On January 10, 2010, almost five years ago, Haiti was devastated by a massive earthquake resulting in over 300,000 lives lost. Around that time, Elaine Knight, member@linkedin.com founder of LifePaths Global Alliance www.lifepathsglobal.org was searching for the next humanitarian LifePaths initiative.
After the earthquake, LifePaths mission was to quickly provide urgent medical and community development assistance to select northern rural areas like L’Estere in Haiti. One of the reasons, LifePaths selected specific rural areas was to draw people back to their local communities where they have family and land and away from the already overcrowded population in the Port au Prince core that has become even more concentrated after the earthquake.
Since entering the communities of L’Estere and Port au Prince over four years ago, LifePaths established a Telemedicine Clinic and Internet Café and Business Center complete with computer classes.
The telemedicine clinic in L’Estere is headed by Chief Medical Advisor in Haiti, Joseph Prosper M.D (Dr. Joey).The Clinic provides free patient access to medical service in this very remote area of Haiti.
With the help of Paul Gahlinger, MD, PhD, the use of his telemedicine system enables patients to access high quality medical care via video conferencing and data-transmitting instruments. It is now possible for local medical staff in Haiti to communicate with larger medical facilities not only in Port au Prince but also in North America.
The Alliance along with Dr. Joey hired and trained a network of Telemedicine Assistants (TMA) to help provide care. The TMAs were selected from the local community of L’Estere and trained in Port au Prince using the curriculum developed by Dr. Gahlinger.
Volunteers who travel with LifePaths to Haiti spend a day in the telemedicine clinic and in the adjoining pharmacy which also operates in conjunction with an eyeglass clinic. For the first time, many local Haitians have the opportunity to see clearly and receive good eye care.
In addition to the telemedicine clinic, the Alliance has also created a Child Sponsorship Program and recently opened their first “Home for Kids” that houses ten homeless children in Mau Poo, close to L’Estere.
Today, to meet all of their needs to help in Haiti, LifePaths is struggling to raise funds and hopes that willing companies and organizations in the international community will come on board to help LifePaths by donating inexpensive equipment.
For more information, go to www.facebook.com/events/695638807174872, or to www.llifepathsglobal.org/#!about_us/c14e3WEBSITE.