A better day

Today was a better day. I saw my pts & went to " work". I'm on the medicine team as there were not enough doctors for that grp. There are 5 rows of pts, about 11 each - A to E. I was assigned to E which which are pts with varying spinal cord injuries - paraplegia & quadraplegia- some directly & indirectly related to the quake. Typically in the US all of these pts would b discharged to a rehab facility, but there is no such thing here. One pt I have with quadraplegia who has no active medical issues, cannot b discharged b/c he doesn't have a safe dispo plan - there r no visiting nurse services, home physical therapy. For others who may not need rehab, don't have a home to go to. I have another pt who i am planning to discharge tomorrow who told me she needed shoes, clothes for 3 kids, tent, & money. I was speechless & overwhelmed. How could I get her these things & is it even possible?? Well of course the answer is 'no' which is very unsettling & left me feeling hopeless. I felt like what am I really doing for these people. Finding needs that I can't fulfill or really fix. What's my purpose?