North Bay nurse provided primary care in Ukraine to families fleeing war
A North Bay nurse got a first-hand look at the impact of the war in Ukraine when she travelled to the Ukraine-Poland border to care for displaced families trying to escape the conflict.
Jenny Ryan flew overseas in mid May, knowing she wouldn’t just be providing physical care, but also emotional support.
“The Ukrainian people need our help,” Ryan said.
“I spoke to many people who lost friends and family in the war. It’s a real thing for them. It’s not fake news.”
Ryan, a registered hospital nurse with the North Bay Regional Health Centre, volunteered with the Canadian Medical Assistance Teams (CMAT), a disaster relief organization made up of volunteer health professionals.
She met with fellow nurses, doctors and a translator to provide basic medical care to Ukrainians fleeing war.
Ryan was stationed in Poland and would cross into western Ukraine to work at a stationary clinic each day.
“One mom and her children were stuck at the border, because sometimes it would take two to three days to cross the border because the lineups were quite large,” she said.
“She was nine weeks pregnant and she drove 1,000 kilometres and she was quite nauseous from being pregnant. So we provided treatment for her.”
Ryan met many families looking to take refuge in other areas of the country or neighbouring countries.
“Many of them had their husbands still fighting in the war. They didn’t really want to leave Ukraine,” she said.
“Some of them didn’t have the resources to leave Ukraine.”
This is the first conflict the CMAT has been deployed to since starting up as a non-profit organization back in 2005. Ordinarily, the medical teams respond to natural disasters.
“Early on in our deployment in March we were seeing 40-50 patients a day in our mobile and stationary clinics,” said CMAT executive director Valerie Rzepka, in a Zoom interview from Lviv.
"That has decreased to about 8-10 patients a day."
CMAT estimates it has supported a few thousand Ukrainians since the war began. The operation ends June 30, when the Canadian medical professionals will start a transition period.
“We will be transitioning to a more supportive role providing training and education to local providers,” said Rzepka.
Ryan said if the Russian aggression escalates, she’d be willing to go back to help. The European crisis really puts things into perspective on how lucky we are to live in Canada, she added.
“We have a good health care system. We live in a peaceful country and we have freedom here,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
B.C. man fighting for refund after finding someone living at Whistler vacation rental
Edwin Mostered spent thousands of dollars booking a vacation home in Whistler, B.C., for a group skiing trip earlier this year – or so he thought.
Avs forward Valeri Nichushkin suspended at least six months
Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was suspended for at least six months without pay and placed in Stage 3 of the league's player assistance program.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Mortgage companies could intensify the next recession, U.S. officials warn
U.S. officials worry the next recession could be intensified by a cascading series of failures in the mortgage industry caused by crashing home prices, frozen financial markets and soaring delinquencies.