Tim Rice, M.D., a Saint Louis University associate professor of pediatrics and internal medicine, heard Haiti calling and had to answer. For each of the last four years Rice has spent two weeks on a medical mission trip in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is leading a team of St. Louis area health professionals to Haiti next week.

His SLU colleague and director of the division of emergency medicine at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center, Robert Flood, M.D., left this week on a similar trip.

As Rice prepares to leave, Flood is scheduled to return on Monday from Hopital Sacre Coeur, which is located about six hours from Port au Prince where he is a member of a team of SSM health providers who are caring for severely injured earthquake victims.

A SLUCarephysician, Rice is drawn to Haiti as he was drawn to care for those in need in the Congo. “There was certainly a need in Haiti and it kept nagging at me,” Rice said. “If people are bleeding, you’ve got to stop the bleeding.”

Rice found out about the service opportunity with El Shaddai Ministries, which is sponsored by the Presbyterian Church of America, through his church. The group provides health care, economic development and care to orphans.