By Harold Prévil, M.D., CEO Hôpital Sacré Coeur
“Because of your generosity and commitment to the work being done here, we have seen a considerable rise in the patient population and services performed by over 20% from the previous year.”
Like the great mapou tree that extends its branches over the Haitian landscape, I am reminded that each man and woman is sheltered by the shadow of their mother’s love. These women who bore us in pain, offered us protection from the hot glare of life while we grew into strong men and women. Recently, my own mother reminded me of an important lesson from my past. She said that it is good to take the time to stop your work and say thank you to those responsible for the blessings that have been given to you.
With less than two months remaining, 2016 is rapidly coming to a close. This has been a very blessed year for the hospital, its patients and employees, as well as, the Town of Milot where the hospital is located.
“On behalf of all the patients and staff at Hopitâl Sacré Coeur who have been affected by your generosity and kind charity, I would like to extend my most gracious appreciation.”
Aside from sheer numbers alone, there are thousands of individual stories that speak to those helped at Sacré Coeur. Many heartfelt accounts retell of the scores of children spared from the ravages of tetanus, diphtheria, malnutrition, HIV, diabetes — and the list continues. Then there are those mothers, yet to grow their branches as wide as the mapou, who were stricken by, then treated for, various curable diseases and simple complications — like eclampsia, infection and hemorrhage — while birthing the miracle of life in the poorest place in our hemisphere.
Not to be neglected in this assessment, we must look to the men who faithfully care for their families and who are frequently injured in motor bike and work related accidents. In saving their lives, their immediate and extended families avoid certain starvation, because in their absence there would be no one left to provide the means for their survival.
Finally, there are the elderly who are most grateful for the smallest kindness our hospital affords, most especially, the basic dignity of a palliative respite at the end of their journeys.
“Over and beyond all of us, we would like to thank our almighty God who has blessed all of us in his divine mercy. Let us continue to pray that God will make of our world a better place, one where we see each human being as a brother or sister whether we live in America, Africa, Asia, Europe or Oceania.”
Thanks are offered to all our donors who have continued their support in good times and bad while never giving up on our mission; the CRUDEM Board of Directors who have invested much of themselves to make sure we have the resources to operate effectively; to our partner aid organizations such as USAID, Project Hope, CDC, CRS, and CMMB to name a few; to all the many companies that have made “in kind” donations of equipment and supplies that we would never be able to purchase with our limited resources; to Mike Maron, President and CEO of Holy Name Medical Center, for his respectful approach of teaching us how to fish while sustaining us during the lesson; to the staff at HNMC for the many improvements, resources and knowledge they have brought to bear; to our team leaders and staff at Hôpital Sacré Coeur for their real and personal sacrifices made to place our hospital among the very best in Haiti; and especially to Dr. Dave Butler the chairman of the CRUDEM Foundation who has devoted more than 25 years of his life in service to our hospital and the people of Haiti.