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Marking the One Year Anniversary of Work in Haiti Following Earthquake of 2010

January 12, 2011 - Haiti

Today Real Medicine Foundation joins the world in marking the one year since the catastrophic 7.0 earthquake that took place in Haiti on January 12, 2010.

According to the Haitian government, an estimated three million people were affected by the quake; 230,000 people had died, 300,000 had been injured and 1,000,000 made homeless. They also estimated that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged. The loss of hospitals compounded the medical tragedies of the earthquake, prompting RMF to orchestrate teams to go to Haiti and provide trauma aid.

Immediately following the earthquake, Real Medicine Foundation began providing medical staffing, in-kind medical supplies and strategic coordination to help meet the surging needs of the health crisis on the ground. Working in close partnership with other relief organizations, Real Medicine:

Organized deployments of volunteer medical specialists to meet the needs of partner hospitals and clinics at the Haiti/Dominican Republic border and in Port-au-Prince
Provided direct funding, medical supplies and pharmaceuticals to local health facilities and partner hospitals
Provided advisory services and coordination to local health facilities, including physical therapy support
Coordinated mobile health outreaches, field clinics and food supplies to outlying villages overlooked in the relief effort

Meanwhile, Real Medicine has worked to develop health services projects that will meet the long-term healthcare needs of the local population, including the establishment of a primary healthcare clinic in the Pernier neighborhood that is run under Haitian management and offers healthcare access to more than 15,000 local Haitians.

RMF also entered into a partnership with Hôpital Lambert Santé in Pétion-Ville, funding additional physicians, nurses, and medical supplies to support operation of a Free Clinic that provides the public with access to 24-hour emergency and general practice healthcare in the community. Pétion-Ville and the surrounding communes are home to more than 100,000 displaced persons, living in tent communities.

RMF has also presented a comprehensive health strategy for Haiti to the White House and other government agencies, multi-national organizations and NGOs in an effort to raise funding and awareness for Haiti. The organization is currently seeking financial support for its Hospital Consortium Project that includes three public/private partner hospitals in Port-au-Prince, and would designate core health services responsibilities to each facility while building a comprehensive platform for subsidized public healthcare coverage in the local community. The projected result of the Hospital Consortium Project would be to increase capacity from 5,800 to 20,500 patients per month within the first year.

Fuchs says, "Real Medicine is committed to staying in Haiti, or anywhere our projects are around the world, as long as needed to properly serve those who need us, even where the public spotlight has moved on. Haiti has been proof of this promise; we are thrilled with the results and how we have put the donations we received to immediate and clear use. It’s been a tremendous year for us, and we will do more for Haiti in 2011."

To contribute to this initiative, please click Donate button or visit our website at realmedicinefoundation.org.