Haiti Village Health (HVH) was founded by Canadian Emergency Physician, Dr. Tiffany Keenan in conjunction with a group of dedicated medical professionals who share a love for Haiti and a belief that access to health care and medicine is a basic human right.
Dr. Keenan has worked in Canada, Bermuda, Congo and Haiti and was first introduced to the village of Bod Me Limbe in 2006 during a visit to the area while working in Port au Prince.
After returning later that year to complete a needs assessment of the village and meet with village leaders, the first 2-week clinic was scheduled for February 2007. During that clinic, a volunteer team of 14 physicians, nurses and paramedics treated over 1,200 people from the area, provided de-worming medications to every child, offered a pre and neo natal care clinic and distributed maternal vitamins to all female patients of child bearing age.
Since the first clinic, HVH has remained committed to the provision of front line medical care, health education and nutritional support as well as access to clean water and sanitation.
HVH aims to achieve these objectives through a variety of programs including both on-site and outreach medical services, family planning and sexual health education programs, maternal health and pediatric services including child vaccination and malnutrition programs, Haitian health worker training, medical record tracking and micro-credit loans to foster self-sufficiency.
In 2008, HVH opened Sante Pou Yo, a permanent health clinic located in Bod Me Limbe. In 2011, HVH took ownership of a second clinic in the nearby city of Cap Haitian.
HVH is founded on the belief in fostering self-sufficiency and sustainability for Haitians and accordingly all of HVH’s in-country operations are under the management of local Haitians. Furthermore, all health care workers, nurses and doctors are now trained Haitians who are employed by HVH. To complement and support the Haitian staff, teams of international volunteers also visit Sante Pou Yo throughout the year to provide specialist services and conduct public health education, village outreach programs, family planning and childhood nutritional support.
More recently, HVH’s focus has expanded to encompass the entire Bas Limbe region with a population of approximately 25,000 rural Haitians.
A census of the region has been commissioned by HVH and is currently underway utilizing local Haitian staff in order to obtain an accurate assessment of the region, its population and the needs of the area. This assessment covers topics including maternal, infant and childhood mortality as well as socio-economic questions regarding income and employment. The data obtained in the census will allow HVH to create a strategic plan for the expansion of its services to the entire region.
