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The Louise Biddle Memorial Blood Lab

The Louise Biddle Memorial Blood Lab

Why Was This Project Selected?

Bonnie was asked by a Doctor in Denver, CO who came to know of her story and ministry on Barbuda, “What is the number one medical need on Barbuda?” Bonnie couldn’t answer that question, but knew who could and that was Dr. Jeremy Deazle. Dr. Deazle said, “If I had one wish for Barbuda, it would be a blood lab; a blood lab alone will save lives”.

Project Details

Exterior of Lab

Remove rotten fascia boards and rain gutters
Install new rain gutters
Seal and case-out windows
Paint entire gallery,walls & ceiling
Remove all debris from the surrounding area

Interior of Lab

Remove old, broken equipment and chairs
Demo and cut interior walls to open up the main room
Repair and run new electrical
Repair plumbing and bathroom
Replace all door knobs & deadbolts
Seal, repair, and trim all windows
Build, paint, and install cabinets and countertops
Patch all walls, sand and paint

What are the challenges in doing this project?

Funding for Point-of-Care (POCT) blood testing equipment.

Barbuda does not have certified laboratory technicians to run a comprehensive blood testing lab, so the answer for that huge problem is the Point-of-Care (POCT) blood testing equipment. POCT is medical testing done at or near the site of patient care by specially trained healthcare (non-laboratory) professionals, aka registered nurses, of which Barbuda has three.

The largest benefit of POCT is that it can be done rapidly and be performed by nurses who are not trained in clinical laboratory sciences. Rapid test results can provide a physician with answers that can quickly help determine a course of action or treatment for a patient.

What is the potential impact for the local community?

Barbudans will no longer need to travel to Antigua for standard blood tests and this will relieve a very costly burden. Dr. Deazle said it best, “A blood lab will save lives!”

Tell us about the residents:

In order for a Barbudan to take a blood test, they have to pay for and go through the following: They must take a 1 1/2 hour boat ride over to Antigua, then take a taxi to the hospital. There is no way to get to Antigua and back to Barbuda in one day, so they also have to pay to stay overnight and all the costs associated with traveling to Antigua.

If you are elderly, sick, or a Mom with children getting a simple blood test is a very costly burden. Dr. Deazle says, because many cannot afford or are not physically able to make the trip over to Antigua…they don’t.