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Project Medishare for Haiti, Inc.
“Impacting
the lives of the Underserved.”
HISTORY
Project Medishare for Haiti, Inc. was founded in 1995 by Dr. Barth Green and Dr. Arthur Fournier. They assembled the first team of faculty from the University of Miami Schools of Medicine and Nursing to assess the health care situation in Haiti and explore ways in which they could help improve the health conditions of the people in Haiti. Since that first trip, Medishare has forged partnerships with physicians and allied health professionals with a strong belief in social justice and that everyone has the right to quality healthcare.
MISSION
Project Medishare for Haiti, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit registered in the State of Florida, is an organization dedicated to improving the health of the Haitian people by re-establishing the health infrastructure in several communities and facilities throughout Haiti. We accomplish this mission in several ways:
- A continuing commitment to rural communities by establishing and funding sustainable programs
- Training of Haitian physicians, nurses and allied health professionals
- Providing technology, supplies and equipment to our clinic in Thomonde and other affiliated programs throughout Haiti.
VALUES
Our experience has taught us several important lessons. In order to succeed in an environment such as Haiti, partnerships with community-based organizations and other committed local partners is essential. 'Top down' externally imposed programs will not succeed and improving health can not be addressed without also addressing it's social, cultural and economic context. Finally, programs must be culturally acceptable, utilize realistic technologies and be cost effective.
PROGRAMS
In February of 2003, Project Medishare began the Green Family Health Initiative, a donor-funded community health program in the community of Thomonde in the Central Plateau of Haiti. This program has created access to health care services for 72,000 living in the district of Thomonde, and the surrounding areas of Marmont and Casse. Over the past three years the Initiative's team of Haitian doctors, nurses, health agents, mid wives, lab & pharmacy technicians and administrative staff have achieved the following remarkable results:
- Conducted 28,168 home visits, 1,959 rally posts and 118 mobile clinics
- Increased immunization rates in infants from less than 10% to 86%
- Increased the number of pre-natal visits for pregnant women from no pre-natal visits to an average of 3 visits for each woman
- Administered oral re-hydration solution to 8,298 children with infantile diarrhea, and provided treatment for worms to 7,865 children
- Decreased mortality among the population from 698 deaths in the first year of the GFFI program to 483 in the third year.
Additionally, Project Medishare continues to manage medical and surgical trips to Haiti. In partnership with several leading universities (University of Miami, George Washington University, Emory University, The Mayo Clinic and Morehouse University) in the United States, Project Medishare organizes trips of physicians, surgeons, medical students, other allied health professionals, and concerned volunteers to provide medical services to our programs in Haiti. These trips are completely incorporated into the health care delivery system that is already in place and they foster a strong partnership between personnel in Haiti and the United States. These trips supplement the activities of the GFFI, in Thomonde.
To learn more about the work of Project Medishare, please visit:
Project Medishare for Haiti, Inc., a 501©3 non-profit registered in the State of Florida, was founded in 1995 by Dr.'s Barth Green and Arthur Fournier from the University of Miami School of Medicine. It is an organization dedicated to sharing its human and technical resources with its Haitian partners in the quest to achieve quality healthcare for all. This mission is accomplished in several ways:
- A continuing commitment to rural communities by establishing and funding sustainable programs
- Training of Haitian physicians, nurses and allied health professionals
- Providing technology, supplies and equipment to our clinic in Thomonde and other affiliated programs throughout Haiti
Our experience has taught us several important lessons. In order to succeed in an environment such as Haiti, partnerships with community-based organizations and other committed local partners is essential. 'Top down' externally imposed programs will not succeed and improving health can not be addressed without also addressing it's social, cultural and economic context. Finally, programs must be culturally acceptable, utilize realistic technologies and be cost effective.
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