I had been to Haiti before. In 1995 and 1998, I went down there to provide basic medical services in conjunction with Sacré Coeur Hospital in Port-au-Prince. This was, however, before the earthquake. When I had last been to Haiti, it was a third world country. It did not prepare me for what I saw when I returned in 2011.
I arrived at Miami International Airport around 7:40am. The team had already assembled, and was ready to get through security and customs. I was new to the clinic, and had not had the chance to meet many of the other members. Despite my nervousness, it was crystal clear upon arrival that these men and women knew each other well. There was a calm sense of confidence about the group. There was a tangible air of friendship and comfort that comes only from knowing and working with someone. They all immediately welcomed me, and introduced themselves as if I was one of their own. Our physician provider team was just incredible.
Buffet dinner • Drinks
The second Haiti Clinic Training Weekend took place April 13th-17th. The weekend was multifaceted and included training the nursing staff to begin our Preventive Care Pediatric Program, meeting with a government official about obtaining vaccines for Haiti Clinic and hosting a Town Hall Meeting to give the residents of Cité Soleil an opportunity to give Haiti Clinic feedback on the services we provide and issues residents feel need to be addressed in the future. As an added bonus, we got an impromptu poolside consultation from a development professional on fundraising strategies. The trip was incredibly interesting, productive and “educational” for everyone who traveled to Haiti. Trip members included physicians Neil Heskel, Larry Kaplan, and Kevin Browngoehl, Haiti Clinic Board member Maggie Remy, and Haiti Clinic veteran and school principle Charlie Baltimore.