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Haitian President Michel Martelly Visits Hospital Bernard Mevs & Cuts Ribbon at CT Scanner Dedication Ceremony

As you may recall from a past post, Yéle Haiti generously donated a grant to Project Medishare for Haiti, Inc. in support of the purchase of a 16-slice CT Scanner with its own trailer and generator power source this past July. The unit arrived on April 1^st, 2011 at Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare. We were honored to have Haitian President Michel Martelly, First Lady Sophia Martelly, Wyclef Jean and many more attend the exciting ribbon cutting ceremony this past Friday, May 20, 2011.

The CT scanner will help treat the five major preventable causes of death in Haiti, which are: trauma, heart attack, stroke, maternal emergencies and burns. The scanner is connected to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami and this will assist in providing near instantaneous reading of the scans. This desperately needed technology will be integrated into Project Medishare’s training and education program for Haitian healthcare workers. The Yéle Haiti donated CT Scanner at Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare is the only 16-slice scanner available publicly in all of Haiti.

Receiving this CT Scanner and housing it at Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare has many benefits. The staff will be able to treat patients much faster as there will no longer be a need to transfer anyone for scans. If a patient has had an aneurysm, the CT Scanner will show the size of it and if it is operable. Dr. Bill Crenshaw and Dean Lee donated IV Contrast that will show vessels during the scans. With IV contrast, the hospital will be able to assess the aorta and pulmonary arteries. Using IV contrast in patients being scanned will allow the hospital to get oncology imaging as well as imaging of patients with trauma and acute abdominal pain.

The day of the CT Scanner ribbon cutting ceremony was an exceptionally exciting Friday at Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare. In the morning, a tour of the hospital was given to President Michel Martelly, First Lady Sophia Martelly and Wyclef Jean. During the tour of the premises, they took time to greet and speak to patients and met with hospital staff. Following the tour, the group viewed the CT Scanner and ceremoniously cut the ribbon that was emblazoned with the Project Medishare and Yéle Haiti logos (provided by Metro Signs, Inc.). President Martelly spoke to the crowd and kindly expressed his thanks to Project Medishare for the continued healthcare work being done in Haiti.

Project Medishare would like to extend a very special thank you to:
Wyclef Jean & Yéle Haiti for donating this incredible & important gift.
President Michel Martelly & First Lady Sophia Martelly for attending.
Metro Signs, Inc. for donating the lettering, signage & ribbon.