Guyana, Day 4 – Please help!

The following is an email written by Sr. Mary Kelly about the devastating fire she witnessed at Mercy Hospital in Guyana. Please go here to help!

“Right after prayers and during breakfast we got a call from Sister Noel that St. Joseph Mercy Hospital was on fire.  At the end of the day, we were standing in the street looking at the still-smoldering ruins of the original wooden hospital building converted to hospital use by the Sisters in 1945.  The two miracles generally agreed upon were that all patients were safely evacuated and that the fire was contained to the oldest wooden structure.  The fire fighters were still on site at 7 PM responding to flare-ups.

The day was pretty chaotic, everyone doing what they could to help.  With no disaster or medical training, I did things like write a press release and prepare a fact sheet for a press conference with the CEO.  I also just sat and answered the convent phone. The convent where I am is about 10 minutes from the hospital.  I went over to the Red Cross to help there at about 10 am.  There was a terrific outpouring of support to the hospital and the Sisters.   Even the President of Guyana stopped to offer sympathy.  The Bishop was returning by plane and saw the smoke from the air and came right over when his plane landed.

When things slowed a bit, we held strategy meetings to see what to do and how to channel the support to help get the hospital back in operation.  The outpatient services will open at 9 AM Tuesday in a nearby Red Cross building.  The campus is off limits until the fire department and the insurance company clear it. I hope the Mercy Health systems in the US can send supplies and equipment.

We had a meeting of the Mercy Community in Guyana at 5 PM and Sisters shared a lot.  I was amazed at the number of sisters that personally helped evacuate patients.  One sister was staying on the hospital grounds and saw the early stage of the fire—right across the compound from her room.  She described a young employee with the presence of mind to throw oxygen tanks from the second floor off the side of the building into a pond in order to minimize explosions.  It is still amazing and unbelievable.

Tomorrow we will be in meetings all day hoping to plan a pathway into the future for the hospital.  I am so glad I was here for this.  I think it helped to have an extra RSM to do whatever and to be company.  Wednesday morning I leave to come home.

Mary Kelly, RSM

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Blessing of Hands opens 100th Anniversary

On the morning of Feb. 11, Mercy Hospital in Bakersfield, Calif., began the celebration of their 100th anniversary with the ritual of the Blessing of Hands. Early in the morning, clergy, board members, administration, chaplains, and sisters all met for breakfast. During the breakfast, all who were present received a special blessing before going out to the staff to conduct the ritual of Blessing of Hands. Small groups were formed and they walked to the different departments of the hospital, gathered the staff and conducted a very moving ritual of having each employee’s hands blessed.

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