Health Care

Even in more peaceful times, Haiti's patchwork system of governmental, charity, and private sector health care facilities were insufficient to meet the needs of the population.  Conflict with and between gangs has caused the situation to deteriorate further with over 30 private and public health care facilities having been vandalised or forced to close.  Those still open often lack staff, stocks, and security.  Haiti has only enough vaccines to last until the end of the month, health care facilities throughout the country struggle to have pharmaceuticals delivered through largely gang-controlled Port-au-Prince, and cholera is spreading on top of increasing food insecurity and malnutrition.  At this point, the situation is so difficult that re-establishing security would in and of itself be a health intervention.  The full article by Jacqueline Charles of the Miami Herald is linked and follows. 

Over the years, I have been fortunate to know many strong Haitian women in Haiti and abroad.  Below is a Forbes article by Peggy Yu about two Haitian-American women, one of whom started her own company and the other whom became a nurse.  Each of them takes pride and strength in their Haitian roots - and nothing any politician says will change that.  International Women's Day may have come and gone, but women like Guelmana Rochelin and Johaida Jean-Francois do important work in their communities every single day.  Linked and copied below is the full article.  

MSF (Doctors Without Borders) has been present in Haiti for over 19 years, including by providing 24/7 maternal health care at its clinic in Port au Prince.  All contributions received between December 13-31 will be matched by ELMA Relief Foundation, a private charitable foundation that supports communities affected by disasters. If you are interested in making a contribution to help Haiti over the holiday season, protecting the health of women and children is a great way to do it.  Thanks to ELMA Relief Foundation, your contribution will now go farther.  For more information, read Jude Webber's article on the state of maternal health care in Haiti and MSF's role in promoting it. Click here to make your contribution. 

In conjunction with Timberland, HP Inc, and the Clinton Global Initiative, Pittsburgh-based company Thread International PBC LTD has launched a three year pilot project in Haiti to street-level plastic bottle collectors by providing education, health care, and job training. The collectors perform a valuable service as plastic,  n addition to being an eyesore, can leech into the soil and clogs drainage canals that are meant to divert water during major storms. More information from Plastics News follows: