Friends, we are writing to you today with a heavy heart as we have sad news to share—we have made the difficult decision to close the clinic in Dumay, Haiti indefinitely. As you can imagine, this is not a decision we came to lightly. It has broken our hearts to even have to write these words. Yet, however challenging this may be, we are certain that this is the right decision for Healing Art Missions at this moment in time.
As you know, the violent gang activity in the areas surrounding Port-au-Prince has been increasing recently. Nearly all businesses in Croix-des-Bouquets and Dumay have been closed for many months due to the risk of kidnapping or extortion by gang members.
For a time, the clinic was the exception and our amazing Haitian staff were able to provide healthcare services to the community. We were hopeful that we would be able to continue to operate and ride out this difficult moment in Haiti’s history, but that is not to be.
The situation in Dumay has become too dangerous for our staff and patients to travel safely to and from the clinic as the area around the clinic has become a haven for gang activity. We cannot, in good conscience, risk the wellbeing of our staff by maintaining services and, thus, have ceased operations.
We do not anticipate reopening the clinic or that HAM will have continued operations in Dumay in the foreseeable future.
The situation around Dumay is so volatile that, in recent months, the number of patients we were treating decreased by 20-50% in any given month as people moved out of the area and into other regions of Haiti that are not controlled by the gangs, such as the South, North, and Central Plateau.
As for clinic staff, we are currently working directly with each of them to ensure they receive a generous severance package and assistance as they explore options for continued employment and safe living situations for themselves and their families.
Although it is difficult for us to imagine not operating in Dumay, we feel that we have no choice but to move our operations to a safer location. Accordingly, Healing Art Missions will now be focusing its efforts on building a new program in the Nippes region of Haiti. So, though we collectively grieve the loss of our beloved clinic, please stay with us to see what we can accomplish together in this new endeavor. It is the end of an era, yes, but also a time of new possibility.