Health

Sickle Cell Anemia and the Haitian population

UMass Boston Student to Fight Sickle Cell Anemia in Haiti

Sickle cell anemia, one of the most prevalent diseases in people of African descent, is one of the most under-funded diseases in the world. The effects of the disease, caused by abnormally shaped red blood cells, create great pain for sufferers who are said to be one in every 400. Based on these statistics, students of the University of Massachusetts, with the aid of the Haitian American Society and the African Student Union, held a fundraiser on December 6 to raise money and awareness for children suffering from the disease in Haiti.

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Here is a picture of Hôpital Alma Mater located in the town of Gros Morne in Haiti

In Gros Morne, the Hôpital Alma Mater operates as a 50-bed hospital that gives care to about 135,000 people. A large part of its operation is the help given by volunteer workers who travel to Gros Morne. Without this voluntary aid, the hospital would find itself in dire straights as it, like so many other health care facilities in Haiti, functions with meager finances and inferior equipment. Following the 2010 earthquake, it has been struggling to adequately treat patients. There has been work to build up the capacity of the hospital since 2013 by Hospital Alma Mater and GHI.

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Here is a picture of the new NOVA's Medical Clinic that was open in Cavaillon, Haiti

"NOVA Hope for Haiti" has been providing medical care in Haiti since 2002. They have opened a new permanent clinic in Cavaillon in October 2014. The new clinic has been opened and it is stocked with high quality patient care and medications, year round. The new building at Cavailon has three examination rooms with sinks and one procedure room. It has a large pharmacy, test laboratory and a record and storage room. There are two bathrooms in the clinic, one meant for the patients and another for the staff. The second floor of the building is dedicated to host visiting NOVA mission volunteers and other missionary groups. This floor has four bedrooms with attached baths, kitchen, large living cum dining areas. This is undoubtedly a great milestone in the 12 year history of NOVA in Haiti because, earlier they used to send teams of volunteer doctors and support staff in every 6 to 12 months to Cavaillon who used to work and treat over 1,000 patients in a week's mission in let out make-shift temporary community centers--for the first time their volunteers and patients will have electricity, running water and toilets to use! During July and August, NOVA has purchased $30,000 worth of medical supplies, equipment and residence furnishings for the new medical clinic in Cavaillon. Their team is composed of over 20 medical professionals, assistants and translators. NOVA is thankful to its supporters and volunteers, both in the US and Haiti.

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Here is a picture of the Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe as he is helping a young man with his wheelchair. On this occasion, the Prime Minister distributed several equipment to the disabled

On November 25, 2014, while visiting Haitian Leon Gerard Rehabilitation Institute, the Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe has reiterated his government's unwavering support for the disabled and the people with less mobility, who have so far remained overlooked from most of the government enhancement programs. He has also said that his government has special attention to the disabled, and the government wants to protect their rights in every sphere of the society. Haitian Leon Gerard Rehabilitation Institute is a referral hospital in Bon-Repos. The Prime Minister appreciated the efforts of its trained staff on taking care of the disabled. He also appreciated the contribution of Brazil and Cuba to the institute and distributed equipment to the people with special needs.

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Here is a picture of a new modern birth center for women in Haiti. Maison de Naissance or Maternal Health Center in Torbeck.

With a name that means "Home of Birth" the Torbeck maternal health center, Maison de Naissance, needs to be a place of comfort, peace and efficiency. The beautiful, modern health facility seems to be all that, servicing the poor in the vicinity and welcoming hundreds of babies into the world. Since 2004, they have done over 132,000 consults and hosted the birth of nearly 5,000 babies. This year, the center celebrates its 10th anniversary.

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Here is a map of Haiti showing the areas must affected by the Cholera epidemic. It is estimated thag it killed 132 people and also it is estimated that over 15,000 people were infected in Haiti in 2014.

Cholera still Major Threat to Haitians

Haiti's cholera epidemic has yet to be tamed, claiming 132 lives in 2014 and afflicting 14,869 others. A considerable increase in cholera cases in Port-au-Prince has been occurring due to heavy rains, with 2,000-plus victims needing emergency hospitalization in the last two months.

The problems are no availability to clean water and toilets; no recovery beds; and no urgent care facilities. The bottom line Medecins Sans Frontieres says is "Haiti's health system still can't meet the needs of cholera patients."

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Here is a picture of Dr. René Charles and Haitian President Michel martelly. On this very same day people around the world are assessing the effect of Diabetes and Cardiovascular Diseases, our president took the occasion to honor some of those who have been working hard in the area of bringing treatment. In that, Ordre National Honor and Merit at Grade of Grand Cross Silver plate was given to Dr. René Charles last Friday ath the National Palace for his work in Haiti

President Martelly honored Dr. Rene Charles with the Order National Honor and Merit at Grade of Grand Cross Silver at the National Palace for his work in the field of diabetic research and treatment. In attendance were Public Health Minister Dr. Guillaume and Dr. Charles's family.

Minister Guillaume noted 300,000 Haitians are afflicted with diabetes and spotlighted the work of Dr. Charles's Haitian Foundation for Diabetes and Cardiovascular Diseases.

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Studies has found that Type 2 is The Form of Diabetes most prevalent among Haitians. Furthermore, Haitians with diabetes exhibit worse glycemic control, appear to be less likely to have control of their blood pressure and LDL levels than other ethnic groups.

The Form Of Diabetes Most Prevalent Among Haitians Is Type 2

"Diabetes Mellitus" or simply known as "Diabetes" is a disease due to inadequate insulin hormone secretion by the pancreas, leading to excess sugar level (blood sugar) in the blood stream that damages various organs in several ways. There are three main types of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational Diabetes (a form of diabetes that can occur during pregnancy). Type 1 diabetes is mostly insulin dependent and more prevalent in young ages. It is a situation when the pancreas produces very little or no amount of insulin at all. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of this disease, found mostly in people aged over 40. However, it is never uncommon among young adults. It is generally non-insulin dependent, normally found in people who are overweight, or with ages, faulty food habits, tension, lifestyle and among people with a family background of diabetes. A recent study has shown that a major part of the Haitian-American community has fallen prey of Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes is a serious but highly manageable disease through regulated lifestyle, balanced diabetic diet and medicine under the supervision of a Registered Dietitian (RD). A recent study has shown that 8.2% of Haitians have higher mean of HbA1c with poor blood pressure control, compared to white patients (below 7.7%) and black patients (7.7%). "HbA1c" is a measure of "glycated haemoglobin" that gives an an overall picture of what our average blood sugar levels had been, over a period of weeks/months. However, the BMI (Body Mass Index) of average Haitians (30.8) although was beyond the preferable limit (18.5 to 25), it is better than the white (33.4) and black patients (33.8). However, in spite of other higher rates of uncontrolled risk factors, Haitians have less complication with retinopathy, less evidence of smoking and fortunately, lower mean BMI in comparison to other group and a shorter exposure time to risk factors, they have been benefited with lower rates of diabetes related complications.

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Here is a picture of the Community hospital located in Arcachon. It is Community hospital Dr. Raoul Pierre-Louis

Inauguration of new hospital Dr. Raoul Pierre-Louis

Through the joint effort of the countries of Haiti, Cuba and Brazil, the new Dr. Raoul Pierre-Louis Hospital was opened on June 11, 2014. The building featured upon opening brand new, state-of-the-art equipment to give care to some 60,000 nearby community members. It was equipped with 61 beds, vaccination, recovery, delivery, community medicine, and 4 specialty consultation rooms, plus pre- and postpartum rooms for newborns. The hospital, with its full range of service and 3 operating theaters, has given wide access to Carrefour residents since its inauguration.

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Here is a picture of the plan for Hospital La Providence in Gonaives. the project was to build a hospital capable of serving the entire population of Artibonite region in Haiti.

Hospital La Providence in Gonaïves

Part hospital part reference center, the Hospital La Providence was welcomed into operation in an inauguration ceremony attended by President of the Republic Michel Martelly, and Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe. The construction was funded by a $30 million injection from Canadian investors, and has the capacity for 200 beds. The modernized building was also ushered into the century by a donation of $1.5 million from Mexico for the addition of solar panels that will help run the hospital's emergency department.

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