"On my last trip to Haiti, I found myself struck (...) by how important our work is in serving as an antidote to despair, not just for our staff but also for all of those we serve," writes Ophelia Dahl, director and founder of Partners in Health, in an email presenting a three-month progress report.
Partners in Health (PIH) and its sister organization Zanmi Lasante (ZL), with over 4,000 local staff and a network of public hospitals and health centers in Haiti, began delivering treatment and care to survivors immediately after the earthquake struck on January 12, 2010. PIH was in a unique position since its clinic in Cange was spared in the earthquake.
Zanmi Lasante Responds to Medical Emergency
Drawing on more than twenty years experience Zanmi Lasante ("Partners in Health" in Haitian Creole) delivered emergency medical care to over 5,000 patients in Cange, Hinche, St. Marc, and Petite Riviere de l'Artibonite and an additional 2,000 patients in Port-au-Prince. ZL staff evacuated patients with life-threatening conditions to the hospital ship USNS Comfort and other hospitals outside of Haiti. PIH staff members were asked by Haiti's Ministry of Health to establish operating rooms at the badly damaged University Hospital (HUEH), and to coordinate volunteer efforts. Other medical services offered by PIH/ZL:
- setting up clinics at four camps for displaced people in Port-au-Prince
- psychosocial support for earthquake survivors: mental health evaluation, help with memorial services, leisure activities for displaced children and families
- volunteer physical therapy and rehabilitative medicine specialists train local clinical teams
- PIH/ZL's psychology team visits schools to provide counseling for distressed children
Partners in Health Offers Social and Economic Support to Displaced People in Haiti
Hundreds of tent camps have sprouted up all over Haiti. PIH/ZL set up health clinics in four camps in Port-au-Prince, where two-thirds of the patients are women and children. In addition to addressing medical needs at the camps, PIH staff works with other organizations — ACTED, Operation Blessing, World Food Program, and the Progress and Development Foundation (Prodev)— to provide basic services like clean water, sanitation and food.
Other support services offered by PIH/ZL:
- creating safe spaces for unaccompanied children (in cooperation with UNICEF)
- bi-weekly school sessions for children in tent camps
- food packages for displaced people
- planting emergency crops and rebuilding agriculture with Zanmi Agrikol
- improving access to clean water (installation of springs and dry latrines) in rural areas
Building Back Better in Haiti: Investing in Public Health
Renovations are underway at five PIH facilities and the construction of three new ones has been planned. PIH/ZL will help build a teaching hospital in the small city of Mirebalais to provide relief to Port-au-Prince's University Hospital (HUEH), which will take years to repair. Haiti's only nursing school suffered a terrible tragedy, as an entire class of 200 students died in the quake.
As of March 31,2010, PIH/ZL has spent over $10 million on earthquake relief and rebuilding activities and expects to spend $20 million total by June 30, 2010.
While 1,7 million people are still without homes in Port-au-Prince, there is new life on the streets of its capital city. Thousands of street vendors are trying to sell things and children walk to school in new uniforms (D. Iverson for PBS Newshour). There is hope in the midst of the rubble despite the fear about the coming rainy season.
Read the Full Report: Partners in Health 3-Months-Progress Report on Relief and Recovery Efforts in Haiti
In Haiti, a 'Degree of Vibrancy' Seen Amongst Quake Relief Efforts, PBS Newshour, 4/23/2010
United Nations Lead Cash-for-Work Efforts in Haiti
Join the Conversation