The United States Naval Ship Comfort. Photo provided

Steve Smith, a surgeon from OU returned from Haiti yesterday. Photo Provided

As one OU physician returns from Haiti, another will ship out.

Dr. Steve Smith, OU family medicine doctor, returned from helping hundreds of patients in Haiti on Sunday. As he settles back into life in the U.S., OU orthopedic surgeon Dr. David Teague leaves today and will offer his service on the USNS Comfort, a Naval hospital ship.

“I’ve handled a few mission trips to Africa and another earthquake in Indonesia but this was World War II,” Smith said. “I only arrived when we were in the middle of the second week out from the quake and it still looked bad.”

Smith said he and a few other medical teams flew into the Dominican Republic and drove across the border into Haiti in the middle of the night to set up for his first patients the next morning.

“The people there are so gracious and it was very humbling,” Smith said.

He said he and his team (one trauma surgeon, one orthopedic surgeon, five resident physicians and two nurses) handled between 320 to 340 patients per day. At times, up to 500 people would wait outside of his clinic for treatment.

“The spectrum of injuries were wide,” Smith said. “We were dealing with all types of needs from malnutrition, worms, high blood pressure and diabetes. We even saw people trying to take care of their own wounds.”

Smith said he was fortunate enough to work at a secure building in a heavily damaged school complex that was turned into a clinic by the Salvation Army.

Smith was able to walk around and see the damage.

“I saw things I’ve never seen before,” Smith said.

David Teague photo provided

“We would pass by buildings and people would tell us that the floor that was on the ground was actually the third floor and that there were two more stories pancaked underneath it. ... We would see babies that had no mom or dad.”

Smith was in Haiti from Jan. 23 until Sunday night.

Teague’s mission, though very similar, will address even more serious injuries, but instead of being on the island of Haiti he will spend his time aboard the U.S. Naval Ship Comfort.

“Right now there is a backlog of people with serious injuries who need our help,” Teague said. “When we take care of the patients currently on the ship they will fly them back to the land and we will get more who are in need of surgery.”

Teague said The Comfort is docked right off of the coast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital city.

“We will be taking care of patients that can’t be taken care of at hospitals and clinics that have been re-established in the land,” Teague said.

Teague said he is worried about what kind of wounds and injuries he will face that have been neglected or not treated well while surgeons arrive in the country.

“The body tries to heal fractures fast,” Teague said. “We need to get in there with pins and screws and make sure that the wounds are healing the right way.”

Teague said he, like Smith, has experienced many situations in which disaster has affected people, but he is ready for Haiti and its challenges.

“I’ve helped out with injured troops who arrive in Germany from Iraq,” Teague said.

“I’m looking forward to going and I’m looking forward to coming back.”