 Healing
Art Missions
Board of Directors, 2011
Tracee Laing
(Founding
Director)
Bob Clinger
Janine Flood
Bill Gettys
Paul B. Hammond
Keith Hare
Richard Hood Emeritus
Leslie Mihalov
Ulf Nilsson
Connie Ray
Bess Whitaker
PO Box 645
Granville, Ohio 43023
(740)587-2472
healingartmissions.org
We exist to support those in need
around the world, especially in the areas of health, nutrition, and education. Our work is
committed to fostering the dignity of the individual, respecting the ways of
the community and reflecting the strength of a loving God.
|
November 7, 2011
Recently, while preparing for a speaking engagement to US based doctors regarding global health, I vividly recalled my first trip to Haiti, in 1997. A long line of wailing mothers holding their wailing babies, all with the same question: what will become of my baby if you do not save it? The torrent of tears I first shed for those women and children quickly gave way to the determination that resulted in Healing Art Missions (HAM). Today in central Dumay, women have easy access to primary health care five days a week at the Centre de Santé Communautaire de Dumay, the clinic HAM created and funds. Because of the grass-roots support from individuals like you, there are fewer mothers in distress about their babies and the general health of the 20,000 people in the Dumay area is much improved. We have achieved this “new normal” by providing Haitians the guidance, tools and resources to realize sustainable health in their own community.
Today, a person can walk into the Centre de Santé Communautaire de Dumay to see a doctor, have a prescription filled, and even have a minor surgical procedure for the equivalent of 63 U.S. cents. If the doctor orders lab tests, they are provided at the cost of the supplies. If the patient is unable to afford even these minimal fees, the fees are waived. Vaccines are provided for free as are the filiriasis prevention and family planning programs. People who develop symptoms of cholera can go to HAM’s official Cholera Treatment Center adjacent to the clinic and receive immediate treatment by a trained nurse at no cost. Such access to care is very rare in Haiti but is the “new normal” in Dumay – all because of HAM’s donors and volunteers.
Much of Haiti remains in shambles from the 2010 earthquake, from the lack of
infrastructure before the earthquake, and from the cholera epidemic accidentally brought to the country by UN Peacekeepers. Of the 500 international humanitarian groups that came to Haiti in response to the earthquake two years ago, only about 30 remain. This reduction in international support and the media’s short attention span has put a great strain on this “new normal.”
As others have moved on, HAM has remained committed to delivering care in Dumay. Because of HAM’s consistent performance, we have been able to form partnerships with the Haitian Ministry of Health and with a slew of international humanitarian organizations including, UNICEF, PLAN International, Direct Relief
International, América Solidaria (Chile), Bundesrepublic Deutschland (Germany), AMI (Portugal), and Promess (France). While HAM provides the clinic and staff in Dumay, these organizations have supplied medicine and supplies, valued at $489,000. So these partners multiply the value of your gift to HAM by more than three times!
For over a decade, HAM has weathered the frequent challenges and disasters that have plagued Haiti to create this “new normal” of community health in Dumay. This progress in community health can only be maintained through the continued support of donors like you. Please read the accompanying report of HAM’s progress this year to see how we are able to put every donated dollar immediately to work in Haiti, and those dollars making a huge difference in the lives of the people there.
You can help make a difference...by sending us a check written to “Healing Art Missions” or “HAM” in the enclosed envelope (don’t forget to add a postage stamp), or you can donate safely online at our website, healingartmissions.org. Make sure you provide us with your email address so you can get regular updates on our activities. I also ask for your support in sharing our story with others you might know who, like you and me, care about making a difference in the world. Please share our website, with others, and “Friend” us on Facebook so you can easily follow our work.
Your investment in Healing Art Missions provides direct, people to people aid, a community-to-community connection with the population we serve in Haiti. Together we are making a difference in the lives of the Haitian people.
Most sincerely,
Tracee Laing M.D. Founder and Medical Director
Healing Art Missions
|
