Report from Haiti

Here’s an update from Bart Smoot about his recent mission to Haiti on behalf of St Paul's Cathedral:
Dear Friends,

My trip to Haiti in early November was busy, but a success. I was pleased to find that the blood pressure clinic is going strong and getting quite popular. I would estimate that we have between 80 and 100 regular patients, and between 40 and 60 attend the clinic each week. The nurses are finally understanding the protocol, and Lackson, my helper, was successful in procuring medicines in my absence. We have secured a way to get medicines for the best possible prices too. I hired someone to start doing data entry as well, which should prove to be extremely useful in assessing the effects of our medication interventions.

Thankfully, I found Haiti to be more stable. The crops this year seem to have been fairly good, and after last year's devastating four hurricanes, Haiti was blessed this year to have had abundant rain but no catastrophe. Nevertheless, famine continues, and I bought about 250 lbs of beans and rice to help needy families with your donations. The birthing center now has solar panels, and there were a team of engineers from Kansas City down there at the same time making some refinements to this state-of-the-art system. You can check out the birthing center at www.maisondenaissance.org.

Here are some pictures (click for a closer look). The first is of our patients waiting to be seen in clinic - in their Sunday best. The second is from the elementary school afiliated with St. Paul's, Torbeck. Your donations allowed the fourth grade to buy its first textbooks ever. They will be passed down from year to year.

I do hope to be able to do another trip sometime in 2010.

Finally, thank-you so much for your support during this Advent season.

Bart Smoot is a doctor here in San Diego and is currently serving as the Dean’s Warden.