SALINAS, CA (February 17th, 2010) – Harry Weis, CEO of Natividad Medical Center (NMC), announced today that Emergency Room Doctor Peter Bloomfield will be returning to Natividad Medical Center on Wednesday, February 17th from Haiti where Dr. Bloomfield helped with medical relief efforts in Haiti with Convoy of Hope organization.

Details:

Dr. Bloomfield was in Haiti for 20 days working as a medical emergency relief worker initially with Convoy of Hope. Convoy of Hope, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, feeds the hungry and provides pure drinking water to people in need across the United States and around the world through children’s nutrition initiatives, citywide outreaches, and disaster response.

Media Interviews Available:

Thursday, February 18th, 2010 (by appointment only)
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at Natividad Medical Center Main Lobby
Interviews Must Be Scheduled Through Marci Bracco (831) 747-7455 or marcibracco@yahoo.com.

Interview Topics Possibilities:

1. Dr. Bloomfield describes the dire need of when he arrived in Haiti from his first three days in a clinic, followed by 6 days in a pre and post operation ward personally overseeing 50 in need patients to creating his own pharmacy. In 20 days Dr. Bloomfield saw Haiti go from a country with dire medical need to hearing a doctor shout out the day he departed – today we have a hysterectomy, appendicitis and a gunshot wound: Haiti’s surgical needs are back to normal.

2. Dr. Bloomfield has heartwarming stories of people healing people through singing hymns and using their religion to deal with the pain while waiting for treatment. He tells of stories of people tolerating pain that would normally be unimaginable.

3. He can discuss the team work, doctors working together, people doing what they needed to do without accusations or second guessing. Working through language barriers, Dr. Bloomfield found an interpreter and hired the interpreter to work with him and help him best treat patients that spoke Creole.

4. Photography from Dr. Bloomfield from his Haiti experience is available.

Background On Dr. Bloomfield:

Dr. Bloomfield joined NMC in November of 2009. Before joining NMC, Dr. Bloomfield worked for Brotman Medical Center in Culver City , California . A graduate of John Hopkins University Medical School in 2004, Bloomfield also spent 2 years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Belize where he worked with HIV/AIDS/STI prevention through local NGO and District Public Health Department.

About Natividad Medical Center

Natividad Medical Center is a 172-bed acute care medical center owned and operated by Monterey County , and has been providing healthcare for more than 120 years. A public community hospital, Natividad Medical Center emphasizes the care of women, children and families and offers comprehensive inpatient, outpatient, diagnostic and specialty care. Natividad is the only teaching hospital on the Central Coast , through its affiliation with the University of California , San Francisco (UCSF). With a medical staff of more than 235 physicians, Natividad’s mission is to continually improve the health status of the people of Monterey County through access to affordable, high-quality healthcare services. Natividad is based in Salinas , California. For more information, please call 831-755-4111 or visit www.natividad.com.