Jennifer Lang, Program Manager – November 26, 2012
Hope for Haiti’s Infirmary Saint Etienne in Les Cayes, Haiti marked World Diabetes Day by performing medical outreach throughout the month of November. Diabetic care is a growing specialization at the Infirmary thanks in part to support from our partner AmeriCares. The Chronic Care Program, piloted last year, provides patients suffering from diabetes, hypertension, and asthma with medications, specialized laboratory testing, wound care, and follow-up for over 350 annual consultations.
 |
 |
| Young patients who received Dental education by Hope for Haiti volunteer Dr. Dupervil. | Dr. Larco with FHADIMAC and ISE’s leadership teams. |
Still, many diabetic patients at the Infirmary continue suffering from complications as a result of this chronic disease. To help encourage clinical improvement, the Infirmary staff plans to launch an educational preventative curriculum and support group for patients this year. In support of this exciting initiative, Healthcare Director Dr. Steeve Victor and Infirmary Director Dr. Elmide Nazaire benefitted from a comprehensive training at the Friedman Diabetes Institute of Beth Israel Hospital in New York City this fall.
In a new partnership with FHADIMAC, the Haitian Foundation for Diabetes and Cardio-Vascular Diseases, the Infirmary’s doctors and nurses as well as visiting medical professionals from the public General Hospital of Les Cayes received a specialized training on advanced techniques. Topics covered at the staff training included proper insulin injection, nutritional and physical therapy, as well as treatment differences between Types 1 and 2 of diabetes. FHADIMAC also performed extensive screening throughout Haiti in honor of the November 5th holiday.
 |
 |
| The FHADIMAC training featured professionals from MSPP General Hospital & Infirmary Saint Etienne. | Ecole Normale student posing with malaria prevention poster. |
Many of the Infirmary’s staff members also chose to support the Les Cayes chapter of Rotary International by volunteering at a medical outreach fair. Remarked Healthcare Director Dr. Steeve Victor, the fair, which screened close to 1,000 people for diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol, and glaucoma, “was a great idea. Educating the public is part of our job at the Infirmary, and its important to spread the right information.” Preventative education was provided on the causes of both diabetes and hypertension, as well as other subjects such as dental care, hygiene and cholera, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis. Hope for Haiti supported our staff volunteers with dental educational posters and donated in-kind supplies courtesy of AmeriCares.
Care of diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic diseases remains a pressing problem in Haiti. Thanks to our partnerships with FHADIMAC, Rotary International, and AmeriCares, Hope for Haiti is working to screen, treat, and prevent chronic diseases like diabetes. We are honored to have been selected to present our holistic treatment model at the 2013 Unite for Sight Global Health Conference at Yale University this spring – hope to see you there!