“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with your soul and with all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself”
Luke 10:27
Rev. John DeBevoise
Sylvia Campbell MD
Jeanne Gres CRNA
Gail Sadler ARNP
Rosie Abbs RN
Alicia Bathon RN
Karen Muniz RN
Tamara Joseph RN
Jean Neptune RN
Terry Deal MS
Jennifer Reynolds MPH
Kem Toole JD
Bill Lewis JD
Kim DeFalco
Procedures Performed:
Glasses: 100 Mobile Clinic
Medical: 184
Medical Mobile Clinic: 51 (in addition to Haitian support team)
Surgical: 19 procedures performed, including 4 major surgical cases
Medications delivered: Over $1000 in prescription drugs, vitamins
Program Evaluation
Clean water initiative:
103 clean water sources/cisterns have been built delivering safe clean water to over 36 communities, affecting 45, 838 people
200 water filter systems are to be delivered to the farthest outlying areas where cisterns have not been built, reaching approximately 1500 people
Total number of people now receoving clean water is estimated to be at least 47,000.
The initial installment with funds from PCPC and VPI reached 9,411 people.
The grant from the Allegheny Franciscan sisters reached an additional 36,427 people. This spring additional wells will be built with the $4000 committed by VPI.
The following was addressed during this visit:
1. Survey of 18 water sources was done by Jennifer Reynolds, MPH.
2. Water testing was done with samples from 5 springs. (see report)
3. It was felt that the project was successful, well thought out and organized, and with the work with community heath workers, was sustainable.
4. Meetings were held with 3 community groups that helped to build and now maintain the springs in their communities.
5. Met with VPI Project Manager/engineer to discuss future needs and sustainability.
Water borne disease in areas where clean water is available has dropped to minimal amounts, including cholera, typhoid, diphtheria, and childhood diarrhea.
Nutrition Program:
1. A meeting was held with the hospital director, administrator and water project manager to finalize the plan for the nutrition program to identify and rehabilitate severely malnourished children in 7 communities in the Mombin Crochu area that have recorded the most number of deaths of children under 5 due to malnutrition(see report.Plans for implementation of the program , targeting April as a start date, will include one full-time nurse to coordinate the program, including traveling to outlying areas, under the supervision of the nurse supervisor of community health.
2. A meeting was held with community health agents in 3 targeted communities to discuss their role in identifying families with potential cases.
Food for Healing Program:
Terry Deal met with the Food for Healing program to evaluate the continued need for in patient nutritional supplementation. The program is functioning well, supplying 2 nutritional meals daily to the patients, as well as employing the cooks, and purchasing the food from the local economy.
Rev. John DeBevoise Meetings:
1. Pastors Association general meeting, including 8 pastors of the community
2. Individual meetings with the Catholic priest
3. Meeting with the Episcopal priest
4. Meeting with Hospital Administration
5. Meeting with Facilities Manager
6. Home visitation to terminal patient with pastoral care given
7. Met with Terri Christy, founder of GDAC Haiti, and Dr. Marcia Brower, DVM. This is a non-profit group supporting communal gardening, selling of produce, and care of animals in the community
Staff Education:
1. Classes on: Hypertension
Post operative care
Wound care
Hospital Support:
1. Delivery of Microscope, centrifuge and oxygen concentrator
2. Delivery of supplies for the oncoming year
3. Delivery of BP monitoring equipment to nursing service
Future Concerns:
1. Sustaining the water project and the nutrition program
2. Encourage new groups to come for medical as well as facility management/water projects
3. Continued funding of the hospital and the work that it is doing
4. Maintenance of the facilities
It was evident on this trip that the work being done in Mombin Crochu, both by VPI and PCPC as well other groups, is impacting the community significantly. The people of the community are moving forward, with improvement evident on many levels, as they take ownership and pride in the programs they are involved with.
The work being done here is changing lives, and the care within the hospital itself is ongoing.
The water project has impacted, and will continue to impact, lives for the future, long after we have gone.
The commitment of the doctors and the administration to help these people was evident, and their compassion and for those who are suffering in their community is a testimony of their faith and their strength. With help it was felt they will do all that is possible to provide programs for care and intervention.
The facility is in need of significant repair.
Sending work teams to help, under the direction of the facilities manager, with structural integrity, electrical wiring, and maintenance, as well as other medical teams would greatly contribute and is encouraged.
This trip re-enforced the belief that God is at work in Mombin Crochu, and it is a privilege to be part of this journey.
We commend the hard work of those at Mombin Crochu Hospital, and all they they are doing for those so in need.
Colossians 3:12-14
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
