Program Manager, Jennifer Lang, March 20, 2012
(We are not allowed to display photos of the
Missionaries of Charity.)
While unloading boxes of medications, clothing, and school supplies at the Missionaries of Charity (MC), Sisters Mary Philone and Guadeloupe pulled me aside. Long familiar with Hope for Haiti’s Infirmary Saint Etienne, the Sisters asked, “How busy is your dentist right now?”
Low-cost dental care in the Southern city of Les Cayes and its surrounding rural community was unheard of before Hope for Haiti opened its Dental Clinic in 2008. For 15 goud—or about 27 cents US, patients can see Dr. Esperance Dupervil, who specializes in preventative education on dental hygiene. Despite seeing an average of 10 patients per day, extractions remain the central fixture of the second-generation dentist. The Infirmary is regularly forced to turn patients away because the demand for healthcare so exceeds our limited resources.
Still, when the Sisters asked about the availability of dental care for their population, we had to help. Hope for Haiti’s partnership with the Missionaries of Charity includes provision of medications and supplies received as in-kind donations in our Naples office, financial support for overall operations, and inclusion of referred patients in our specialized emergency care network. The Missionaries of Charity Les Cayes facility features both in-patient and out-patient medical care, food distribution, and a malnutrition recuperation center. Moreover, it hosts an orphanage facility equipped for children with handicaps – a rarity in Haiti.
Many of Sister Guadeloupe’s pediatric residents have never before received dental care. Often abandoned outside the facility, the orphaned children with handicaps receive healthcare and education including first-rate developmental therapies. Despite the adequate supplies of donated toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss, many of the children clench their jaws, require significant orthodontic work, or have never received a cleaning. In the newest extension of our partnership, Dr. Esperance established Tuesday dental clinics specifically for Missionary of Charity residents.
Dr. Esperance educates both children and staff members on proper dental care and hygiene. The Sisters prepared each patient in advance by dressing them in their Sunday-best and talking about what to expect at a doctor’s office. Dr. Esperance works hard to make their first interaction with a dentist a positive one. “The children always love me,” Esperance says laughing. “A lot of the time they’re scared of the instruments when they walk in. So I talk to them for a little while, let them get to know me and trust me. Then they want to open their mouths.”
After three weeks of the special dental Clinics, Dr. Esperance has successfully treated 23 Missionary of Charity patients thus far out of an estimated 60 in need of care. Each week, Dr. Esperance works diligently. She has given medications for gingivitis and inflammation and made follow-up appointments to make sure that the most severe cases receive the best care. “The Missionary of Charity consultations take more time. It is very difficult to record the typical patient data because of the lack of previous care and in many cases unknown birthdates or missing family histories.” Still, she says, the consultations are rewarding to both the patients and to herself. Working at the Infirmary Saint Etienne serves the poorest of the poor. “But the children always have huge smiles when they walk into my office, its great!”