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Only a 2-hour flight from the US lies the most impoverished nation in the western hemisphere. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere by multiple UN and WHO metrics. More than half of the population in Haiti lives on less than $1 a day. Nearly 75% of the population does not finish primary school.
In particular, the Central Plateau region represents the most resource-impoverished region in Haiti due to geographical isolation and economic burden. The severity of poverty in this region is most evident from its health statistics. Poor health in the Central Plateau is largely due to limited access to healthcare. In most villages, the closest sources of healthcare is a half day's worth of travel away, or even more. We partner with the organization Promise for Haiti to provide surgical care alongside our Haitian colleagues at Hospital Bienfaisance de Pignon. PR: However, in the wake of this setback, new opportunities for global & rural health partnerships have presented themselves. Dr. Carla Haack, Emory general surgeon and indispensable member of Emory Global Perioperative Alliance, has partnered with Puerto Rican non-profit organization Coalición de Coaliciones to provide essential medical care to vulnerable patient populations in rural Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria in 2017. As part of our organization's ongoing efforts to educate medical students on essential aspects of providing responsible, effective, and culturally-appropriate medical and surgical relief to those in need, Dr. Haack will be leading our team of students on a 2-week medical relief trip to rural Puerto Rico from June 8-22. This will be alongside relief work done by Coalición de Coaliciones, whom we are excited to partner with and learn from. You can keep up with our newest efforts on the blog page, which we will update frequently as our trip progresses! |
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