Traveling Clinic

Operating under the name of St. Luke, a clinic is conducted three times a week in the poorer neighborhoods where transportation to a hospital is unimaginable (Cite Soleil, Sans Fil, Croix de Brossales, Wharf Jeremy). Rotated throughout the area, and once a week in the Saturday market, these clinics help 100 patients receiving treatment for tuberculosis, 50 receiving antiretroviral therapy for HIV and AIDS, 50 receiving treatment for hypertension, and 50 with “type two” diabetes. While still going strong, these clinics require extensive administrative duties that really require a full-time employee. Even still, we have hopes to continue these clinics full speed!!

Holy Savior Specialty Care Initiative

This program enables us to send patients to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, to receive care not available in Haiti. It is in collaboration with the Good Samaritan House, run by Sister Beatrice Barry, SSJ, in Santo Domingo. Examples of patients needing this care: those needing MRIs and special studies, those with metabolic problems (precocious puberty, hyperthyroidism), those with treatable cancers, those requiring neurosurgery. Annual budget is $80,000 for 20 patients per year.

Public Health and HIV Programs

An outpatient program located on hospital grounds serves 10,000 children and mothers every year. There are 11 staff members who provide preventative and maintenance healthcare, along with other health-agents who can conduct home visits. This healthcare includes: vaccinations and immunization for toddlers under the age of five, health education such as sanitation, nutrition, and HIV prevention, and a prenatal clinic with physicians, nurses, and a midwife all on staff. We can only do so much, however, and only one in every 10,000 Haitians have access to a physician (Global Security). It is very important to educate people about nutrition as well, because Haiti is one of three countries with the worst caloric deficit per person at 460 calories per day.

Also, a few years back, in 2003, former President Bush launched the “Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief” (PEPFAR) to combat global HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS has left 163,000 children orphaned throughout the country (Global Security). By educating the people about prevention, there is hope to diminish the virus’ transmission among the population. Our HIV program includes triple antiretroviral therapy, along with education techniques (following recommendations of the Center for Disease Control (USA) and the World Health Organization) to prevent transmission of HIV from pregnant women to their babies.

Our TB protocol follows that of the World Health Organization, including the ability to help people with resistant TB by referral to the center in Haiti set up by Dr. Paul Farmer of Harvard University. The intensive care hospital is limited in scope and mostly allows for precise applications of treatments not possible in the poorhouses where we work.

Our AIDS and nutrition programs have continued because of the generosity of the following donors: Roviralta Foundation, Netri Foundation, Amsala Association, Creatia Foundation, Renta Corporation Foundation, Cofares Foundation and the AECID Spanish Government.

St. Alphonsus

This is also part of the St Alphonsus compound. We have our eye on it, to turn it into a small TB hospital and emergency room. Hopefully we can do this during September, 2007. The area needs it very badly.

Pope John Paul II used to say, we must bring love where it is most needed, and to where it is most difficult to bring.