Public
Health - Family Health Ministries in Blanchard, Haiti
Since 2002, Family Health Ministries has been working in Blanchard, Haiti. Also called Terre Noire ;by locals, the area is an urban community in Port-au-Prince
located approximately 2 miles from the slum area of Cite Soleil, close to the PAP airport.
With
the help of Duke Chapel and other donors, FHM built and operates the Blanchard Family Health Center that
provides primary care and public health services.
Since the earthquake:
The Blanchard Clinic survived intact in the earthquake. It immediately became a refuge (above).
All fifteen employees returned to work right away. Only one was injured. Quite a number lost family members as well as their homes, or their homes were badly damaged. Read about FHM's Safe & Dry fund raising program to provide new housing for employees.
FHM sent 5 medical relief teams to the Blanchard Clinic, the first reaching Port-au-Prince via the Dominican Republic. See FHM's News Archives for earthquake reports and more pictures.
STAFF & SERVICE LEVEL
PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH
SERVICE EXPANSION
HISTORY
ON-GOING NEEDS
 
Above - the first medical mission team to use the newly completed 2nd floor
of the Blanchard Clinic in June 2009
STAFF & SERVICE LEVEL
FHM's
clinic opened in December 2006 with a Haitian staff of nine, since expanded to 15.
The public health clinic has a
physician, Dr. Yves, nurse practitioner Jeannette,
nurse Solange, pharmacist Virginie, two public health
workers Annaus and Josian, receptionist Eliane, office administrator Napeau, cleaning staff Esterne, Security Pierre, lab techs Aliette and Jean, and l coordinator Denis. They provide
care to approximately 400 patients per month not counting patients seen by
visiting healthcare teams.
During Summer 2009, FHM's cervical cancer prevention program expanded to the Leogane Clinic. Now, under the direction of Dr. Junior Duliepre, Ob/GYN, assisted by Nurse Guerda.
"Missionary doctors" as they are referred
to by our Haitian patients also provide healthcare at the clinic many times
per
year, hugely expanding the number of patients seen. Read about FHM's mission trips and join a team.
PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH
FHM employes two public health workers who circulate through the community daily with a questionnaire about the number of people living in each dwelling, their source of water, their sanitation processes and similar information.
Community members are asked for their health priorities. After any children are weighed and measured, they are given an antiparasitic and vitamins. Finally, each questionnare is positioned with a GPS, allowing FHM to track the local communities' needs.
Below, Annaus Franckel completes the health questionnaire with the woman of the house, and then weighs and measures her children. Back at the office, Annaus uploads the GPS data he has recorded and inputs the data from each health questionnaire. During the analysis, heights and weights are compared to norms, and access to sanitation and clean water factored into the results.
  
SERVICE EXPANSION
The second floor
of the clinic was completed in February 2009. The new second flor is primarily used for visiting medical personal and students
who are interested in direct patient care, education,
and research. The first FHM medical team used the new facility in June 2009.
The additional space is also used by FHM's cervical cancer prevention program. FHM expanded its cervical cancer prevention program to Blanchard and Cite Soleil in Summer 2009.
To complete the cervical cancer follow up process, FHM has needed access to lower cost pathology. Thanks to Qiagen corporation, FHM was building a new pathology lab at the Blanchard Clinic. Plans were interrupted by the earthquake and have not yet resumed (July 2010).
Above, the team assembled in Cite Soleil
(left to right) Dr. Junior Duliepre, Dr. Elizabeth Pritts, FHM Research Coordinator Jackie Ndirangu, translator Evelyne, nurses Guerda and Sophonie, and in back, Blanchard public health workers Josian Casseus and Annaus Franckel. Read more about the project.
HISTORY
Initially, the Terre Noir area was considered a
rural getaway for Haitians who had the resources to purchase land and
build nice
homes. However, it has rapidly grown into a very poor community with
limited resources as increasing numbers of people fled the widely reported,
civil unrest in Cite Soleil, particularly in 2004.
Family Health Ministries was
introduced to this community by Pastor Leon Dorleans after he helped some of
the people who left Cite Soleil start a church and a school in this
community with the assistance of Haiti Outreach
Ministries, Inc. This community had limited access to health care
and had to travel approximately two
hours north of
Port-au-Prince to see a doctor. Pastor Dorleans asked
Family Health Ministries for assistance.
With the help of the Duke Chapel and many other donors, Family Health Ministries
began raising the funds for the health center. While funds were being
raised, FHM placed 3 public health workers in the community and began
collecting health data and creating a GPS map of the community.
This work, with enhancements, continues today.
In
April of 2004 (see series of pictures in left column), the foundation for the clinic was poured. Over
the next 2 1/2 years, the construction continued
but costs rose dramatically due to
the issues of building in the midst of political instability,
kidnappings and civil unrest.
The money was eventually raised, and on December 5,
2006, Dr. Yves and his staff opened the doors and saw the first
33
patients (below).
 
Construction continued sporadically on the second floor throughout 2007 and early 2008. After FHM's spring 2008 event, An Evening of Art for Haiti, raised
$17,000, the
second floor walls were finished and the roof installed (bottom left). A church group from Kentucky finished the painting in February 2009. Donations from churches in Greensboro, NC, allowed FHM to finish the ironwork and plumbing at about the same time.
Finally, in Spring 2010, furniture for the clinic was purchased, including chairs, tables, and storage cabinets, used by the ongoing programs as well as for visiting medical mission teams.
ON-GOING NEEDS
The Blanchard clinic operating budget is $5752 per month (updated Spring 2010). Although patients pay a small fee, it does not begin to pay for staff and supplies. The clinic depends on donations.
he Blanchard Clinic also has a emergency feeding program that distributes $700/month in rice and oil, again funded by donations.
Approximately $7500 - $10,000 is contributed annually as in-kind donations from visiting medical teams. Donations are appreciated.
EARTHQUAKE RELIEF
Earthquake relief funds are in addition to the $5753/month sent for salaries, medicines, and other materials.
Read about FHM's program, Safe & Dry, to provide new or repaired homes for Blanchard Clinic families. As of July 2010, FHM has borrowed $52K from reserve funds to help 15 employees with the rehabilitation of the earthquake-damaged or destroyed homes.
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