Training Healthcare Workers in Haiti
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One of Rotary’s seven areas of focus is disease prevention and treatment. Rotary believes that good health care is everyone’s right. Yet 400 million people in the world can’t afford or don’t have access to basic health care.
One great project started by the Rotary Club of Northeast Philly, Cheltenham Rockledge is a healthcare project in Haiti initiated by member David Ehrenkrantz, a doctor of public health.
In Haiti, more than half of the population lacks access to health services and there is a dire need for skilled health workers, so Ehrenkrantz initiated a program that trains nurses and recent graduates of nursing school in Haiti. He now oversees the clinical component of HEAL Pignon, an offshoot of HEAL HAITI, the Health Education Action League for Haiti.
“A lot of the people graduating from Haitian nursing schools get jobs in the real world and they feel ill-equipped to handle clinical situations on the ground,” says Ehrenkrantz. “In May, we sent five nurse trainers to Haiti. They came from New Jersey and New York. They completed their trainings in June and now do quarterly follow ups with trainees in Pignon.”
Helping the training project come to fruition were former Rotary International President Barry Rassin, leaders of the Rotary Club of Pignon, and from our District, Peter and Sue Mardinly and Bob and Holly Lankin.
Rotary Southeastern PA’s involvement with HEAL Haiti began in the summer and fall of 2019. Since then, there have been numerous challenges, including the COVID pandemic, the assassination of Haiti’s president, the kidnapping of 17 people, and an earthquake.
The goals for Project Pignon, according to Ehrenkrantz, are to expand from 22 to 40 trainees. “We’d like to make this an expansive annual operation. Haiti needs it,” he says.
Ehrenkrantz is grateful for the generous support shown by many Rotary clubs in the area, and he’s hoping donors will help sustain the program for the future. Financial contributions will go towards medical equipment, dressings, lancets, and lodging, among other things.