Medical staff deploys to Haiti to help orphans

A group of medical volunteers are mobilizing again to help more than 130 orphans in Haiti.

Angel Staffing, a medical staffing agency in San Antonio, has been deploying staff members every two weeks to volunteer near the crumbled capital of Port-Au-Prince.

Shannon Ralston of Angel Staffing talked with News 4 WOAI via Skype for an update on the latest conditions. She says progress has been slow.

"Debris has been pushed to the side and the streets are passable," Ralston describes. "However most of the buildings are still in the same spot they were when they fell down after the earthquake."

A cholera outbreak has killed more than a thousand people in Haiti. An epidemic easily treated by clean water and sanitation, putting hygiene supplies like soap and bleach in high demand.

"Bleach is a hot commodity here," Ralston explains. "You can easily find soap, but the problem is, people don't have the money to spend on soap. They'd rather spend money on food."

There are several local agencies that provide help for Haitians:

Angel Staffing
The American Red Cross (San Antonio Chapter)
UNICEF
Habitat for Humanity
Project Haiti

Reported by: Janet Kwak for News4 WOAI