Today we hear from our May 2018 volunteer Rhonda Baker: “I was working at a pediatric clinic in Central Illinois when I first heard of FOTCOH. A nurse practitioner started working at our clinic, and as I got to know her, Shellie Coleman, a long time FOTCOH volunteer and Medical Mission Team Leader, told me […]
Our Haitian Staff
For a long time now, it has been a dream of Dick and Barb Hammond, the founders of FOTCOH, to have our amazing FOTCOH Haitian staff run the clinic entirely by themselves. Knowing that these skilled doctors and nurses were capable of treating patients without the assistance of American volunteers and giving them a chance […]
Global Facts about WASH
The FOTCOH WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) Program will focus on efforts to nurture good hygiene practices, especially hand washing with soap. Good hygiene practices reduce the incidence of diseases such as pneumonia, scabies, skin and eye infections and diarrhea-related diseases like cholera and dysentery. The key to improving hygiene practices amongst children is to […]
Know Your Facts About Haiti
At the FOTCOH clinic, the health and well-being of our patients is our utmost concern. Having an understanding of what life is like for the Haitian population that we serve greatly influences our decisions as to how we properly treat patients, making sure they are getting the best care possible that we can provide for […]
Why Clean Saves Lives in Haiti
More than 840,000 people die each year from water, sanitation, and hygiene-related causes. On top of this, they have many waterborne disease problems. In 2011 alone, 6,000 people died in Haiti due to waterborne diseases. One-tenth of the disease in the world could be prevented by improving the hygiene, sanitation, and management of water. One […]
The Importance of Handwashing
Our Education Clinics teach the importance of handwashing to keep children and adults in Haiti, and everywhere, healthy. But why exactly is hand washing important and effective? The answer is for many reasons. The hands are the last line of defense against exposure to pathogens (a bacterium, virus, or other microorganisms that can cause disease) […]
The First Patients of the Week
The first two patients to arrive at the dental clinic in May were named Jean Louis and LaVamture. They were friends, and upon finding out about the Dental Clinic that was hosted by FOTCOH at the FOTCOH clinic in conjunction with a Peoria, Illinois based medical practice, the women walked from the mountains of Cap-Rouge […]
Introducing our Education Clinics!
The Education Clinics, unlike the Medical Clinics, are intended to add an educational component to the FOTCOH programs outside of what the medical teams provide for patients. An important aspect of working towards keeping the Haitian population healthy is teaching practices and skills that they can apply to their daily lives. FOTCOH has developed a […]
“Cyvadier” by Jeff Ripperda
This is “Cyvadier,” written by mandolin player Jeff Ripperda – who also a FOTCOH volunteer – and recorded by Nine88. Jeff wrote this song while sitting in the front yard of the FOTCOH clinic! https://www.facebook.com/councilnine88/videos/1735426323384540/
A small crutch brings a big smile
One of our January 2018 Medical Team volunteers, Julie DuBois, share with us a sweet story about a child that came to the clinic to receive care. Julie writes: “This young man brought us so much joy today. He has a congenital anomaly with a shortened right leg with a twisted foot. He walked to […]