Update on Healing Art Missions’ August 2021 Haitian Earthquake Response Project

HAM’s medical Director, Dr. Jacques, continues to take the lead in working with HAM’s multiple partners on the ground in Haiti, including the Haitian Ministry of Health (MSPP). It appears that Dr. Jacques is a leader whom all of our partners trust and will listen to. HAM was the first NGO to reach Les Cayes, the largest city close to the epicenter, and as of August 22nd, Dr. Jacques reports we have a team of surgery and orthopedic residents in Les Cayes, rotating between different hospital and locations there including the MSSP’s General Hospital, Notre Dame Hospital, and Finca Lumière Hospital, as well as the MSPP facilities in Port-Salut.

The Banner displayed in front of the Hospitals where our teams are working. The translation for the Banner is: Response to the earthquake Broken Bones Injuries Surgery

The Banner displayed in front of the Hospitals where our teams are working.
The translation for the Banner is: 

Response to the earthquake
Broken Bones
Injuries
Surgery

With so many logistical issues to address, coordinating supplies and medical staff, traveling on earthquake damaged and dangerous roads from Port-au-Prince to work in the Southwest, coordinating surgical teams working in several towns and hospitals, Dr. Jacques has hired Natacha Dorlean as our Project Manager.  She is traveling to Les Cayes today where she will be located for a month. Ms. Dorlean has an MBA from the Inter American University Of Puerto Rico and has many years of professional experience in accounting and management working for corporations in Haiti. We are delighted to have Ms. Dorlean join our team and she will be of vital help working on the ground near the most affected areas.

Dr. Jacques has been extremely busy negotiating lodgings with the local Ministry of Health (MSPP), negotiating salaries, coordinating specialists and surgical residents and setting up transportation to get the team to Les Cayes & Nippes. In Les Cayes our team has been performing surgeries round the clock. One team of specialists at the Notre Dame Hospital in Les Cayes includes two orthopedic surgeons, one general surgeon and a PGY 4 general surgery resident, as well as two PGY 4 orthopedic residents and one wound care nurse. HAM has the first team of specialists who are performing orthopedic cases on earthquake victims in Nippes, where our team now consists of two orthopedic surgeons, one medical coordinator, and one wound care nurse, and three to four anesthetist nurses. We are ensuring the surgery services will continue to be available in MSPP General Hospital in Nippes, and the Hôpital Sainte Thérèse in Miragoâne, for at least three months.

Dr. Fontulme Junior (4th yr Ortho Resident), Dr. Jacques (Director HAM, Haiti), Dr. Romulus Edner Beethoven (4th yr Ortho Resident, HAM Resident Ambassador on the ground in Les Cayes) 

Dr. Fontulme Junior (4th yr Ortho Resident), Dr. Jacques (Director HAM, Haiti), Dr. Romulus Edner Beethoven (4th yr Ortho Resident, HAM Resident Ambassador on the ground in Les Cayes) 

We have been having some difficulty locating and negotiating for medical supplies in Haiti, especially external fixation devices used for orthopedic surgeries. It’s a complicated process that requires Dr. Jacques to work directly with the MSPP and other Haitian Ministries who control imports and prioritizing which groups are given priority to purchase limited supplies. He is currently trying to get HAM to the front of that line. 

HAM’s team was the first from outside of the primary affected area to arrive on the scene and continues to lead the medical response on the ground. Dr. Jacques plans to spend time this week in Les Cayes and Miragoâne, so we should have more information soon.  

Wound care nurse Juliette in action in Nippes MSPP Hospital

Wound care nurse Juliette in action in Nippes MSPP Hospital

The Earthquake in Haiti and HAM's Emergency Response

NATURAL DISASTERS

Over the last few days Haiti has been challenged by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that has injured over 6,000 people and taken the lives of almost 2,000 people with the death toll rising by the minute. Countless structures have been destroyed leaving thousands homeless as a tropical storm battered the island just one day after the earthquake, causing landslides and flash flooding. Healing Art Missions was fortunate that most of our projects were far enough away from the epicenter that there was no significant damage to our facilities and we’ve accounted for all our staff.

HEALING-ART-MISSIONS-EARTHQUAKE-RELIEF-2021-1 copy1.jpg

CHALLENGES WE FACE AND OUR RESPONSE

As the earthquake tore through infrastructure leaving countless individuals wounded, hospitals are overwhelmed by thousands seeking medical care as supplies and international support are not entering the country fast enough.  While HAM’s primary projects focus on community-based healthcare, education, clean water, and employment, involvement in responding to natural disasters in Haiti also fits within HAM’s mission. Given our facilities were relatively undamaged, HAM’s Medical Director Dr. Jacques and the Board of Directors on Healing Art Missions realized we were in a unique strategic position to respond to the crisis.  As of a few days ago we did not have the resources in-house to support such a major project as sending a medical team to the communities most affected by the earthquake.  As a response, HAM has been working quickly to partner with other organizations and foundations to respond to the crisis.  

Our Medical Director, Dr. Jacques, also works with the Haitian Association of Surgeons as well as teaching in the Surgery Department of Haiti State University Hospital. He has been directly involved in organizing an initial response to the earthquake. The Haitian Association of Surgeons sent out transport vehicles to bring victims back to PaP for treatment, and the first Ambulance, with 12 patients, was kidnapped by gangs controlling the roads. The Ambulance and patients have since been released. Seeing the risks involved with trying to transport patients requiring surgery firsthand, he and his team immediately pivoted to sending surgical residents in Port-au-Prince out to the affected areas to care for patients on location. Unfortunately, like most of Haiti these organizations lack the resources to support any robust response required of such an emergency of this magnitude.

HEALING-ART-MISSIONS-EARTHQUAKE-RELIEF-2021-4.jpg

OUR PARTNERS

While Dr. Jacques and HAM strategized how we could successfully launch an emergency response to the affected areas, Together Rising reached out to HAM to check in on our programs and discuss support.  We proposed our relief strategy involving Dr. Jacques and our partnership with the HaItian Association of Surgeons.  Within a day, we had emergency funding from Together Rising, allowing HAM to work with The Haitian Association of Surgeons to provide trauma surgeons, orthopedists and anesthesiologists along with wound care experts, nurses and administration support to coordinate a widespread effort to help those injured by the quake and by being able to bring surgeons and staff to the communities devastated the most. 

HAM’s goal is to support in collaboration with the Haitian Association of Surgeons and Haitian State University Hospital (HUEH) a well trained team of Haitian specialist surgeons to give a quick and appropriate response.  In the post earthquake often serious post traumatic complications occur after 24 hours and require specialized management by well-trained  specialists who are not always available in the affected areas.  With these heightened and variable needs, Dr Jacques and our partners are working on mobilizing a surgical team that is expertly equipped, including a disaster trauma surgeon, a thoracic surgeon, a vascular surgeon, a wound care expert, two anesthetist nurses, a senior general surgeon, an orthopedist, an anesthesiologist, ten surgical, trauma, and anesthesia residents and coordination staff.

Working directly with Dr. Jacques as the nexus for the Haitian Association of Surgeons, the Surgery Department of Haiti State University Hospital, and HAM, we are mobilizing to maintain surgical teams where needed in the Les Cayes area of Haiti. The emergency funding from Together Rising will include coordination between the project’s three partners, Healing Art Missions, Haitian Association of Surgeons, and Surgery Department of Haiti State University Hospital. HAM will lead the coordinated effort in managing labor, transportation, supplies and equipment, as well as the medical follow-up of patients following surgery. We will be initiating two phases of the response, Phase 1 covers the first 15 days post-earthquake medical response, and Phase 2: from 15 to 30 days after earthquake.

HEALING-ART-MISSIONS-EARTHQUAKE-RELIEF-2021-3.jpg

DISASTER RELIEF IN A FRAGILE STATE

Dr. Jacques has said “After the 2010 earthquake most of the specialists came from USA,Spain,France and Canada but with the COVID- 19 health crisis and the insecure situation in Haiti, it would be more practical and reasonable to mobilize local skills for a more efficient rapid response. Despite the availability of qualified local human resources, financial resources and supplies are often lacking and all of this is in line with Healing Art Missions which is to help qualified Haitians to help others by providing the necessary resources to do this.”

We recognize the grand scale of organizing this response to help those who are injured and lack access to medical care.  With help from Together Rising, the Haitian Association of Surgeons, and Surgery Department of Haiti State University Hospital, we have a chance to access patients in a dire situation.   We are in deep gratitude of all those who have inquired to check in on the health of the Dumay Community, and residents of our other programs.  Your concern and help allows us to grow and expand our programs to reach otherwise vulnerable individuals in rural Haitian Communities. Please click the button below if you would like to contribute to our disaster relief efforts.

HAM Board of Directors Plans for the Future

A few weeks ago, the Healing Art Missions’ (HAM) Board of Directors held it’s first Board Retreat. We were able to convene all nine current board members together in our home base of Granville, OH. Given that we have board members living on opposite coasts, this was the first time several members had ever met face to face. Dr. Jacques, our Haitian Medical Director, was able fly in from Haiti to join us as well. The purpose of this gathering was to prepare ourselves for a national search to hire an Executive Director to run the day-to-day operations of HAM in the U.S.

Left to right:  Jeff Hammond, Connie Ray, Keith Hare, Jean Fritz Jacques, M.D., Adam Rhodes, Leslie Mihalov, MD., Jack Blanks, Cheryl Jalbert, Paul Hammond, Tracee Laing

Left to right: Jeff Hammond, Connie Ray, Keith Hare, Jean Fritz Jacques, M.D., Adam Rhodes, Leslie Mihalov, MD., Jack Blanks, Cheryl Jalbert, Paul Hammond, Tracee Laing

The Board Retreat and hiring of an Executive Director have been years in the making. For the last twelve years Dr. Tracee and Paul Hammond, have worked together managing HAM’s operations and fundraising as volunteers with no paid staff. Six years ago, Dr. Tracee and Paul realized that the current volunteer administrative model was not sustainable in the long term; they were aging, the needs of the community in Dumay and the operating budget continue increasing annually, and the idea that they would find someone else qualified and willing to volunteer their time and expertise was unrealistic. Immediately they began working on a plan to be able to transition the organization to a paid Executive Director who would manage the daily activities of the organization, and strengthen the Board’s role in governance.

In 2020 HAM received a special grant from the SoHum Foundation specifically for the purpose of planning and preparing for the transition from an all-volunteer staff in the U.S., as has been the case since HAM’s beginnings, to the more-sustainable model of a paid Executive Director to run daily operations. The funds from this grant were to pay for two key elements to support the process: 1) hire outside consultants to help HAM’s current leadership and the Board of Directors define, understand and prepare for their role in the governance of HAM, present and future, and 2) hire an experienced part-time grant writer for one year to see if we could more successfully identify and navigate funding opportunities from foundations supporting humanitarian work such as HAM’s, a complicated process we have had minimal success with in the past. 

For the first element we were fortunate to be able to engage the Benefactor Group out of Columbus, OH to work with Dr. Tracee, Paul and the entire Board of Directors in reviewing and updating the organizational bylaws, defining and organizing the boards role in the governance of HAM, and preplanning for the upcoming search for an Executive Director. The Board Retreat was key to this process, and the entire board emerged from the retreat focused and energized, ready to move forward. 

For the second element, we contracted with an experienced independent grant writer, Robyn Straley, who has been working five hours per week for us all year long. Just within the last month we received news from the Together Rising Foundation, one of the funders Robyn had identified and submitted a grant request, has granted our request to fund the capital purchase of a new truck in Haiti, as well as funds to complete the new Safe Birthing facilities. 

We will keep our supporters updated as we move forward on the transitions plans, the timing of which is somewhat dependent on the ability to safely travel to Haiti. I’m sure more than one of you is wondering about Dr. Tracee’s new role in this transition, but rest assured both she and Paul will remain on the HAM Board of Directors, actively involved in the activities and governance of HAM.  

Brief Update on the Situation in Haiti

Haiti’s ongoing sociopolitical crises took a turn for the worse on July 7th with the assassination of President Jovenel Moise. Following the assassination were weeks of political scuffling, but on July 20th interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph agreed to step down and hand power to his rival Ariel Henry. Henry is a 72 years old neurosurgeon who entered politics in 2000 as a leader of the Democratic Convergence movement in opposition to Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s presidency and is currently a member of Inite, a center-left and social-democratic party. 

iStock-1142744486.jpg

While the conflict of who will be Prime Minister may be over, gangs continue to rule the streets and violence and killings continue. The international community continues to press for the first round of parliamentary and presidential elections to be held on September 26. Prime Minister Henry seems to be following that course stating “the mission of this government is to prepare the conditions to hold the elections as quickly as possible.” However, leading Haitian civil society groups as well as rights activists are pushing back on that idea, citing ongoing gang violence, lawlessness and displacement that make for an unsafe environment for candidates to campaign and voters going to the polls. 

There is a constant struggle over how and what support Haiti needs from the international community. Military intervention has left a long and troubled legacy. Humanitarian aid can be positive if done in partnership with Haitians collaborating with their communities, but can be destructive when poorly managed, or based on principles not relevant to the average Haitian. We don’t know the answer, but hope the solution comes from the people of Haiti, with appropriate support for their ideas from the international community. 

What we do know is that HAM’s collaboration with the communities we serve remains strong. This model has served us well for the past 22 years and we have every intention of continuing together for a long time coming.

Midyear Letter from Founding Director

Healing Art Missions supporters should have received our Mid-Year 2021 Letter and
News Update already, but we wanted to make sure everyone had ample
opportunity to see HAM's priorities and projects as we pass the
half-way mark on 2021.

7aa802dc-9a26-48ff-a3dd-6321e99ea8f1.JPG

 Living the past sixteen months in a world beset by a pandemic has left us all questioning when life will return to “normal.” But if normal means “usual, average, or typical,” I think it’s safe to say that whatever world we regain post-pandemic, we will not return to normal, but rather we will create a new normal. Like it or not, global change is happening at a quickening pace—the exponential growth of technology, climate change, and the chasm between wealth and poverty. The fundamental question to ask is, how will we adapt to this rapidly changing world? The pandemic has taught us that it is difficult to anticipate exactly what challenges will face us. But we have learned how important individual values and, in the case of an organization the team’s values, are to reacting, adapting to and surviving whatever lies ahead. 

For 22 years Healing Art Missions (HAM) has adapted to the many unanticipated changes confronting Haiti. I fully believe that our successful ability to navigate such challenges comes from the solid foundation of HAM’s mission, vision, and values. Whenever we face an unexpected obstacle, HAM’s leadership is able to stand on that sound foundation to determine how we shall adapt. Here are HAM’s foundation pillars: 

Our Mission: To collaborate with rural Haitians, connecting communities to healthcare, education, clean water, and employment.

Our Vision: The lack of basic resources creates the condition of structural poverty. HAM helps Haitians access fundamental rights and lift their communities out of the cycle of poverty.

Our Values: We foster the dignity of the individual, respect the ways of the community, and reflect the strength of a loving God.

The new birthing center and midwives sleeping quarters are under construction.

The new birthing center and midwives sleeping quarters are under construction.

During the past 16 months, HAM has responded to the pandemic’s effect on our Haitian partner communities. Because Haiti has yet to receive a single dose of the COVID vaccine, these communities remain at risk, and HAM must prepare. But a single crisis cannot distract us from our larger purpose. During this same period, HAM has invested in projects to expand our ability to meet the health care needs of the Dumay community into the future. We have expanded the surgery program. We’ve constructed a new Safe Birthing Center to support our burgeoning Safe Birthing Program, which has outgrown existing space in the Dumay facilities. We are also implementing an Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system to replace our paper charting system at the Dumay Clinic to allow us to more effectively track individual patient’s long-term health and treatment, and to monitor health trends in the community overall. 

Dr. Jacques is working with Surgical Residents in Dumay.

Dr. Jacques is working with Surgical Residents in Dumay.

Here in the U.S. we know the sustainability of HAM’s work relies on our ability to cultivate the funds necessary to serve our mission. To that end, we are focused on enriching our Board’s leadership abilities and, recognizing that an all-volunteer U.S. organization is unsustainable, we are planning to hire a paid Executive Director. Simultaneously, we are increasing organizational transparency for our supporters by joining three of the most trusted nonprofit vetting sites: GuideStar, and Great Nonprofits which have incorporated our data, and Charity Navigator, with which we are in the process of registering. We encourage you to check HAM’s ratings on GuideStar, and we hope you will add your own story of support for HAM to our Great Nonprofits page, since their rating is based on stakeholder evaluations.: 

 
 


I cannot predict the future just as I cannot know what a “new normal” might look like. But because I fully believe in and support HAM’s foundational principals, I have faith that we will continue to nurture supportive partners like you who want to help make a positive impact in the world. Thank you so much for being on our team!


 Sincerely yours,

HAM_Newsletter2021MidyearFINAL0608.jpg
 

Dr. Tracee Laing

 

to view the original newsletter format click the button below.

 

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs June 2021 Report

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released a report on the current status of the crisis in Haiti which we wanted to share with HAM supporters. This report highlights the escalation of violence and resulting new population displacements, vast transportation and supply chain slowdowns, and the impact on Health Centers. Despite all this, HAM’s primary care clinic in Dumay continues full-time operations serving the health needs of the community.

 

Needing A Little Help From Our Friends

accbf6ed510c210a_org.jpg

If you love our work then tell the world! As a Healing Art Missions (HAM) supporter you have an opportunity to help us make even more of a difference in our community. GreatNonprofits-a review site like TripAdvisor-is honoring highly reviewed nonprofits with their 2021 Top-Rated Awards. Won't you help us raise visibility for our work by posting a review of your experience with us? All reviews will be visible to potential donors and volunteers. It's easy and only takes 3 minutes!

Great-Nonprofits-logo-300x54.jpg
 

Covid Re-emerges in Haiti

covi19-re-emerges-in-haiti-haitian-healthcare-healing-art-missions.jpg

We wanted to provide a quick update to all our supporters of the state of COVID in Haiti. Dr. Jacques has seen a significant increase in suspected cases at HAM’s Dumay Clinic, as well as at General Hospital. The Haitian newspaper, Haiti Libre, has also reported in uptick in new cases and deaths from Covid, though testing in Haiti remains terribly limited and the country has still not received a single dose of a Covid vaccine. Dr. Jacques was concerned that the clinic might run low on face masks, so Tracee called out to the Granville community for donations of unused face masks. The response was exceptional and this past week we sent a thousand mask to Haiti and we’re sending another thousand again this week. 

Thanks to everyone who donated masks and to all those who consistently support our work in Haiti.

Healing Art Missions earns Gold Seal of Transparency from GuideStar

It wouldn’t be difficult to argue that Healing Art Missions (HAM) supporters are among the most generous, dedicated, and loyal donors to be found. Some of you have partnered with HAM since the late 1990’s when Dr. Tracee returned from her first trip to Haiti with the idea of directly partnering with the community of Dumay to build a medical clinic with regular access to health care. Many of you discovered HAM through the Haitian art auctions that began in Granville, Ohio as a way to help pay for the medications and medical supplies needed, for which our organization derived our name; Dr. Tracee and her team of volunteers taking suitcases filled with medicine and supplies for the clinic and returning with suitcases filled with beautiful and unique Haitian art to be auctioned off in order to pay for the next round of medications. And many others were introduced to HAM through other volunteers and supporters who understood the value and dedication and saw the great need in Haiti. Support for HAM has always epitomized the concept of grass-roots support.

From our very humble beginning to an organization with an annual operating budget of over $400,000 in 2021, the mission, vision and values of HAM have remained clear and consistent: 

• Our mission is to collaborate with rural Haiti, connecting communities to healthcare, education, clean water, and employment.   

• The lack of basic resources creates the condition of structural poverty. HAM’s vision is to support Haitians by providing access to these fundamental human rights, helping them to lift their communities out of the cycle of poverty. 

• We are committed to fostering the dignity of the individual, respecting the ways of the community, and reflecting the strength of a loving God. 

Over the years our organization has grown to meet the expanding needs of the communities in Haiti where we work, and as such we have needed to expand our financial resources to meet the increased demand. Without the support of past, present and future supporters and donors, such expansion would not be possible. Therefore, as leaders of the organization and stewards of your investment in the communities we serve, we must ensure the financial health of HAM and commit to a high level of transparency and accountability. As such, we are pleased to announce that HAM has recently earned a Gold Seal of Transparency from one of the top Nonprofit research organizations, GuideStar. 

GuideStar was one of the first central sources of information on U.S. nonprofits and is the world's largest source of information about nonprofit organizations, also serving to verify that a recipient organization is established and that donated funds go where the donor intended. GuideStar’s ratings provide clear, objective, and reliable assessments of both the Financial Health and Accountability & Transparency of charities. Funders can now easily view HAM’s mission and program details, financial information from our IRS 990 forms, leadership and donation information. Based on performance metrics found in GuideStar, existing and potential donors can learn how HAM compares to other charities throughout the country.

Our GuideStar Gold Seal of Transparency is simply the latest step in meeting our commitments to both our Haitian communities and to those who support Healing Art Missions through their time, talent and treasure.

Needed Medicine Arrives in Dumay

One of the largest challenges currently facing Healing Art Missions (HAM) projects in Haiti is one that we have all faced since the Pandemic arrived in 2020, supply chain shortages. Most of us felt the impact of shortages of commodities from hand sanitizers to protective face masks to toilet paper in the past year. Shortages of medical supplies internationally due to the Pandemic have dominated the media for well over a year now, so it should be no surprise that HAM’s primary care clinic in Dumay has acutely felt the impact. 

International-Dispensary-Association-Foundation-healing-art-missions-rural-haiti-health-care_01.jpg

This disruption of the international supply chain has significantly impacted Haiti’s already fragile healthcare system. Given supply and demand issues, local prices on medical supplies that are available have skyrocketed. However, there is another significant challenge affecting the HAM clinic’s ability to maintain an adequate inventory of medicines and medical supplies at the clinic, political and social instability. We have written extensively about the political situation in Haiti and you can read about that in prior Blog posts, but suffice it to say that competing gangs are currently ruling the streets of Port-au-Prince, as well as Croix-des-Bouquet, the closest city to Dumay. This makes regular travel into the commercial areas to purchase medical supplies highly susceptible to robbery, car-jacking and kidnapping.

Last September, in anticipation of limited medical supply availability in Haiti, we decided to try an alternative approach. The International Dispensary Association Foundation (IDA Foundation) is a European non-profit committed to providing essential medicines and medical goods to health care providers in developing countries, access to quality products at a fair price. HAM worked with IDA over ten years ago, when medical supplies were more limited in supply in Haiti, and as they were still able to ship supplies to Haiti we decided invest in purchasing a major shipment of medicines and supplies from IDA.

International-Dispensary-Association-Foundation-healing-art-missions-rural-haiti-health-care_02.jpg

We are delighted to report that on April 28th, because of the dogged persistence of Dr. Jacques dealing with the Haitian Government and Customs, those medicines and supplies finally landed in Dumay! We are breathing a sigh of relief knowing the HAM Clinic in Dumay has the supplies to continue to provide the highest level of care possible to that community.