HEALTHCARE PARTNERS IN HAITI PLEAD FOR HELP

The situation in Haiti has deteriorated rapidly in recent weeks and our partners at the Haiti Health Network have, once again, sounded the alarm with U.S. governmental officials and the United Nations.

This week, Healing Art Missions and 160 other individuals and healthcare providers signed onto a letter, Death and destruction: Is this the end of healthcare in Haiti? which we hope will spur action.

Please take a moment to read the letter and, if you are able, reach out to your representatives to ask them not to turn away.

Thank you for your continued support of the Haitian people.

Announcing Changes to HAM Programming

A team walks to a home to check on a water filtration system provided by Healing Art Missions. Photo Credit: Jessica Phelps

Dearest Friends,

We write today with important news about Healing Art Missions’ programming in Haiti.

As you know, HAM has served communities in Haiti for 25 years and, over those years, the focus and nature of our work has shifted due to circumstances in the country and their impact on our staff and operations.

As we begin 2024, HAM finds itself at an inflection point. Although we were able to successfully implement new programs, and even grow, in 2023, we recognize that, due to ongoing challenges in Haiti, our growth trajectory is not sustainable and we need to right-size the organization now in order to meet our upcoming financial obligations.

Accordingly, HAM’s U.S. leadership team is working closely with our Medical Director in Haiti, Dr. Jean Fritz Jacques, to hibernate our medical programming by June 30, 2024. We are so proud of the work of the Mobile Medical Team over the past year but, as a small organization, we will not be able to continue to fund the air transport, supplies, salaries, and housing costs to keep this program operational for all of 2024. Please note, Dr. Jacques will remain on staff as HAM’s Country Director for Haiti, and will use this time to try to identify additional partnerships for HAM’s medical programming in the future.  

HAM is, unfortunately, not alone in these challenges. Many small Haitian NGOs, like HAM, have already shuttered medical programs or scaled back other initiatives due to the many challenges in the country. It is becoming increasingly difficult to purchase supplies, transport staff safely, and find the financial resources needed to keep programs running.

These difficulties are due to the chokehold rivaling gangs have on 80% of the capital city, Port-au-Prince, and the fact that there is no functioning government to help organizations like ours. For the past year, HAM has been navigating these challenges by bearing the high cost of flying our medical team out of gang territory into the Southern peninsula to do their work. We did this under the assumption that this would be a temporary need and that we would be able to resume ground transport of personnel sometime in 2023. Unfortunately, it has become apparent that it will not be safe to transport our staff on Haitian roads anytime in the near future. The gangs control all roads in and out of Port-au-Prince, and kidnappings and extortion are common.

In 2023, HAM’s Mobile Medical Team worked out of two Haitian hospitals—Ste. Therese in Miragoâne, and the Community Hospital in Port Salut. Dr. Jacques is in communication with the leadership teams at these facilities and with the Haitian Ministry of Health to build a transition plan for patients.

HAM’s supporters have been incredibly generous in supporting the work of the Mobile Medical Team, but as Haiti’s situation has deteriorated, we have also seen a corresponding reduction in donations from foundations and other entities which have previously been open to funding Haitian causes. We no longer can finance this program with individual donations alone. Thus, HAM has made the difficult, but necessary decision to phase out medical programming in 2024 and to focus on our two other partner communities:

School in Port-de-Paix: The Charles Salomon Primary School in Haiti’s North West department provides a high-quality education to children in an impoverished community. If it weren’t for HAM’s support, the children in the community would likely not attend school otherwise. HAM remains committed to ensuring that the children of Port-de-Paix have access to educational opportunities.

Clean water and basic healthcare in Demier: HAM is the only NGO which supports the rural mountainous community of Demier. With our support, the community has access to water filtration systems and basic healthcare. HAM will remain a partner to the hundreds of families in Demier to ensure they have access to these basic human needs.

The situation in Haiti is very perilous right now—more so than any living Haitian can recall. Healing Art Missions remains grateful for the support of our loyal community as we continue to help the everyday people of Haiti the best we can. Right now, in order for us to continue to help, it requires us to reduce our programming in order to preserve the organization for the long-term. By phasing out our medical programming, HAM will be able to continue to support two communities in Haiti which have no other partners.

We recognize that this change may come as a surprise for some who have followed and supported our organization over these many years, but we ask for your patience and understanding as we continue to navigate the challenges we face due to the unrest in Haiti.

Our goal has always been, and still remains, to help the Haitian people to the best of our ability with the resources we have available to us. At this time, focusing our financial and staff resources on the communities of Port-de-Paix and Demier will enable us to continue to achieve that objective.

Thank you for your continued support and for your commitment to the people of Haiti.

We are both available to answer questions or provide additional information; our email addresses are below and we welcome your outreach.

In gratitude,

Tracee Laing                                                  Connie Skingel

Founding Director                                        Executive Director

tracee@healingartmissions.org                connie@healingartmissions.org

A Letter from Dr. Jacques

Dear Donors, Family, Board Members, and Friends,

Despite the complex challenges of Haiti's current multifaceted crisis, ranging from economic hardship, inadequate health care, and security gaps which underscore the indispensability of a comprehensive approach to alleviate suffering and protect the vulnerable, the impact of HAM and the team on the ground has been exceptional during this challenged 2023 year.

HAM has been a pillar of Ste. Thérèse Hospital, the 80-bed hospital located in Miragoâne in the Nippes department providing 100% of anesthesia care and anesthesia drugs, 100% of orthopedic and traumatological care, 80% of overall surgical care, and 50% of midwifes activities. Additionally, HAM plays a key role in building leadership capabilities by mentoring senior’s residents, coaching senior hospital executives and helping them manage the supply chain.

HAM also supports surgical equity one full week per month in the 35-bed Community Hospital in Port-Salut in the southern region and is responsible for operating on 100% of pediatric surgery patients. In fact, Haiti only has 4 pediatric surgeons, 3 in Port-au-Prince and one in the northern region. Due to the scarcity of qualified surgical specialists and subspecialists in those regions, one of the most challenging and important planning strategies, therefore, was to build a highly skilled team that can handle different types of surgery with competence and trust.

Thus, behind every positive action and impact there are a lot of sacrifices and contributions, so I address my own gratitude to:

1) My direct family and friends who are taking care of my children while I am on the ground in Haiti operating on patients that are stuck in their area due the violence and armed group activities which are creating a direct interference on humanitarian operations and access to human basic rights.

2) To the trusted and resilient Healing Art Missions board members and continuing donors, you are the cornerstone and the blood life of every accomplishment of HAM in Haiti.

3) To the HAM team on the ground in Haiti specially the HAM’s mobile team who have always been with me in the operating room.

4) To our local partners: The Ste. Thérèse Hospital staff , Port-Salut Community Hospital staff, the Health Ministry (MSPP), Planification Ministry (MPCE), and our partners at Hope for Haiti.

5) Towards our past, present, and future patients who believed in our services, they are the essence of our commitment.

Even if the Haitian authorities fail to pursue and respect Article 19 of the Haitian Constitution which clearly specifies that "the State has the absolute obligation to guarantee the right to life, to health, and to respect for human person for all citizens without distinction,” at HAM we firmly believe in the right of all Haitians to access fundamental services such safe drinking water, education, equitable health care, employment and housing. These are important because these rights are a social justice issue and are in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Thank you for your full support and with gratitude and full appreciation I wish you a healthy happy new year.

Dr Jean Fritz Jacques, MD, MBA, CEO Medical Director, HAM 

https://healthcluster.who.int/newsroom/news/item/05-09-2023-haiti-health-cluster-navigating-a-multifaceted-humanitarian-crisis

As 2023 Comes to an End...

From left-to-right: Jöel Saint-Cyr (midwife), Durone Nadege (nurse), Dr. Aurelien Novinsky (surgical resident), Yvelande Rosier (nurse), Dr. David Ednel Antoine (orthopedic resident), Dr. Patricia Jean-Baptiste (anesthesiologist), Dr. Jean Fritz Jacques.

Dear Friends,

We want to thank you for your support and for continuing to hold the people of Haiti in your heart during the country's ongoing struggles. Over these past months, you may have found yourself wondering if Haiti may be hopeless, or questioning how Haiti can recover from the current insecurity and instability. These are concerns we all share. However, we write today to ask you to keep the faith.

It's true, this past year has been particularly challenging—yet, what a year it has been! We have had successes in ways we could not have imagined. We don't know what the future holds but, for now, Healing Art Missions is not only still working in Haiti, we are flourishing while many similar organizations are discontinuing services or closing altogether. 

Since our last Annual Report, Healing Art Missions has:

·       Fully transitioned from a place-based medical provider to a Mobile Medical Team.

·       Established partnerships with other nonprofit organizations in Haiti to increase collaboration, information sharing, and to help us secure medications and supplies that are difficult to obtain on our own.

·       Provided a high-quality education to 358 children.

·       Purchased 50 new water filtration systems and 30 repair kits for the community of Demier.

·       Employed 56 Haitians at a time when unemployment in Haiti is at 14.8%.

We are all watching the news and know that the people of Haiti are suffering right now. None of us can fix that at a macro level, but at a micro level, Healing Art Missions is making a difference.

On the pages that follow, you will see statistics about the number of people we have helped. Behind each of those numbers is a life that was changed because Healing Art Missions refuses to give up on the people of Haiti. Thank you for not giving up either and for continuing to stand with the Haitian people.

Most sincerely yours,

Connie Skingel, Executive Director                     Tracee Laing, M.D., Founding Director

P.S. Thank you for your continued support. We will put your gift to work immediately to ensure Haitians have access to the basic human needs of healthcare, education, clean water, and employment.  

Training Residents

Dr. Jacques and surgical medical resident, Dr. Aurelien Novinsky, review an x-ray with a patient. 

This past year, 85% of Haitian healthcare facilities reported staff shortages due to professionals leaving Haiti. Many of these facilities had to reduce services, or close their doors entirely, as a result. Healing Art Missions has been working to address this issue. We recognize that Haiti will need a sufficient number of qualified healthcare providers to address the country's needs in the future, and that the current "brain drain" in Haiti is going to create long-term ripple effects. Since it is not safe to send our physicians into Port-au-Prince to conduct trainings, and since we do not have a clinic in that region to offer hands-on education, we have begun bringing medical residents into the southern peninsula with our Mobile Medical Team.

For two weeks each month, a resident works side-by-side with Dr. Jacques and the other physicians, nurses, and midwives who provide care. Not only are these students gaining important skills and fulfilling their training requirements, but they are also filling important gaps in medical care as specialty physicians become increasingly scarce in Haiti's rural regions. It is our hope that this program will help medical residents visualize themselves as part of the solution to Haiti's problems and demonstrate that it is possible to remain in Haiti and practice medicine.

Program Summaries: Charles Salomon Primary School, Demier Clean Water and Health Program

Charles Salomon Primary School

It was a very challenging year for the students, parents, teachers, and administrators at the Charles Salomon Primary School. Due to circumstances beyond their control, the start of school was delayed until January, so they had to make up for a lot of lost time. The teachers are extraordinary, however, and did just that! All 25 of the school's returning students who were scheduled to take standardized tests passed with flying colors.

The Charles Salomon Primary School continues to serve children in Port-de-Paix who may not attend school otherwise. Classes are based on grade level, not age, so no student gets left behind.  

• 358 Students pre-k through grade 9

• 33 Staff

Calixte (standing left) and Ferdinand (standing right) Juste lead a water filtration system training for the women of Demier.

Demier Clean Water and Health Program 

This past year Healing Art Missions invested in 50 new 5-gallon water filtration systems and 30 repair kits for the community of Demier. Ferdinand and Calixte Juste are HAM employees who live in Demier and maintain the water systems, train the community on their use, and to provide basic health services, such as vaccinations.

Program Summaries: Mobile Medical Team, Safe Birthing

Mobile Medical Team 

Photo Caption: Robert Civil and his sister, Jirone Civil, pose with Dr. Jean Fritz Jacques after Robert’s successful compartment syndrome surgery.

Healing Art Missions' Mobile Medical Team serves the communities of Miragoâne and Port Salut in Haiti's southern peninsula. The team is comprised of two surgeons, two orthopedists, an anesthesiology resident, a nurse anesthetist, two general/emergency physicians, two midwives, a surgical nurse, and a pharmacist.

In Miragoâne: The Mobile Medical Team provides 100% of all orthopedic surgery and 80-90% of all general surgery and anesthesiology.

In Port Salut: Haiti's Ministry of Public Health has requested that the Team provide 100% of all pediatric surgeries and all complex adult surgeries, due to their high rates of positive outcomes.

From October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023, HAM provided the following services in the Southern Peninsula:  

• Orthopedic consultations:  1,126

• Orthopedic surgeries: 64

• Surgical consultations:  1,292

• General surgeries: 797 

Durone Nadege

Profile: Nurse Nadege

Duroné Nadège has been working at Healing Art Missions for one year and, in that time, she has become an indispensable asset to the HAM team. In her role as Head Nurse, she is the backbone of the Operating Room. She prepares supplies, sterilizes equipment, and is responsible for scheduling.

Nurse Nadège enjoys the work she does and says she enjoys helping. She shares that "Everything the Mobile Medical Team in Haiti does is possible because of the support of the people who finance Healing Art Missions. There can't be intervention without equipment or specialists. The patients are always grateful for HAM's service, but today I wish to express my gratitude to HAM's supporters: Thank you for this magnificent initiative to send important services to the people of Haiti. Just thank you. I can't thank you enough."

New mom, Samentha Juste, and her beautiful baby girl.

Safe Birthing

• Prenatal consultations: 535

• Midwife-assisted deliveries: 294

Nurse Yvelande Rosier is Making a Difference

By: Sergisson Milord

Everyday, Healing Art Missions' Mobile Medical Team works to their very limits to help bring about a better tomorrow for the people of Haiti.

Nurse Yvelande Rosier is one of the dedicated team members who makes this possible. Nurse Rosier joined Healing Art Missions in 2021 at a time when we were working in the Nippes Department after a particularly devastating earthquake.

Nurse Rosier partners with Nurse Nadege, who was featured in a previous article, to prepare patients for their surgeries.

Nurse Rosier states that the best part of her job is assisting in the operating room, but she really loves all aspects of being a part of the team.

She remembers her time as an intern at Ste. Thérèse Hospital before the arrival of Healing Art Missions. She states, "At that time there was only a surgeon in the hospital on Fridays, but now that Healing Art Missions is here there is a surgeon every day."

Nurse Rosier recalls a recent patient helped by Healing Art Missions' presence. The patient was suffering from chronic osteomyelitis, a serious infection of the bone. The patient had been turned away at other hospitals because they could not address his complex needs. When he arrived at Ste. Thérèse, however, he found that the Healing Art Missions' team was able to help him. The patient was treated successfully and is doing well.

Nurse Rosier wanted to tell Healing Art Missions' supporters:

Thank you for your support because Healing Art Missions is helping people. In Haiti, access to healthcare is extremely difficult. Without Healing Art Missions, there are people who would not have the care they deserve. I recently lost my uncle for this reason. He had a strangulated hernia, but there were no health facilities open in his area and he died on the way to the nearest hospital.

Healing Art Missions remains committed to ensuring that quality surgical care is available at Ste. Thérèse Hospital and the Community Hospital of Port Salut. We are truly grateful for Nurse Rosier's skill and commitment to providing high-quality, compassionate healthcare.

Introducing New Board Member Lisa R. Thuer-Winkelfoos

By: Connie Skingel

Healing Art Missions is pleased to announce the addition of a new member of our Board of Directors, Lisa R. Thuer-Winkelfoos. Lisa currently serves as the Director of Development at the Women's Sports Foundation, which was founded in 1974 by Billie Jean King and works to level the playing field to ensure every girl and woman has the opportunity to reach her full potential through the power of sports.

Lisa's connection to Haiti is through her mom, Nancy. Nancy had a humanitarian's heart and she and Lisa took several mission trips together including building a clinic in Juarez, Mexico and working at a clinic in remote Jamaica.

Before her untimely death in 2016, Nancy had done extensive research on developing sustainable water systems with the goal of implementing her findings in Haiti. To honor her life and legacy, Lisa and a group of 12 others traveled to Haiti on Nancy's birthday in 2017 to work with a community to implement her findings. 

While in Haiti, Lisa noticed that the needs in Haiti felt much more acute than she had seen in other countries she had visited, including the need for basic medical care, supplies, and nutrition. The desire to help stayed with her long after that visit and when she met with Connie Skingel, Healing Art Missions' Executive Director, to learn more about the organization, she recognized that HAM's work addresses the very needs she had identified during her time in Haiti. Lisa stated,

"I really felt called to work with Healing Art Missions. They are delivering on their promise to help connect Haitians to the basic human needs that we tend to take for granted. It's an honor to serve on the Board and to do what I can to help."

Lisa lives in Lakewood, Ohio, with her wife, Natalie, stepson, Griffin, and Labradoodle, Cabo. She is a fitness enthusiast and yoga instructor who is currently training for the 2023 NYC Marathon. She is passionate about gender equity, democracy, and making the world a better place for all.

Welcome to Healing Art Missions, Lisa!

Updating and Adding Water Systems in Demier

By: Connie Skingel

Since 2000, Healing Art Missions has been partnering with the community of Demier to provide clean water and basic healthcare. This program is led by Ferdinande Juste, and his brother, Calixte.

This spring, they shared that the Demier community desperately needed more water filtration systems and that repairs were needed to for some of the older units. To address this, HAM invested in 50 new water filtration systems and 30 repair kits for the Demier community.

Ferdinand and Calixte delivered the units in July and have set up the new units, conducted the necessary repairs, and trained the community on proper use of the water filtration system. 

Healing Art Missions is grateful for the incredible work of Ferdinand and Calixte.