education

We fund primary school education, supplement staff salaries, subsidize secondary education, and…

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clinic

We support a permanent medical clinic, collaborate on a clean water project,…

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community health

We empower the communities we support to increase their education, health, and…

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economic development

We provide adult education, resources and local employment to support self-sufficiency.

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teams

Throughout the year we send medical teams to rural Northern Haiti to…

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Medical Community

Conference Provides Needed Education

Written by Dr. Laura Kuipers, HFH volunteer:

IMG_5823Education is the name of the game in western medicine. We educate our patients on their treatment options and medication side effects. We require ongoing “continuing education” to maintain licensure for health care professionals and have board testing to make sure that providers are practicing in the most up-to-date ways. And yet, the availability of ongoing medical education in Haiti has been left in a vacuum following the collapse of the National Medical School during the earthquake in 2010.

I have been going to Haiti with Haiti Foundation of Hope since 2009 and one of the most important impacts that I have seen over the past seven years has been the institution of a Medical Conference at the Clinic of Hope. When the first conference was held four years ago, we transformed our clinic space to a conference room and had approximately 40 attendees. We had lectures from four doctors on our team in their respective specialties and our presentation slides were all in English. Even so, some feedback from one of the Haitian doctors who attended still resonates with me now: “you have brought water to a dry desert,” reminding me that knowledge really is the lifeblood of the medical practice.

IMG_5812Since this modest beginning, the conference has expanded to over 130 attendees who travel from as far away as Port-au-Prince (a six hour drive). We have listened to feedback and provide French translations to our presentations, expanded our space by painting a new “screen” on the church wall so that we can accommodate these larger numbers and developed breakout sessions to be able to provide more topics for ongoing discussion.

What most impressed me during our most recent conference in February is that this is the second conference where we have had a Haitian physician presenting on a topic in their specialty. Not only does this signal that our conference has gained legitimacy within the Haitian medical community but also suggests to me that HFH is providing the platform for the Haitian to resume ongoing education of their own. This is so exciting and such a rewarding part of the trip for me that I tuck away my massive stage fright and take on tough topics because I know this is why I continue to go to Haiti. This is the water in the dry desert of the Haitian medical community.

education

We fund primary school education, supplement staff salaries, subsidize secondary education, and…

Learn More

clinic

We support a permanent medical clinic, collaborate on a clean water project,…

Learn More

community health

We empower the communities we support to increase their education, health, and…

Learn More

economic development

We provide adult education, resources and local employment to support self-sufficiency.

Learn More

teams

Throughout the year we send medical teams to rural Northern Haiti to…

Learn More

Medical Conference 2015

This year we organized and hosted the Fifth Annual Medical Conference at the Clinic of Hope.

Over 100 Haitian health care providers from all over Haiti spent the day at Terre Blanche, where they learned about important issues regarding treatment of patients in Haiti.

The enthusiasm for learning and the appreciation for the conference was clearly seen on everyone’s faces. Despite driving as much as five hours to be in attendance, the health care providers were excited and hungry for learning.

Continuing medical education is uncommon in Haiti. During closing comments, the Haitian attendees repeatedly stood up to say thank you for the opportunity to learn. They told us, “we will be able to share this information with people we work with and we encourage you to keep having this conference in the coming years.”

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