Covid-19 in Haiti
Little by little, COVID-19 is spreading through Haiti. Our leadership team is working on the front lines to find ways to stop the pandemic from spreading any further. At the same time, we’re preparing for levels of infection based on what we’ve seen unfold as the virus has swept the globe.
Our Response
St. Luke is leveraging its existing infrastructure and community support networks to do everything possible to contain the novel coronavirus in Haiti. We also seek to provide medical and spiritual care and comfort for those infected and suffering from COVID-19, as well as their families.
Our initiatives include:
St. Luke CENTER FOr the Treatment of Acute Respiratory Infections
St. Luke’s COVID-19 center currently includes 101 beds, utilizing open air settings, appropriate spacing, and proper infection control to provide important access to care in a context where there are very few alternatives. Case numbers are rising and we are working hard to keep the center staffed and equipped with PPE, supplies, and equipment.
PUBLIC HEALTH EDUCATION & Outreach
Haiti has long struggled to provide reliable public sanitation infrastructure. Our trusted outreach workers are out in the community delivering a message that emphasizes the importance of hand washing and hygiene — now more than ever. St. Luke is distributing bleach disinfectant solution made in our Francisville production center to the most vulnerable and densely populated areas of Port-au-Prince.
PRocurING Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)
COVID-19 cases are present across Haiti. We are doing our best to protect all of our staff with the necessary PPE. Costs, sourcing and scarcity are a heavy burden. Our team at our St. Francisville production center has sewn thousands of re-usable face masks. Other equipment, including N95 masks, will need to be purchased to ensure the protection of our front-line staff. When possible, we try to buy PPE locally made in Haiti.
Social SUpport
There has been a great deal of misinformation regarding COVID-19 in Haiti. Many do not trust the government or traditional information sources, and are fearful of infection. We are doing all we can to disseminate accurate information, but social conditions for patients and their families are frequently difficult. We have already seen cases where patients and their families have become refugees, unable to return home. St. Luke helps these families with temporary shelter and access to the basic needs of healthy food and water. In the evenings, Father Rick visits the sick to listen to their many problems, to review their medical progress, to have prayers with them, and help them find solutions for their complicated psychological and social stresses. Our goal is for full recovery in a safe and stable setting.
Job Creation & Food Distribution
For months before this pandemic, Haiti has been experiencing social unrest and lockdowns that have prevented families from accessing employment or sustenance. Even before COVID-19, over 4 million people in Haiti were projected to experience hunger and food insecurity in 2020. We are continuing our economic development work and distribution of food and water in the vulnerable communities of Cite Soleil, La Saline, Tabarre, Wharf Jeremie, and Kenscoff, and importantly, we are also continuing to reinforce local agricultural systems.
We are continuing to expand our medical and services teams.
You can make a difference. With your support we can continue to save more lives!
How You Can Help
$10
will buy 10 surgical masks
$20
will buy 5 kilos of hand disinfectant
$130
will support 1 working day for our COVID-19 unit
$250
will provide 50 N95 masks