Recently, we completed the first of a series of housing improvements with the construction of the hospitals first duplex. Drs. Nadine and Jerry Bernard and Dr. Michelle Hanna and their children moved into this first finished structure located next to the convent on the CRUDEM campus. Each unit has a small kitchen/dinette, a living room, two bathrooms and three bedrooms. The 800 square foot space is not luxurious, but comfortable. It has the added appeal of some wonderful landscaping and gardening, done by Nadine Bernard, which extends the living area into the outdoors in a most satisfying fashion.
After the destructive earthquake centered in the south of Haiti spotlighted the tragedies of poorly chosen construction materials, the Buildings and Grounds Committee, in cooperation with our Haitian General Services staff, designed and constructed the entire structure from a new building system referred to as SIP construction or Structural Insulated Panels.These lightweight laminated Styrofoam panels are sturdy, insect proof, watertight and virtually harmless in an earthquake.
The product has been getting a lot of play here in Haiti during the reconstruction as it removes many of the inherent problems witnessed by the 7.1 magnitude quake. Most of the damage in the south came from poorly constructed concrete and masonry structures that are difficult to test and monitor during the construction phase. By comparison, the SIP construction is a rapid and inexpensive approach to the more conventional methods with greater integrity and long term viabilities.
As additional land and financial resources become available, we hope to make more such homes accessible to other key member of our medical staff. Ultimately, this program will increase our ability to serve and provide vital and timely care to those who suffer from the many traumas that plague the countryside.