been formed the week prior by people like me who just wanted to do something.
Take Home: If you want to be able to respond in the first wave of relief, have a relationship with a team of like-minded individuals or an organization that is ready to respond on a moment�s notice.
The other eight are at EP -- an excellent read and a good look at the new face of charity.
Posted by DaveH at March 17, 2010 7:17 PM