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Robert V. Stanek
President and CEO |
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March 2010
The massive earthquake that devastated southern Haiti in early January took an enormous toll on human life and property. Estimates on the total number of people who lost their lives vary widely – from 150,000 to over 230,000. The government estimates that – in the city of Port-au-Prince alone - approximately 250,000 houses and 30,000 commercial buildings collapsed…many crushing people inside.
The call for help was heard worldwide. In addition to the tragic loss of life, there were countless survivors in need of medical care, food, water and shelter. A poor nation even during good times, this mammoth crisis intensified the widespread human suffering in Haiti to an almost unimaginable scale.
When word started getting out about this tragedy, I knew that CHE would be in a unique position to offer support. Since 1998, our Global Health Ministry, a supportive health corporation of CHE, has been working with the people of Port–au-Prince, sending teams of clinical professionals to provide health care and education. Sr. Mary Jo McGinley, RSM, executive director of Global Health Ministry, developed a close working relationship with the Hospital St. Francis de Sales, a Catholic hospital located in the capital city. Last year, CHE donated $100,000 to help build a new maternity unit for the facility.
Unfortunately, the hospital was decimated by the earthquake. Several staff members and patients were killed, and most of the hospital collapsed – except for the new maternity unit. This only surviving section of the facility was converted to triaging and treating quake victims. Global Health Ministry quickly sprung into action, helping to assemble a team of clinicians from our RHCs - Lisa Medvetz, M.D. (Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital), Steven Lowe, M.D. and Col. Paulette Schank, C.R.N.A. (St. Mary Medical Center) and Mary Gorman, M.D. (Mercy Medical Center) - who volunteered to travel to Haiti in late January to provide medical assistance and supplies to quake victims. In the ensuing weeks, others have followed.
That was just the beginning. The desire to help was…and continues to be… extraordinary. Here are just a few examples of how our RHCs and JOAs have jumped in “feet first” to help in this time of great need:
- Catholic Health East and BayCare Health System teamed up to each donate $100,000 to support Global Health Ministry’s relief efforts in Haiti. In addition, Stella Maris Insurance Company, a supportive health corporation of CHE, made a donation of $10,000.
- Colleagues from throughout CHE made individual donations totaling over $50,000 to support Global Health Ministry’s efforts in Haiti.
- At Holy Cross Hospital, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., thousands of dollars worth of supplies were sent to Haiti in the days immediately following the quake, and volunteers traveled to Haiti to help assess and triage patients.
- Lourdes Health System, Camden, N.J., set up a system that allowed its associates to make donations via payroll deduction by swiping their ID badges in the cafeteria or gift shop. They also installed drop boxes in the Gift Shops at their two hospitals for cash donations. The Lourdes Wellness Center sponsored a "Yoga for Haiti/Yoga Nidr"class; in lieu of the usual tuition for the class, participants were asked to make their checks out to the HSFS Rebuilding Fund/Global Health Ministry. One hundred percent of the proceeds were directed to the effort.
- In Pittsburgh, Dr. Mary Carrasco, director of A Child’s Place at Mercy, a ministry of Pittsburgh Mercy Health System, was one of several individuals who collaborated on helping to evacuate more than 100 children from an orphanage in the devastated Haitian capital.
- At St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton, N.J., student nurse practitioner, Anne Bouchard, R.N. collected used orthopedic equipment to send to quake victims. Anne’s husband is a physician involved in the Association of Haitian Doctors Abroad – N.J. Chapter. She collected canes, walkers, crutches and wheelchairs, which were flown to Haiti.
- Soon after the quake hit, Saint Joseph’s (Atlanta, GA) human resources department set up a Haiti Communications Center to serve as a resource center for employees who were impacted by the disaster. It was equipped with a TV (broadcasting CNN), an internet phone to contact loved ones and a computer with internet access to communicate with loved ones in Haiti.
- Sr. Mary Jo, with the help of Maria Iaquinto from CHE’s Communications department, set up a Facebook page that regularly shares updates – in words and photos – on how individuals and organizations have stepped up to help in Haiti, and how people can continue to get involved. Readers with Facebook accounts can reach the Global Health Ministry site at www.facebook.com/globalhealthministry.
While it may well take years for Haiti to recover from the effects of this disaster, it is heartening to know that so many individuals throughout CHE feel a calling to help those in need. We will continue to keep the entire CHE family informed about the progress being made in helping the residents of Haiti rebuild their lives…and about how you can continue to help make this recovery possible. Thank you helping Catholic Health East continue to be a transforming, healing presence in the communities we serve…near and far.
Sincerely yours,
Robert V. Stanek
President and Chief Executive Officer,
Catholic Health East
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