08.10.15 US Navy Seabees working at the hospital

We are really fortunate to  have the Seabees here. Today,  despite the rain and then really humid weather, they started building the steps from the drive at the hospital to the entrance of the  Behavioral Health and Wellness program. HM1 Alex was the person who got it to happen for them.

Here are some photos of the very early stages of the project. They did find sand for the cement and will start that part tomorrow. Augustino, who is the head of maintainence looks very pleased every time I see him. This was a project he wasn't sure was going to be completed until the Seabees arrived. I have found another one for them, too. And I wouldn't mind them painting my office either!

HM1 Alex on the right, with the shovel.

Measure twice, cut once. Working with the local men.

This is a fairly steep incline and the steps will make life much easier.

The above picture is HM1 Alex.

Here is Shorty playing in a five foot sand pile. He loved it!

And really got into the digging. No, he did not go straight home. A long walk was needed to shake out the sand!

 

 

08.08.15 Smiles all around and Green Boat Men Fund

The food and books were delivered and the men were delighted. They will have a feast tonight. They invited us to join them.

One of the things I am trying to do is make this more sustainable. So we changed RocketHub funding site to be named "Green Boat Men Fund" and can use any money donated to buy food and essential items. Donations are made by credit card or PayPal. If you have access to the internet, you can access the fund and PayPal is a secure way to make a donation.

We have new Peace Corps Response Volunteers and I introduced two of them to the men, so there will be a nice baton pass to look after them. And Father John will be here, so we have continuity and some form of oversight.

08.08.15 Buzzed by fighter jets

It is rare for us to see an overhead plane. Sometimes on a clear night we might see the lights of a Guam to Palau flight, but we don't have contrails in the sky or any other indication of aircraft.
Early one morning this week (3:30 AM) and again yesterday, we saw two US fighter jets fly directly overhead. So cool............................................. I love planes. What a surprise to  hear the sound of a jet even though they were flying really high in the sky. And it was more of a surprise since the superyacht Pacific with their helicopter left Saturday morning. It is the little things that entertain us here. Last night we visited Glenna nd Marie again on their boat. Shorty doesn't want ot come aboard but he is so good - he avoids Tommy their cat (Glenn takes care of him like I do Shorty and Marie thinks we are both crazy) and went wading off the dock and then sat and waited forme to walk him home.

Shorty has been a little stubborn since he had his shot but he will tell you about that after his nap on his own blog. Yes, the idea is for him to be on top of the white sheet but he beat me to the bed after we did laundry, so he is UNDER the sheet.

 

08.08.16 My sincerre thank you .............................

My deep and sincere thank you to Mrs Paula G., Chris S. and Betsy, who have donated to help  the green boat men. The men now have food for the mind, food for the body, essentials for cleanliness and Father John provides food for the soul. I was so very surprised to see such generosity and I know the men will appreciate everything. I had been there this morning before the PC office delivered my boxes, but everything will be taken there this afternoon. I opened every box and I know they will enjoy the pasta meal. And the books are really interesting. I saw some of the men reading this morning so I know the books will be used well.

And my sincere thank you to Mrs. Marsha S., who made a very useful donation for  the women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. I will give the package to a PH nurse who will know how to distribute. The women will be appreciative. It is not easy for them here once they are diagnosed and this gift helps them.

I am very touched by the kindness and generosity of Paula, Chris, Marsha and Betsy. With you, Yap is a richer and healthier place and you have demonstrated what we all know - Americans are kind and generous people.

Thank you all so very much. This is like Christmas - in August!

I posted a similar picture yesterday, but if they knew that books and food and supplies were coming they all would have been waving.

 

 

 

 

08.07.15. Green boat refugee men health update

One step at a time.

Two Public Health  nurses (Naty and Deborah) and Henry from Behavioral Health and Wellness and I went to visit the men. My role was to introduce them to the nurses and assure them that if needed, the hospital director stated that they would continue to receive health care. I did not mention IOM, hospital bills, etc as that is not my role. Then the nurses were to talk to the men and determine  if anyone needed to come to the hospital or if any care is needed. I do hope this system works and I am cautiously optimistic. It is so hard to keep everyone on the same page.

The  men are doing well, no one needed to go to the OPD,  but access to food  is still a major problem We delivered a lot of  food today donated from The US Navy Seabees. The Seabees also gave them some MRE (mealsready to eat) and the men love them. Mashed potatoes was a hit.

Met some new PCRV. They also donated for the men - will use their money to buy more soap and toothpaste. This new crew is in education, education accreditation and youth activities. They seem to be a great group and I wish I would have more time to interact with them. Took Shorty and Buddy with me (stated as if I had a choice!) and the boys were good while the volunteers talked. The President of Micronesia was at the hotel where we met for a special dinner hosted by  the Chinese, so a couple of us went upstairs to see. China has a very keen interest in Micronesia in general and Yap in particular. They are sending a medical delegation this weekend and we were told to accommodate them. However, the Chinese doctors only want to see a few patients.

Here are a few pictures of the green boat men and the PH staff.

Naty (has a cold) and Deborah.

Henry who is promising the men a surprise on Monday. He is like a rock star to them.

 

08.05.15 Superyacht Pacific

Looking at my pictures I was able to see that the yacht in the lagoon is "Pacific". I was also able to see the flag on the stern yesterday from the park - red with what looks like a UnionJack and another symbol. So today, with a little searching time, I found pictures of the superyacht. It was built by Lurssen who also makes Frers (my sailing  buddies knows this design).

We heard that it was owned by a Russian billionaire, and I did see three well dressed men in a rental the other day who very well could have been Russian. Then I searched a little more and this is what I found:

This image was downloaded from the internet.

This was taken here in the early morning. Yacht is 85 meters (278 feet) long. We heard they came here from Palau, probably here until this storm from Super Typhoon Sourdelor passes. We have had rains and winds, but no major problems from this Typhoon. Saipan, however, was devastated.


Beautiful vessel. Still waiting for my invitation for lunch. :)

Superyacht Pacific owned by Leonid Mikhelson, one of Russia’s richest men. 

"SuperYachtFan was informed that Leonid Mikhelson is the owner of the yacht Pacific. Mikhelson is Chairman and major shareholder of Novatek, Russia’s largest natural gas producer. The basis of Novatek started with the privatization of Kuybyshevtruboprovodstroy, one of the largest state-owned enterprises specializing in oil and gas pipeline construction in Russia. Mikhelson was managing director and became shareholder at the privatization. Novatek began to expand and diversify their operations by acquiring interests in oil and gas companies which held exploration and production licenses in Yamal-Nenets. In 2014 Novatek realized sales of approx USD 6,5 billion and a net profit of USD 700 million. Leonid Mikhelson also owns more than 50% of the shares in Sibur, a gas processing and petrochemicals company. Sibur has 26 production sites and more than 25,000 employees. Leonid Mikhelson is known as an art collector. He is the founder and president of the VAC Foundation (Victoria – the Art of Being Contemporary), dedicated to the international presentation, production and development of Russian contemporary art. Forbes estimates the net worth of Leonid Mikhelson at US$ 14.8 billion (May 2015). In 2012 he was Russia’s 2nd richest man."

 

Disclaimer

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 So who knows. But it is fun to speculate. There does seem to be a young adult crowd on the boat - kids of the owner and guests is our speculation.

08.04.15 Good news for green boat men

While we have made progress, we do not have sustainable progress and we are really hoping someone - Human Rights Watch, UN refugee agency, a news agency or someone can increase awareness of the plight of these men. I saw the US was giving away a few million green cards. Any sent here Mr. President?

My heartfelt thanks and deep appreciation to the US Navy Seabees. They have received approval (from the US Embassy and their commanding officer) for their medic Alex to help provide health care to the men - and the Yap Chief of Staff  has approved it as well. In addition, the Seabees will bring a weekly delivery of fresh vegetables and other food as needed. And they will build the steps from the driveway down a steep rolling grass hill to the Behavioral Health and Wellness program office. Very big steps for us. No pun intended. It is so good to see the Navy men and women here. Cannot wait to see completion of some projects. We have no sand here - Yap is an atoll with coral  and very little sand - so making cement steps is a bit of a challenge. But it will be done. Not to worry, pictures will follow as progress is being made.

We also have the health team in place. The two nurses who will perform the assessments are seasoned and extremely capable women. I have a lot of faith in them to keep this going even after I have finished my service.

07.31.15 Every Friday should be like this one

Am the Acting Chief for a little while. Have had this position from time to time whenthe CHief has been out.

Friday is usually a day full of conferences and meetings. But we had no scheduled cross training and no continuing medical education conferences, so the morning was free to do other projects. In addition, our room was occupied and we had national people in PH, so there was no place for our weekly meeting.

Sometimes Megan and Lanay (Lanie) come to work with their Moms. Both like Shorty, but no one likes Shorty as much as Megan, present company excluded. The girls hung out in my office, Shorty took his usual naps and had snacks, and we all went to the park to see the yacht in the lgoon. We played cards in the afternoon and it was a really good Friday.

Here are pictures of the Megan and Lanay and Shorty.

There is no doubt, a real bond exists between Shorty and Megan. She wants to be a lawyer, but here she is playing dentist. Shorty has no problems with her putting fingers in his mouth, etc. You can see his black spotted tongue - typical of a Yapese dog.

Megan (Deborah is her Mom) and Lanay (Agnes is her Mom, both PH nurses).

Card sharks. Even played a few games. Win some, lose some.

Here we are in the park. The yacht is in the background.

Megan reading my Kindle. She is reading "The art of racing in the rain". A story about a dog.

The park by the lagoon. The three of then go wading in the water.

Checking out the shells for a snack.

 

08.03.15 update on medical care for green boat men

Met with the hospital  director about the new regulations, particulary those regarding medical care. She reiterated again that the hospital will provide medical care  for the men. The plan now is for a Pubioc Health nurse to visit the men each week and record any medical and other problems. Those that require medical treatment at the hospital will be reported to the director and chief of staff. They will then contact IOM with the list so they kow who requires care and will treat them. We have that organized.
One major hurdle. In addition, The US Navy Seeabees have approved their medic to help provide care to the men.
So we hav that sorted out for now. The next thing is for food.
But we do need public awareness of this situation to find a workable solution and finality for the men.

08.02.15 Update on the green boat asy;um seekers

Wish I had more good news to share. The men are still healthy but I think the governance issues are a major problem. They have only rice for food today - so the food issue has not been solved. In addition - someone - perhaps the AG office - have written new rules under the guise of security regulations. The distinct impression is that they don't want anyone to monitor the condition of the men.

Here are the new security regulations verbatim [my comments or explanations in brackets]:

Effectively immediately below regulations to be strictly enforced by those performing security for the Indian and Nepal green boat crews:

1. Not allowed to watch TV anytime
2. Not allowed to sit or gathering near the YFA [Yap Fisheries Authority] security rope at anytime. Confined to YFTI koyeng only [that is where they stay]. 
3. Not allowed to use cell-phone.
4. Not allowed to talk to outsiders only those authorize by the Office of Attorney General. [I was told that the AG office did not want Father John or me to be allowed to visit the men. We were both allowed admission this morning. This indicates to me and Father John that they do not want any one to monitor the situation. Remember, IOM was not going to provide the men with food for a week because of budgetary issues.]
5. Should go straight to restroom and straight back to YFTI, no stopping or talking to anybody.
6. Requesting to go to Yap memorial hospital is not permitted unless approved by IOM first. [Apparently IOM staff are not qualified physicians. too.] Medical personnel have their own schedule to visit YFTI. [No physician from the hospital comes here to see the men on any schedule.]
7. Washing of laundry is permitted only on Tuesday and Friday. (Evening shower time).
8. Curfew time is 10:00 PM, no movement on the dock after curfew. 

So these are the new security rules. Father John called the US Embassy two weeks ago when they had no food and the embassy official  said it was up to FSM government to take care of the men. FSM government in Pohnpei said it is up to Yap State. So it is just round and round in circles.

The hospital director said that the financial issues for medical care are between IOM and DHS, not DHS and the men. So she said that if anyone is sick, the hospital will take care of them. I do believe there are rules for humanitarian treatment, aren't there?

The men need someone who can advocate for them on a higher level than me. I can report what I see and hear and make IOM mad that they have to deal with this, but I don't  have the legal connections to do anything more substantial. I did bring them food today - fresh local vegetables. I am going to try to contact the AP. Maybe someone will be interested.

And I met the commanding officer of the US Navy Seabees in the grocery store and simply told them the men have no food. I worked with the last medic and and they took supplies. This is a new team. The commander said he contacted Guam and are awaiting a decision. HOW HARD IS TO BUY SOME FOOD AND DROP OFF AT THE DOCK?  Really.  Some locals have donated food, including a nurse from Public Health, but others are largely indifferent to their plight.