Johns Hopkins Go Team Mission to St. Johns

A team of experts from the Johns Hopkins Go Team deployed in September and October 2017, to the island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands on a medical mission in the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria. This mission was in collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies to bring much-needed supplies, medicines and medical personnel to the island.

Below are updates from the team.

Update — 10/31/17

All members of the Johns Hopkins Go Team are back in Maryland from St. John after medical care was transitioned back to the island’s health care professionals on Friday. Since Sept. 17, the Johns Hopkins Go Team has had a primarily consistent presence on St. John, providing urgent and preventive care to the people affected by hurricanes Irma and Maria. 

Update — 10/25/17

The Johns Hopkins Go Team is beginning to wind down its medical mission on St. John. Two Go Team members returned home last weekend. Two additional team members remain on the island and plan to return later this week.

A Go Team transport R.N. on the island has been working closely with the Coral Bay Fire Department, assisting with advanced life support activities, blood pressure screening, distribution of relief supplies and more. “While interacting with the local citizens and other responding agencies, I have noticed significant gratitude for participation by Johns Hopkins,” he says.

Our clinical psychologist continues to work at the clinic that our Go Team members set up. She sees patients with concerns about mental health as they come into the clinic.

Update — 10/17/17

Four of six Go Team members will be returning home tonight after spending about 10 days on the Caribbean island of St. John supporting the team’s medical mission. Two team members will remain on the island and two additional team members, a physician and a clinical psychologist, will be joining the team tomorrow. The new team members will also bring much-needed medicine and medical supplies to the island.

The Go Team has had a presence on St. John on a rotating basis for most of the past month, providing urgent and preventive care to the people affected by recent hurricanes. The first team member arrived on Sept. 17.

Update — 10/13/17

The second group from the Johns Hopkins Go Team is now well-established on the island of St. John.  The team members continue to see patients, including those with injuries from hurricane recovery efforts and patients with deteriorating chronic medical conditions resulting from a lack of medications or routine care. A number of patients are also coming in for tetanus vaccines due to injuries from debris and construction activity on the island, which have caused minor wounds, cuts and scrapes. Team members have also inventoried medical supplies at the clinic to identify needs.

Read an article highlighting experts from the first group of the Johns Hopkins Go Team who went to St. John.

Update — 10/9/17

Seven members of the Johns Hopkins Go Team, in collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies, are on the island of St. John as part of a follow-up medical mission after hurricanes Irma and Maria. The group is made up of two nurses, two physician assistants, two physicians and a research faculty member. The purpose of the new wave of experts is to continue to provide and support patient care and assess the long-term health care needs of the island, which is continuing to rebuild after the hurricanes. The research faculty member is also joining an existing research effort on the island.

Update — 10/3/17

All six members of the Johns Hopkins Go Team have arrived back in Maryland after their mission to provide and support patient care on the island of St. John following hurricanes Irma and Maria. Five of the team members had been on the island since Saturday, Sept. 23, and another had been deployed since Sunday, Sept. 17.

Read the news release.

Update — 9/29/17

The Johns Hopkins Go Team has continued to see a steady flow of patients each day since it started providing care to patients on the island of St. John. Yesterday, however, the team was busier than usual. A federal disaster medical assistance team (DMAT) arrived on Wednesday and will take over the lead in providing medical care. Many members of the Go Team are now preparing to soon leave the island. Team leader and Johns Hopkins Go Team Director Christina Catlett, M.D., is pleased with the work they have accomplished so far. “I could not ask for a better team,” she says.

Update – 9/27/17

Continuing with its mission to provide excellent patient care, the Johns Hopkins Go Team saw 25 patients on Monday and had a steady flow of patients yesterday on the island of St. John. At last check, the team had evacuated five patients with significant illness or injury to larger islands for higher levels of care. The Go Team has now been in place for a couple of days and has continued to stay busy setting up clinics, seeing patients and meeting with local officials.

Update – 9/26/17

The Johns Hopkins Go Team left for the island of St. John on Saturday and is doing well as the medical mission continues. The team reports that the “once-vibrant island, famous for its rolling green hills and white-sand beaches, is now a tattered wasteland.” The only medical clinic on the island was devastated by the hurricanes, including leaving 2 inches of standing water on the floor. 

On the east side of the island, the team was able to set up a new clinic in a building that was still intact. They set up this new clinic with three exam rooms and a resuscitation room with a lab and radiology. Today, team members are proud to say they are providing medical care to patients on both sides of the island. Most of the injuries they are seeing are related to recovery efforts, including lacerations and minor orthopaedic injuries. They have also seen serious injuries and illnesses and have had to evacuate a few patients by helicopter.

Team leader and Johns Hopkins Go Team Director Christina Catlett, M.D., describes the team as amazing and says she is proud to work with them all.