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About AMHE: Florida Chapter

The Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad was founded in August 1972, by a group of Haitian physicians determined to mark their presence as a growing ethnic entity in America, to ...

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President’s Message

A word from our ...

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Membership

Member BenefitsThere are many benefits to joining AMHE SFC. In addition to access to all programs and initiative offered and sponsored by the national organization, members have access to special ...

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Community Service

With more than 200 members, the AMHE: Flordia Chapter attempts to make an impact on our community at large. Our combined wealth of knowledge and expertise is spread among the ...

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2009 Annual Fundraising Gala

Download the 2009 Gala Sponsoship Letter . Download the 2009 Gala Sponsorship Document. Saturday December 19, 2009 Westin Diplomat Hotel 3555 S. Ocean Drive Hollywood FL 33019   Please mark your calendar and plan to a...

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Executive Committee

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About AMHE: Florida Chapter

The Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad was founded in ...

News Image

President’s Message

A word from our President...

News Image

Membership

Member BenefitsThere are many benefits to ...

News Image

Community Service

With more than 200 members, the AMHE: Flordia Chapter att...

News Image

2009 Annual Fundraising Gala

Download the ...

News Image

Executive Committee

Learn more about our Executive Committee & Board Members...

A Message from the AMHE President
AMHE Events Listing
Haiti Earthquake Response
Earthquake Response

After the catastrophic earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12, 2010, where an estimated 300,000 people lost their lives, and more than half a million were injured, members of the Florida Chapter of AMHE sprung into action to provide medical assistance to the earthquake victims.

First Responder

One of our members, Dr Andre Vulcain traveled to Port-au-Prince (PAP), Haiti, on the morning of January 12, on his way to Cap-Haitien, where he heads the only Family Medicine Residency Program in Haiti, with the support of the University of Miami. Dr Vulcain was planning to fly to Cap-Haitien the same day, but because of bad weather conditions in the Northern part of the country, he decided to spend the night in PAP.

He was staying at the Visa Lodge hotel near the airport, when the earthquake hit at 4:53 pm. Fortunately, the hotel sustained only minor damages, and Dr Vulcain was not injured. But all communication lines including telephone, radio, and television were severed. It wasn’t until the next morning that he realized the magnitude of the devastation. He found his way to a hospital in Delmas where he would spend the next four days working sleeplessly, treating patients with crushed injuries, and performing amputations under heroic conditions.

First Flights to Haiti

Forty-eight hours after the disaster, in collaboration with Project Medishare, members of the Florida Chapter, including Dr Marie-Evelyne Moise, Dr Antonia Eysallenne, Dr Rose-Laure Moussignac, traveled to PAP to participate in the medical relief efforts.

On the same day, Dr Alain Innocent, whose wife lost both her parents during the earthquake, also traveled to Haiti with his family, and after making arrangements to bury his in-laws, found his way to the Project Medishare camp near the airport to help treat the injured.

On January 14, Dr Rudolph Moise also traveled to Haiti with a Disaster Rescue Team to search for victims under the rubbles.

Two Critical Care specialists: Dr Reginald Pereira and Dr Arold Augustin traveled to Haiti on January 15 to join the medical relief team at the Medishare camp.

Logistical Challenges

Initially, Project Medishare was using a couple of small aircrafts with limited capacity, to transport medical volunteers and medical supplies to PAP. Priority was given to the trauma surgeons and the employees of the University of Miami and the Jackson Health System. After January 16, our members had very limited access to these flights. We had set up a volunteer list. Hundreds of health care professionals of Haitian descent had signed up to travel to Haiti, but there was no way of getting them there.  Commercial airlines were not flying yet to PAP. Therefore, our members had to find other ways to travel to Haiti.

More Help On The Way

An emergency request was sent out to different government agencies, non-profit organizations, and private donors to assist with transportation to Haiti. Just twenty-four hours later on January 17, a philanthropist provided us with his personal aircraft, and the President of the Chapter was able to travel to Haiti to bring a team of medical volunteers and medical supplies to Haiti.

Many other members traveled to the Dominican Republic, and took an eight-hour drive across the border to come to the assistance of the earthquake victims. In the following days, hundreds of medical professionals of Haitian descent would travel to Haiti from New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Boston, Nebraska, Montreal, with the assistance of the US Military, other NGO’s, and through private charter flights.

Out Of The Media Spotlight

There has been very little coverage in the news media about the contribution of Haitian health care professionals from the diaspora to the medical relief efforts after the earthquake. In the aftermath of the disaster, the media spotlight was focused on foreign medical providers treating the injured, completely ignoring the participation of Haitian providers who sometimes were working side-by-side with their foreign counterparts.

Even less attention has been attributed to the contribution of Haitian providers practicing in Haiti. Many of them perished during the earthquake, others lost family members, their offices were destroyed, dozens of them are homeless. Yet, considering the magnitude of the catastrophe, and the more than a half a million injured who received care, the contribution of the foreign providers pales in comparison to the sacrifice of the local Haitian physicians.

Assistance Not Dependence

Now that the emergency phase of treating the crushed injuries is over, and the focus is shifting toward rehabilitation of the amputees, post-traumatic stress disorder treatment, prevention of epidemics, and long term care of chronic illnesses, we should discourage medical tourism in Haiti, and reinforce or create local structures to allow Haitians to help Haitians.

The outpouring of support from the International Community is immensely appreciated, and Haiti will not rise from its ashes without the assisatnce of the global community, but we need to be careful not to perpetuate the dependence of foreign assistance.

There seems to be very little incentive for foreign NGO’s to work themselves out of a job in Haiti. As the reconstruction funds are being disbursed, specific goals should be established, deadlines should be set for NGO’s to accomplish their missions, and provide outcomes and accountability reports.
 

Trip Reports

Trip Report Dr Eric Jerome • April 25, 2010

Report of Dr Eric Jerome, AMHE coordinator, Week of April 25 2010 I landed at Toussaint Louverture International airport for my second tour of duty i... >> Read More

Monday, 17 May 2010

Report from Cap-Haitien, Dr Andre Vulcain Feb 15,

Report from Cap-Haitien February 15, 2010 Humanitarian Situation in the North • Crisis Response >> Read More

Thursday, 18 February 2010

Trip Report Dr Winston Price • Jan 21-29, 2010

Winston Price, MD, FAAP, FACPE Past President-NMA I returned on January 29th from an eight-day stint in Haiti to assist in the medical relief efforts... >> Read More

Tuesday, 16 February 2010

Trip Report Dr Arthur E. Palamara • Jan 22, 2010

God Doesn’t Wear Ray-Bans By Arthur E. Palamara, MD January 22, 2010 In the grand scheme of things, I recognize that what I did w... >> Read More

Tuesday, 16 February 2010

Trip Report Dr Ernest Benjamin Feb. 2010

Report of Ernest Benjamin, MD FCCMProfessor of Surgery and AnesthesiologyChief, Division of Surgical Critical Care MedicineDear Eric , Colleagues of A... >> Read More

Thursday, 11 February 2010

Trip Report Dr Louis J. Auguste Feb. 2010

AMHE Medical Relief Mission report byLouis J. Auguste, MD, FACS, FACGPresident New York Chapter of AMHE >> Read More

Thursday, 11 February 2010

Trip Report Dr Michel Dodard • Jan 20-24, 2010

Monday, January 25, 2010 I came back last night in a military transport plane Lockheed C5 Galaxy along with hundred of expatriated Ha... >> Read More

Friday, 29 January 2010

Trip Report Dr Nadie G Jean-Charles • Jan 18-21, 2

The other trip descriptions on this site accurately describe what one would find if willing to volunteer at the moment in Haiti.  I went to Haiti on J... >> Read More

Tuesday, 26 January 2010

Trip Report Dr Angelo Gousse • Jan 16-20, 2010

My wife, Marie-May Gousse, a pharmacist and I, both University of Miami Hospital and Clinics employees, traveled to Haiti to be part of the medical re... >> Read More

Tuesday, 26 January 2010

Trip Report Dr Andre Vulcain • Jan 12-20, 2010

I traveled to Haiti the same day the earthquake stroke. I landed in Port au Prince at noon and my plan was to go the same day to Cap Haitien, where we... >> Read More

Sunday, 24 January 2010

Trip Report Dr Alain Innocent • January 22, 2010

  Regards to all,   As many of you may well be aware, I traveled to Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake on January 14 with the UM/Medishare gr... >> Read More

Saturday, 23 January 2010

Trip Report Dr Rose-May Seide Jan 17-20, 2010

Dr Seide returns from Haiti after working 3 days at the UM/Medishare compound at the UN Headquarters. The following is a report of her observations ... >> Read More

Wednesday, 20 January 2010

Trip Report: Dr Merisier • Jan 18, 2010

As announced, I was able to travel to Haiti yesterday and returned to Miami on the same day. The purpose of the trip was two-fold: 1. Bring a team... >> Read More

Monday, 18 January 2010

Trip Report: Dr Rose-May Seide at the UM/Medishare

(Dr Seide arrived in Haiti on 01/17/2010, along with five other physicians and one nurse, on a private aircraft arranged by Dr Merisier) Yesterday wa... >> Read More

Monday, 18 January 2010

Dr. Merisier: On My Way to Haiti • Jan 17, 2010

I am on my way to Haiti this morning, on a small airplane seating 8 passengers, donated by a friend philanthropist, departing from Fort-Lauderdale E... >> Read More

Sunday, 17 January 2010

Report: Dr Marie Evelyne Moise Jan 14-16, 2010

Dr. Marie Evelyne Moise, member of AMHE has just returned from a two-day trip to Haiti and has filed the following report: >> Read More

Saturday, 16 January 2010

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