 Ray of Hope |
 Pediatric cholera ward |
January 21, 2011
In two rural clinics where Hope for Haiti supports schools and nutrition facilities, the local populations have been living with no doctor for months on end. Communities in the mountains of Gris Gris (Sud-Est Department) and Baradères (Nippes Department) are hours on foot from healthcare facilities and even further from a full-fledged hospital. While the local clinics do their part to address routine health issues and conduct outreach in isolated areas, the absence of advanced healthcare professionals leaves many cases, many patients, and many lives to fall through the cracks.
 CTC with MSF present |
Hope for Haiti’s first effort was to send a young and energetic Haitian, Dr. Gracia Schiler, to the community of Baradères, where he could help the Little Sisters of St. Therese and the local nurses tackle the declining health of the community. But in December, an outbreak of cholera seized Baradères and took immediate priority over the clinic’s operations. Dispatching to his post early and working through the entire holiday season, Dr. Gracia helped set up the Cholera Treatment Center (CTC) in collaboration with extremely dedicated volunteers from Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
The tents are hot and wet; bleach tinges the nose and mixes into mud across the tarp-covered floor. But the clinical facilities are clean and the care is top-notch. Patients who come to the CTC are eventually leaving, alive. As the epidemic continues, Hope for Haiti’s approach will remain two-fold: we’ll support MSF and the local staff at the CTC while filling the clinic’s gap with a full-time physician. Where there was no doctor, now there is hope.
 Inside the Cholera Tent |
 CTC in Baradères |
 3 parents waiting |