The holy spirit is often described as wind in the Bible. It’s the wind that gives life to new creations, directs people’s actions, and stirs things up. Lately we’ve been having some windy moments at the Community Coalition for Haiti — literally as our faithful blue truck travels between our old and new clinic buildings with stacks of file folders flapping, and figuratively as the spirit moves in our staff, volunteers, and the communities we serve.
As of October 15th, CCH’s healthcare clinics are now operating at our new location in Jacmel. Take a breath and celebrate that with us!
Patient Voices
Clinic Coordinator, Melissa Jean-Bart, chatted with patients in the waiting room to see what brought them to our clinics. Most, like Loodson below, were grateful to CCH for making a stronger commitment to the community by investing in property. In Haiti’s healthcare system with limited care options, patients appreciate that CCH continues to provide quality care.
Patient Loodson said, “Even if CCH moved, in the community people still are talking about CCH and it was easy to find where the new clinic is because patients want to come to CCH’s clinic regardless of where you are. I heard about the move through my neighbor.”
Patient Magdala who is has been receiving PT for the last 3 months (following a fall ) shared, “I want to congratulate you, once you buy your own house, you are here for very long time… thanks CCH.”
Patient Davidson shared, “We love the new space it is still accessible to the community, and it is more spacious to be able to serve more patients. We love the fact there is parking so your [motorcycle] can be safe and that there is more waiting area for people to sit in.”
Owning our own property in Haiti has been a long-time goal of CCH. Transition to the new, 11,000-sqft facility, allows CCH to expand its Primary Care, PT/Rehab and Surgical Clinics, thus expanding, in turn, our capacity to provide high-quality medical care to the men, women and children of Haiti (like Loodson, inset left). The site will also house new program offices for our Education and Community Development ministries and collaborative spaces, including a CCH training center.
The holy spirit has definitely been at work leading up to our big move. So many members of the Coalition pitched in to get the new building space remodeled and ready for action. We all worked as “one CCH”: hammering, painting, cleaning, and hauling supplies to move and reopen our Primary Care and Physical Therapy clinics and transform the new Jim Wilmot Surgical suite in preparation for November surgical teams. Volunteers, staff, local tradesmen, doctors, nurses, accountants and housekeepers all worked side by side to reach our ambitious goal.
Clinic Coordinator, Melissa Jean-Bart (top center photo) and other staff did a fantastic job with community outreach about the clinic move. Thanks to their communication with patients, posted signs, street banners, and radio ads, along with CCH’s great reputation around Jacmel, patients knew where to find the new building and they were showing up for primary and PT care as soon as the new facility was open.
Having our own facility is a dream come true, but it’s also a lot of effort! Please stay tuned for information about the many ways that you can be the wind in our sails, financially and in other hands-on ways. We have several “general interest” volunteer trips coming up in 2019 where you can help with ongoing construction, school-based health check ups, or other projects that fit your unique skills. Also keep an eye out for information about our upcoming capital campaign. And finally, be sure to “Like” us on Facebook – where we’ll post the latest photos and stories from the ground in Haiti.
