Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare receives CT Scanner

The CT Scanner donated by Yéle Haiti was delivered to Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare today. Metro Signs Inc. provided complimentary signage on the trailer.

In July, Yéle Haiti donated a grant to Project Medishare for Haiti, Inc. in support of the purchase of a 16-slice CT Scanner with its own trailer and generator power source.  The unit arrived today at Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare and will provide the first high resolution scanning available on the island to all patients regardless of their financial resources.

Before the scanner was shipped to Haiti, Hollywood, Fla. based Metro Signs donated the lettering and signage on the side of the CT Scanner trailer, and even sent a team out to install this signage.  Special thank you to Bruno Dede, Omar Khan, and the wonderful folks at Metro Signs, Inc.

The CT scanner will provide technology that will allow rapid diagnosis and effective treatment to prevent unnecessary deaths from major heart attacks, strokes, major trauma and maternal emergencies.  This desperately needed technology will be integrated into Project Medishare’s training and education program for Haitian healthcare workers, ensuring creation of infrastructure and sustainability necessary for the long-term health of our Haitian neighbors.

Project Medishare is grateful to Wyclef Jean and Yéle Haiti for this generous gift.

Metro Signs installing their beautiful signage on the CT Scanner

Read Full Post »

I Left My Heart in Haiti….Again

By Gina Epifano, PT

There’s something about Haiti that gets into your heart and just won’t go away. It’s impossible to meet the people and not leave a piece of your heart behind. The only solution I have found is to keep going back!

I’ve volunteered as a physical therapist at Project Medishare three times since the earthquake, and am inspired by the transformation of the physical therapy department in one year.

Gina Epifano with Nadine who was recovering from skin graft surgery and walking for the first time!

In April of 2010, I had my first experience at Project Medishare’s Field Hospital as a PT. I spent my week in pediatrics, helping children learn to move and walk again.
Working at the tent hospital was a special experience…so many clinicians working together to save lives, doing whatever it took to get the job done. I knew I’d be back.

In June of 2010, I returned to Project Medishare, which had recently moved to new location and partnership with Hospital Bernard Mevs. The Rehabilitation Department at Hospital Project Medishare Bernard Mevs now consisted of two long-term American physical therapists. Jason Miller was beginning to develop an amputee program while Alyson Cavanaugh was creating a specialty rehabilitation program for spinal cord injury patients. They were also starting to train local Haitian rehabilitation technicians to assist in care provision. So much progress in two short months!

When returned to Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare this month, I was immediately aware of how far the Rehabilitation Department had come. I was whisked into an amputee running clinic that was being held as part of the grand unveiling of Project Medishare’s state-of-the-art Prosthetics Lab, built in partnership with Ossür and Knights of Columbus.

In September, Knights of Columbus began partnering with Project Medishare to provide every amputee children with a prosthetic limb and the physical therapy necessary to learn how to use the new limb. In addition, Jason has begun his own fundraising efforts through his website http://www.helpinghaitiamputees.com. Through the site Jason created, individuals can sponsor adult amputee patients to receive prostheses as well.

Rehabilitation department at Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare. Photo courtesy of Gina Epifano.

Jeff Mcnutt, PT, has joined the long-term rehab team and manages the wound care program for both in-patients and out-patients. He continues to train local Haitian staff in appropriate wound care techniques. Locally trained technicians are now providing daily care in both out-patient PT and the Spinal Cord Injury Unit.

Project Medishare’s Rehabilitation Department has come a long way in a year, but there is still work to be done. Volunteers are still needed; supplies are still needed. Consider sharing your time and skills with our neighbors in Haiti. Maybe I’ll see you there…

Read Full Post »

Donated ambulances arrive at Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare

The two beautiful ambulances cleared customs today and were taken to Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare. The City of Miami Beach donated the ambulances to Project Medishare and outfitted with funds raised by the Miami Beach City Commissioners’ Rock Haiti event at the Byron Carlysle theater last spring.

Project Medishare would like to send a big, huge thank you to Commissioner Ed Tobin, Mayor Mattie Bower, all the City Of Miami Beach Commissioner’s and The City of Miami Beach Fire Department—all who raised the funds to outfit the ambulances and provide spare tires and parts.

Click here to see more images.

Read Full Post »

Challenged Athletes Foundation operates running clinic in Haiti

Earlier this month members from the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF), who sponsors Project Medishare’s amputee soccer team, traveled to Haiti to launch their “Return to Sports” program in partnership with Project Medishare and the Knights of Columbus. The goal of the new program was to use sports to heal the proud and resilient people of Haiti.

During their visit CAF operated their first international running clinic led by University of Miami’s Bob Gailey, PhD, PT and Ossur clinical prosthetist Peter Harsch.

During the same weekend, Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare unveiled its new prosthetic lab which was made possible through the partnerships with Ossur and Knights of Columbus.

Watch the video above or view it here on YouTube to see how these partnerships are inspiring amputee patients in Haiti.

Read Full Post »

‘Healing Haiti’s Children’ Program sponsored by Knights of Columbus gets new prosthetics lab

More than a year later, the children injured in the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti have renewed hope thanks to Project Medishare for Haiti partners, the Knights of Columbus, Ossur, and the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

On March 5, the Knights of Columbus unveiled their latest effort to help Haitian children injured in last year’s earthquake, with the opening of a state-of-the-art prosthetics and rehabilitation center at Bernard Mevs Project Medishare Hospital.

The Össur International Prosthetics and Orthotics Laboratory is the result of the Knights’ partnership with the Iceland-based Össur company – a leading prosthetics manufacturer – and the medical charity Project Medishare. The Challenged Athletes Foundation will also begin offering their assistance in rehabilitating the child amputees.

At the ribbon-cutting and grand opening ceremony on Saturday, March 5, prosthetics company’s founder Össur Kristinsson, also an amputee, presented more than 600 modular prosthetic systems for use by Project Medishare in the “Healing Haiti’s Children” program.

A joint project of the Knights of Columbus and Project Medishare, the program offers prosthetic limbs and rehabilitation to every child injured in the earthquake that devastated Haiti in January 2010.

More than 100 child amputees have already received help and rehabilitation since the program began in the summer of 2010. Each of the children receives a two-year course of free prosthetics and physical therapy.

Read Full Post »

Project Medishare Team Zaryen featured on ABC

Project Medishare Team Zareyn featured on ABC, posted with vodpod

Having trouble watching the video? Click here to watch it directly on ABC News here.

Read Full Post »

Miami’s WPLG features Project Medishare’s work at Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare

Miami’s WPLG Channel 10′s Calvin Hughes features Project Medishare’s work at Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare (HBMPM).  The hospital is the only critical care facility in Haiti, and is continuing to make a difference one year after the devastating earthquake.

Click here to see the news clip.

Read Full Post »

In Review: Project Medishare and Haiti One Year After the Earthquake

Video produced by Omar Vega.

Read Full Post »

One year ago today, millions of lives changed forever; Project Medishare stands by its commitment to Haiti

By Jennifer Browning

Today marks one year since a powerful earthquake devastated Haiti causing widespread death and destruction. That day, in less than 40 seconds, millions of lives were changed forever.

In less than 40 seconds, millions of peoples lives changed in Haiti after a 7.0 earthquake struck a year ago today.

Just 20 hours after the earthquake, Project Medishare volunteer doctors, nurses and emergency personnel touched down in Port-au-Prince. They were among the first to respond to the disaster. Over the past year more than 5,000 doctors and nurses have joined us in treating more than 75,000 patients.

While Haiti has faced a hurricane, flooding and cholera, Project Medishare has continued to stand by the Haitian people in our mission to improve medical services in Haiti. But things are worse here in Haiti today than they were a day after the earthquake.

After Project Medishare transitioned from the field hospital to Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare (HBMPM), the hospital staff there have treated over 45,000 patients, provided over 10,000 emergency room visits and performed an estimated 200 surgeries each month.

Not only is HBMPM Haiti’s only critical care and trauma facility, it also continues to operate the only pediatric and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU/PICU) and spinal cord injury unit.

A Project Medishare nurse evaluates a child at Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare, currently Haiti's only critical care and trauma facility. Photo by Jennifer Browning.

Through our Amputee Rehabilitation Program we have fitted over 200 children and adult patients with lifesaving prosthetic limbs. Thanks to the Knights of Columbus, who have joined us in our quest to provide prosthetic limbs to Haiti’s amputees, we will be able to provide prosthesis and therapy for children. As these children grow, we will be able to fit them with up to three prosthesis including two years of therapy.

Project Medishare’s training and education programs for HBMPM medical staff are also moving forward with a generous grant from the American Red Cross. Today University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine’s Enrique Ginzburg, M.D., and Gillian Hotz, Ph.D., are meeting here in Port-au-Prince with leaders from the American College of Surgeons international program and other universities to coordinate the education and training of critical care health professionals in Haiti.

Tomorrow, architectural plans that will double the 45 beds at HBMPM and add an education center to train Haitian health professionals in critical care will be finalized. This will help us achieve the long-term goal in making HBMPM and its Haitian medical staff self-sustainable.

Project Medishare’s existing Community Health Program continues to serve over 100,000 in the Central Plateau. Through this program community health agents have been essential in battling cholera in and around the community along the Artibonite River. Armed with bullhorns and packets of oral-rehydration therapy, as well as donations of bleach and soap, our teams initiated a community education campaign. Our community doctors and nurses are also working at the Cholera Treatment Center in Mirebalais where we have treated over 10,000 patients suffering from this disease.

Project Medishare community health nurse Wiseline Celestine uses a bullhorn to educate people in Thomonde about cholera. Project Medishare's health agents were vital in educating the people in order to prevent cholera in their communities. They are also conducting additional home visits since the epidemic occurred. Photo by Jennifer Browning.

In the coming months, Project Medishare will celebrate the opening of the Akamil Production Facility in Thomonde and the Maternal Health Center in Marmont.

The final pieces are being put in place to finalize the Akamil Facility. Ground breaking began June 2007 for the construction of the facility, but final construction and equipment installment was delayed after earthquake. When production begins, it will mean so much to rural Haiti and those Project Medishare serves in the commune of Thomonde.

Thanks to the Greig Family, who completely funded the construction of the Maternal Health Center, women in the Central Plateau are closer to having access to a full package of women’s health services including reproductive health education, family planning, along with HIV/AIDS counseling and testing.

With the ongoing support of volunteers and friends around the world, Project Medishare has accomplished so much in the past year.

There is still critical need in Haiti today. Today, Project Medishare remembers those victims who perished or were injured in the earthquake.

To show your support Text “Save” to 501501 to donate $5 or click here to make an online gift to assist Project Medishare in continuing lifesaving work in Haiti.

Read Full Post »

Miami HEAT to commemorate one-year anniversary of Haiti earthquake

In observance of the one-year anniversary of the earthquake that devastated Haiti on January 12, 2010, the Miami HEAT will honor the victims and the survivors of the catastrophe during their road games against the Los Angeles Clippers on January 12 and the Denver Nuggets on January 13.

During player warm ups, the Clippers and the Nuggets will join the HEAT in wearing special shooting shirts featuring a Save Haiti logo designed by South Florida artist, Romero Britto. In addition, The HEAT coaching staff and broadcasting team will wear special Haiti awareness ribbons. All coaches and bench staff for the Clippers and the Nuggets will also wear the Haiti awareness ribbons.

When the HEAT returns to the AmericanAirlines Arena next week, the team will host a special presentation during their January 18 home game versus the Atlanta Hawks, which includes the following activities:

• HEAT players will wear the special shooting shirt during warm ups.

• The HEAT coaching staff and broadcasting team will wear the special Haiti awareness ribbons.

• The Miami HEAT Charitable Fund will present Project Medishare with a $25,000 check to assist with the on-going relief efforts. An initial $25,000 donation was personally presented to Project Medishare in Haiti in June 2010 by a Miami HEAT contingent, which included HEAT Head Coach Erik Spoelstra, HEAT greats Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway and HEAT Play-By-Play Announcer, Eric Reid.

• All Miami Hoops Gear locations—including the flagship store at AmericanAirlines Arena, the satellite store at Dolphin Mall and the online stores at MiamiHoopsGear.com and Facebook.com/MiamiHEAT—will sell special $5.00 rubber wristbands with proceeds benefiting Project Medishare, the non-profit organization founded by Dr. Barth Green and Dr. Arthur Fournier that provides life-saving medical care and community services to the people of Haiti.

• A public service announcement featuring Dwyane Wade will air urging the public to make a $5.00 donation to Project Medishare by texting the word SAVE to 501501.

Since the earthquake hit, Project Medishare has spent $11 million of the $13 million donated funds including a multi-million dollar donation from Carnival Corporation, which has helped to serve over 180,000 critically ill patients in Haiti. Project Medishare is the only hospital operating a pediatric and neonatal ICU in Haiti. It is the only facility in Haiti with a critical care/trauma unit and the only facility with a spinal cord injury unit. With over 200 employees, the Project Medishare hospital is completely staffed by Haitian workers. The Project Medishare facility has performed over 3,000 surgeries and has fitted over 200 amputees with prosthetic limbs.

Read Full Post »