UHealth/Miller School Leading Storm Relief Effort in Haiti

9/11/2008

Flooding on a street in the Hinche District of Haiti’s Central Plateau, where Project Medishare has worked to provide relief. Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., senior vice president for medical affairs and dean, speaks at Miami City Hall about coordinating the storm relief effort to Haiti. Bart Chernow, M.D., vice president for special programs and resource strategy (left), and Miami Mayor Manny Diaz (right) look on. Co-Founders of Project Medishare: Barth Green, M.D., professor and chairman of neurological surgery, and Arthur Fournier, M.D., professor of family medicine and associate dean for community health.

University of Miami Health System/Miller School of Medicine is a leader in the South Florida effort to bring relief to the storm-ravaged nation of Haiti. In a few short weeks, Haiti has been the target of four storms that have caused hundreds of deaths, destroyed homes and left torrential flooding.

“The Miller School’s commitment to providing assistance and medical care to Haiti has never been stronger than it is during this terrible time of need,” said Dean Goldschmidt. For many years UM’s Project Medishare, co-founded by Barth Green, M.D., professor and chairman of neurological surgery, and Arthur Fournier, M.D., professor of family medicine and associate dean for community health, has been providing medical care to one of Haiti’s poorest regions, the Central Plateau.

Now UHealth/Miller’s outreach is increasing to meet the dire need created by these storms.  Over the past week Project Medishare has been featured in a number of relief stories and Dr. Fournier has been interviewed by The Miami Herald, The Sun-Sentinel and NBC6, detailing the effort to get help to Haiti.

Project Medishare is proud to be part of the coordinated South Florida effort to get assistance to those in the most need.  Our teams on the ground in the Central Plateau have identified clean water as one of the most critical needs, and Fournier received word today that the first shipment of LifeStraws, a portable water sanitizer, is going out tomorrow.  “If we get these out there,” said Fournier, “we’ll be able to make a difference in terms of clean water.”

Rebuilding homes and roofs is another necessity.  In the district of Hinche, at least 500 families are homeless. That amounts to roughly 3,500 people.  At one point, explains Ellen Powers, M.P.H., country director for Project Medishare, the community hospital was turned into a shelter for thousands of people who had nowhere else to go.  Those people have now been moved to schools, which are being used as shelters.  “It’s not just one area,” says Powers, “it’s the entire country.”

Project Medishare is also working to bring basic necessities to the area.  Those left homeless need food, bedding, clothing and basic toiletries such as soap and toothpaste.  Antibiotics are also needed.

If you want to help, please go to the following website:  https://www6.miami.edu/campaign/gift/onlinegiving.html?unit=73.  Put “Haiti Relief Fund” in the field marked “other.”