Partnering with Thiotte

to Improve Health
About Us
Haiti Medical Mission of Wisconsin, Inc.

Our History

 

Our commitment to improving the health of the people of Thiotte, in southeast Haiti, began in 1997.  Since then, HMMW has made about 50 trips to Thiotte, made up of volunteer teams of 8-12 health care professionals and non-medical volunteers, to provide general and specialized medical care and surgery to the area's 25,000 people.  In 2001, HMMW built and furnished a medical clinic in Thiotte and began treating patients there in 2002.  HMMW's presence in Thiotte and our ability to facilitate relationships between the local Haitian people and other US and international organizations interested in providing assistance to Haiti, has resulted in the people of Thiotte receiving considerably more assistance than our organization could have provided alone.  Now, Thiotte also possesses a hospital and continuous medical care is available through the clinic.  With support from HMMW, the clinic and hospital together currently employ a staff of Haitian physicians, nurses, community healthcare workers, a lab and eye technicians, clinic administrator and support assistants.

Current Efforts

 

HMMW strives to send about 6 medical mission team to Thiotte each year.  We contribute funds toward clinic staff salaries, and add to clinic medications, supplies and equipment.  In 2012, HMMW facilitated the hiring of an eye technician, who now works in the Thiotte clinic as both a nurse and eye technician, with training and supervision provided by an ophthalmologist, who is based in Jacmel and travels to Thiotte.  This HMMW initiated effort to build local capacity for better meeting daily eye health needs of the community, will also enable us to further develop and expand our eye health program into the future.  In April 2013, we will be providing vision screening, lens distribution, general eye health care and eye surgery in full collaboration with our US-based medical team and Haitian ophthalmologists.   In addition, we are exploring, with our Haitian partners, the possibility of using our eye program as a model to develop an on-going dental care program.  February 2013 marks our first dental mission trip to Thiotte in recent years.  
 Haitian Driven

It is our desire to be more Haitian driven and to take actions which help build local capacity and stimulate the Haitian economy; thereby, advancing local resiliency and sustainability.  Toward that goal, we are now purchasing in Haiti most of the medications and many of the supplies for our medical mission work.  In December 2012, we held meetings with our Haitian partners to discuss specific opportunities for collaboration and integrating Haitian identiified goals into our strategic plan. HMMW is continually working to better identify, access and collaborate with our Haitian partners to more effectively assess, meet and anticipate the health care needs of the people of Thiotte and the surrounding area.  We will work to assist the Thiotte clinic staff in networking with and sharing resources, knowledge and skills, among their Haitian peers and others to support and expand local capacity for positively impacting and improving the determinants of health.