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 to do so was something that both Dick and Barb were passionate about for many years.
Last year, their dream became a reality. In March of 2017, after more than 30 years of working in Haiti, FOTCOH hosted it’s first ever all Haitian staff clinic. The clinic was deemed a success, and in March of 2018, a second Haitian run clinic was held, After a week of seeing patients, nearly 2,000 Haitians had been treated at the FOTCOH clinic. On top of the weeklong clinics, our dedicated Haitian staff also sees patients during mini-clinics in between our regularly schedule Medical Clinics where we bring in volunteers from the United States and Canada. In July of 2018, another all Haitian staffed clinic will be held at the FOTCOH clinic in Cyvadier.
Meet some of the Haitian staff
We are incredibly proud of our Haitian staff and know that the mission of FOTCOH could not be carried out without them. There are over 40 Haitian staff members who work to bring health care to the Haitian community in and around Jacmel. Here are a few of them who are currently working during our all Haitian-staffed clinics:
Dr. Nelson
Dr. Nelson is the Medical Director with FOTCOH. He oversees provider interpreters, Medika Mamba program, medical guideline adherence, mini-clinics, and Haitian staff in pharmacy.
Dr. Frenel
A new Haitian physician, Dr. Frenel, has been hired to assist Dr. Nelson at the clinic.
Dr. Frenel will be working closely with Dr. Nelson on mini-clinics, and our Haitian led clinics in 2018.
Nurse Esther
Esther is our newest Haitian nurse. She will be working alongside our volunteers at the Medical Clinics and at our mini-clinics.
Andre Boyer
Boyer is the Clinic Manager. He conducts all in-country banking; maintains financial ledger; communicates regularly with Dick Hammond and Executive Director; oversees all non-medical interpreters and workers; communicates scheduling needs; advises and administers all FOTCOH policies/procedures; schedules transportation of American teams to and from Port-au-Prince to clinic and around town; disburses worker pay in conjunction with Team Leaders; oversees all maintenance issues and secures appropriate specialists when necessary (plumber, electrician, etc).
Thank you to all the Haitian staff for their dedication and hard work!
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How do I make a donation to support FOTCOH?
You can make a donation to support FOTOCOH in a few different ways. On our website, visit the donation page, and make a secure online donation. You can also mail a check to our office: Friends of the Children of Haiti, P.O. BOX 789, Peoria, Illinois 61652.