Haiti

LEAP’s impact in Haiti
Dr. Hobar was in Haiti January 16th (day 4 of the Haitian earthquake disaster) with LEAP volunteers Drs. Ale and Ian Mitchell.  They worked around the clock amputating gangrenous limbs and repairing facial injuries of earthquake victims pulled from the rubble and delivered them to Sacred Heart Hospital in Port-Au-Prince.  Knowing Dr. Hobar and the LEAP Organization were in Haiti administering medical care, Dr. Renato Salz, President of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPA) called Dr. Hobar and asked if he would help coordinate getting surgical volunteers down to Haiti- he had a list of more than a hundred plastic surgeons from around the world who called and volunteered their services.

The LEAP Haiti Relief Effort began in January 2010 and ran through June 2010 when all the acute surgical reconstructive needs had been met.  In incredible fashion, LEAP worked with its hundreds of volunteers to secure private planes for transportation in the first 6 weeks of the disaster,and forged an agreement with American Airlines to secure 6 seats on a weekly basis once commercial flights were assumed. LEAP secured transportation, safe housing, translators, and in country coordinators in Haiti, established a presence at Haitian Community Hospital, and began sending complete surgical teams from around the U.S. and Canada. By April 1st, the program was in full swing. Between April 1st  June 30th, 67 medical personnel including 25 medical doctors and 42 registered nurses were sent on 10 different teams.  In total, from January through June, the LEAP teams treated more than 1000 patients and performed more than 400 major reconstructive surgeries, the majority of which served earthquake victims.  Dr. Hobar, representing LEAP, was awarded By ASAPS the 2010 Humanitarian Services Award.  LEAP continues to travel to Haiti and plans on at least 3 medical mission trips to Haiti in 2011.