Health Care Services for Haitians by Haitians

Dear Friends,

 

It is such a joy to write to you and update you on the happenings at Kay Lasante. With all of the troubling news that is going on in our world, we are filled with gratitude that our project in Haiti, Kay Lasante, continues to thrive.

 

The people of Haiti know better than most how devastating natural disasters can be. So we are grateful that Haiti did not suffer expected damages during this hurricane season. Even more heartening were the words we received in an email from our medical director, Dr. Fefnay Belfort, on Sept. 11th:

 

“We are very sorry for your country. We saw a lot of terrible videos of Florida caused by Hurricane Irma. May God protect you and bless you! The last week in Haiti we had some stress because we hoped that we were going to pass bad moments, but thank God , nothing was  how the meteorologists had been expecting.”

 

We are also very pleased to share the good news that Jane Heil and Courtney Wills-Ferguson have graciously offered to share their skills and expertise  to help with development and fund raising for Kay Lasante. We feel truly blessed by their enthusiasm for this project and their generosity in sharing their gifts and talents to help the Haitian people.  

 

We asked for help in the summer to address the high rate of cervical cancer in Haiti -- which has the highest of any country in the world. At the time of this important appeal, our dear friend Margaret Trost and her husband, Dr. Tom Hendrickson, made a generous donation that arrived just in time to help us initiate the training of three of our Nurses in VIA (visualization with ascetic acid).  VIA is a simple, low cost, effective way to diagnose and treat cervical cancer.  Since the training, 75 women have had the procedure and 11 have received treatment for positive tests. Kay Lasante is one of very few centers where this type of preventative care is being offered. The cost of a pap smear for most people in Haiti is prohibitive. We are so grateful to Margaret and Tom for their gift. This project will indeed save lives.

 

So many friends of Kay Lasante have contributed to the education of our nurses. We are pleased to share with you some thoughts from two of our nurses, Miss Sintile Menard and Miss Julienne Picot, who were able to complete their education thanks to the generosity of our donors. Without your support, this would have never been possible.

 

It is also because of your donations, the staff of Kay Lasante is able to continue to offer health care, education, acupuncture and disease prevention services. There continues to be a beautiful spirit of care and concern created by the staff for the people of the community who would otherwise lack access to health care and other services. 

 

It is my hope that I will be able to return to Haiti in January. We remain deeply grateful for your enthusiasm and support of this project.

 

Thank you.

 

Johanna Berrigan

Board President