PIH receives medical volunteers, medical supplies to support its relief work in Haiti

Jan 28 2010

Partners HealthCare in Boston and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH, have sent multiple teams of medical volunteers as well as critical medical supplies and equipment to support Partners In Health's earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.  

"The long-term ramifications in Haiti are going to be significant and far-reaching with a new, large group of vulnerable and displaced people. We are extremely grateful to Partners HealthCare and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for their immediate response to the relief efforts in Haiti, and we know that they will be critical partners in our long-term commitment to Haiti," said Ophelia Dahl, Executive Director of Partners in Health.

"The Partners HealthCare family has joined with Partners In Health and the U.S. Government to offer the full breadth and depth of our services and support in all the ways we can.  We are in daily communication with Dr. Farmer's team at PIH and coordinating our collective efforts with the rest of the dedicated doctors and nurses who live and work and care for the people of Haiti," said Gary. L. Gottlieb, MD, MBA, President and CEO of Partners HealthCare.

Physicians, nurses and other caregivers from Partners founding hospitals -- Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital -- are either on the ground at PIH sites in Haiti or are en route to offer healing assistance to the victims of the earthquake. This response includes doctors, nurses, and other caregivers and medical professionals.  Additionally, Partners is providing PIH locations with hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical supplies including trauma kits, surgical supplies, and anesthesia.

DHMC doctors are currently working side-by-side with Haitian PIH doctors and nurses at the University Hospital (HUEH) in Port-au-Prince. PIH has been designated by the World Health Organization to serve as the primary coordinators of HUEH, the main hospital in the capital, to address the thousands of critically injured people from Port-au-Prince.  DHMC doctors are also providing critical medical and surgical support to the Haitian medical teams at PIH's long-standing medical facility in Hinche. So far, Dartmouth-Hitchcock has contributed more than $200,000 in supplies and equipment for the relief effort, more than $55,000 of which has been generously donated by its suppliers.

"The strong bonds between Dartmouth, DHMC, and PIH, and the presence of PIH health care facilities in Port-au-Prince and the central plateau have made a rapid response possible," said Jim Yong Kim, president of Dartmouth College and co-founder of Partners In Health. "Through six logistical support flights, we have sent twenty medical professionals and 15,000 pounds of relief supplies. Dartmouth students have also raised more than $138,000 for PIH online and are serving as the organizational model for student fundraising efforts nationwide. I am so proud of the way this community has stepped up on behalf of the Haitian people."

Partners In Health (PIH) has been providing vital health care and social services in Haiti for more than 20 years and has over 100 doctors, 600 nurses and 4,000 employees on the ground in Haiti coordinating relief efforts at the University Hospital (HUEH) in Port-au-Prince as well as 12 existing PIH hospitals. PIH has been treating injured patients and transferring critically injured patients from Port-au-Prince (HUEH) to PIH sites in the Central Plateau and Lower Artibonite Valley as well as evacuating other patients to the U.S.S. Comfort and to hospitals in the United States and Dominican Republic.