Christmas 2013 was a particularly joyous and giving time at Hôpital Sacré Coeur. It all began with the decoration of the campus with Christmas colors and images, somewhat unusual in Haiti but commonplace in the United States. In early December, Dr. Nadine Pierre-Louis, Chief of the Internal Medicine Service, approached Dr. Prévil with the idea of visibly celebrating the season and marking the Feast of the Nativity with the spirit of giving.
Specifically, Dr. Pierre-Louis proposed that the hospital provide a special Christmas Dinner to the patients and suitably decorate the wards as well as the new employee lounge and cafeteria with Christmas symbols, including a Crèche and several Christmas trees. Dr. Pierre-Louis led this effort and was ably assisted by Ms. Irma Percinthe, Hôpital Sacré Coeur’s nurse coordinator.
True to the spirit of the season, the cost of the decorations and the Christmas dinner for patients was borne by voluntary subscription of the hospital’s employees. On Christmas Eve, thanks to the work of Pierre Richard Granjean, a medical technologist at the hospital, recordings of Adeste Fideles and other Christmas hymns were played throughout the campus.
On December 27th – the Third Day of Christmas – Dr. Prévil and the hospital’s Management Committee hosted a Christmas party for all employees in the new cafeteria and lounge. The celebration began with a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem played on the trumpet by Hôpital Sacré Coeur pediatrician Dr. Mesadieu Exavier along with several friends. Ms. Nirva Fils-Aimé, the hospital’s public health coordinator, led the staff in prayers. Dr. Prévil gave remarks and recognized a number of employees for exemplary service. A meal was served, including the full-range of traditional Haitian Christmas dishes. It was a very happy occasion for the staff and one that will surely become an annual tradition.
