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The Daily Tar Heel

Good job, UNC Hospitals: Treating Haiti burn victims demonstrates compassion and dedication

UNC Hospitals is raising the bar in charity and is truly representing the Good Samaritan aspect of medicine.

Three victims from the 7.0-magnitue earthquake that struck Haiti arrived at UNC Hospitals on Tuesday for treatment.

Each of these patients has a heart-wrenching story, and we’re proud to have a hospital on campus that responded to their needs.

It’s not often that Americans get to offer their charity on such a mass scale as we’re doing with Haiti — and thank goodness.

UNC Hospitals has moved quickly and precisely. The hospital just got word of the patients’ needs Tuesday, and doctors are already attending to them.

To add to the hospital’s charity, even the community has chipped in.

These patients speak Haitian Creole — so several community members who speak the language have come forward to help with the language barrier.

UNC Hospitals will be compensated for the cost of caring for these patients — but that doesn’t diminish the challenge.

The hospital has one of the best burn centers in the world, and treating victims of the Haiti earthquake is a testament to the dedication of the entire burn unit.

The Haitians have seen their government, their homes and their livelihoods collapse.

Florida is bursting with refugees, and chances are that victims in need of medical attention will be sent farther up the coast. UNC Hospitals should stand ready to take in more patients.

But for now, UNC Hospitals is tasked with providing the best care possible for these three patients. The doctors  and nurses are doing a commendable job in a time of unspeakable tragedy.

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