(March 2011 newsletter)
We are excited about the latest project unfolding in Terre Blanche, Haiti: the construction of an addition to the Clinic of Hope.
The construction is being done by Haitian workers. It’s not yet complete but it is already being used to hold meetings for community health activities.
The Clinic of Hope opened its doors in February 2007, providing consistent health care in the community for the first time. Today, the clinic is staffed year-round by Haitian medical personnel and hosts visiting medical teams from the United States.
In the months after the earthquake in January 2010, the clinic saw a surge in patients. Sicker and more complicated cases were being seen, and some patients needed to be observed overnight or longer.
The situation placed a new burden on the services provided in Terre Blanche, which prompted discussions about expansion. These discussions also pointed to the need for dedicated and specialized maternal health services and for an office space for the community health program.
In order to accomplish a comprehensive infrastructure and programmatic response to these needs, Haiti Foundation of Hope was awarded a generous grant by Medical Teams International to cover part of the cost of the health facility expansion.
Once completed, the additional space will provide a place to keep patients overnight rather than placing them in makeshift or temporary locations.
The new space will also allow for more room for minor surgeries, newborn deliveries, a community health office, and an overnight observation unit for recovering patients and those needing referral to other medical facilities.
We’re excited about seeing the completion of the clinic addition and the extra space that it will provide as we continue to serve the people in Terre Blanche.
If you would like to support the ongoing work at the Clinic of Hope or the community health program in the area, please donate online.
Read more stories in the March 2011 newsletter.