EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Project Medishare has been committed not only to immediate disaster response, but also to medium and long-term recovery projects to build capacity in the health sector and help Haiti recover from natural disasters.
2010 Earthquake
In Haiti, there is a clear line of distinction: life as we knew it before janvye douz and everything that came after. A devastating and destructive 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti at approximately 4:53pm on January 12, 2010 and life for those in Haiti was forever changed.
At the time, Project Medishare had been working in Haiti for nearly 15 years already. We responded to the disaster immediately, setting up a 300-bed tent hospital within mere hours. For months, our team treated tens of thousands of patients, organized millions of dollars worth of aid, and deployed nearly 10,000 international volunteers.
Six months later, after treating more than 30,000 earthquake victims, Project Medishare moved out of the tent hospital and into Hospital Bernard Mevs, which was only partially functional due to the post-quake conditions. Project Medishare brought in all of the high-tech equipment used at the field hospital, upgraded the hospital to include intensive care units for adults, children and premature babies, and turned Hospital Bernard Mevs into the only trauma and critical care hospital in Haiti.
Commonly referred to as one of the worst natural disasters and humanitarian crises of our generation, it’s a moment in time we remember somberly.
2016 Hurricane Matthew
Hurricane Matthew struck Haiti on October 4, 2016 as a Category 4 hurricane. The intense effects of wind, coastal flooding and severe rain caused massive destruction in Southern Haiti.
Immediately, Project Medishare medical staff deployed to Jeremie, one of the hardest hit areas. In collaboration with Hospital Bernard Mevs we organized a coalition of community-based, Haitian-led organizations to provide much needed health care and emergency aid that continued through 2017.
Project Medishare provided 110 tons of essential supplies to affected families, including water purification tablets, mosquito nets, medications, and food and hygiene kits. Our staff and groups of medical volunteers delivered critical medical care to more than 4,000 patients.
2021 Earthquake
On August 12, 2021 a destructive 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the southern coast of Haiti. More than 2,000 people were killed and upwards of 650,000 were left in need of assistance.
In partnership with local organizations, Project Medishare has provided over 200,000 lbs of medication, medical and essential supplies. We have also distributed more than 7,000 food and hygiene kits to affected families. We continue to deploy our medical staff to conduct a series of mobile clinics, offering our services in some of the hardest hit areas, as well as provide training for local midwives and community healthcare workers, ensuring they have knowledge and resources long into the future. Residents of these remote areas previously had limited health care services, and in the aftermath of the earthquake had no health clinics or hospitals at all. Over a period of 9-months our mobile clinics have seen a total of 1,100 patients.
What We Do
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Providing healthcare in rural remote areas to be seen by doctors and nurses and access our mobile pharmacies. These are usually hosted at churches, schools or central community spots. Most patients that are seen here would not seek healthcare help otherwise.
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We provide food and hygiene kits to families to help them following disaster response. We provide food for a family of 5 as well as essential hygiene items.
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We provide training to midwives to ensure they have supplies needed. We ensure we educate them as best we can on warning signs, symptoms of a difficult pregnancy/delivery and who to contact in case of emergencies.
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We gather and distribute critical medicines, medical supplies and equipment to partner hospitals and clinics treating victims following disasters.