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The Team
Dr Elysse Edmond and Dr Penina Edmond on the line
At the dispensary
The end of the day
Unpacking
The doctors at the end of a long day.

a report from team member Dr. Elysee Edmond, M.D.

March 17, 2012 The second mobile clinic at the village of Jouanau

We left Croix-des-Bouquets around 8 45 AM and we get there at 9:30 AM .I was very concern about the road because we are in the rainy season in Haiti and I wanted to used our SantéBus yellow bus. I have chosen to go back to Joaneau for two reasons: first Joaneau is the place that I

The team
The Team en route
would like to have our SantéBus Base in Haiti and because my brother Dr Bonnet was planning to be there with me. I wanted him to see and to experience what I used to tell him about that needy place. We went with two cars our SantéBus one and another that we get from one of the most famous leaders of Joaneau. The road was bumpy, fill of water floured somewhere.

First, we unloaded everything from our cars, we installed two tents outside the church and we placed the pharmacy inside the church. We went faster with the good help of our friend and brother Dr Jean- Paul. We got three doctors Dr Elysee Edmond my wife Dr Penina Edmond and for the first Dr Jean-Paul Bonnet, three medical students Dr Mompremier, Dr Gloria both of them are in their last year in the medical school and Dr Ruth who is in the second year of medical school, a nurse Marie Andre and two helpers from the church Past Ricardo and Marcellin.

Dr Mompremier
Dr Mompremier
The three doctors plus one of the medical students were seeing patients under the tents and the rest of the team worked in the pharmacy. The two helpers helped to organize everything like calling patients make sure that patients got a number etc. We were so much happy to wear our SantéBus T-shirts and used our new blood pressure machine, blood sugar machine and other stuff that Dr Bonnet has brought for us.

There were about 500 hundred people waiting for us. This time we had the most common leaders in this community ready to be seeing by doctors. Fortunately we were prepared for that we brought more medications and more doctors, because we learned from the first mobile clinic. We had a lot of kids, Moms with 4 to seven kids; dad with one to two kids some old people in the waiting area.

We started seeing patients around 10 Am. We saw the patients and we shared the Gospel with them because the plan is not only to help the patients with their body but also their soul. This is why I had in my team Christian people only. Dr Bonnet asked a lot questions about the community, I guest he found many answers of his questions about this community. Dr Bonnet went to see the land that three leaders from this community are willing to sell us. I guest Dr Jean Paul got some pictures of that land. We are still in the process to buy that land. The plan is to build a clinic, a school some houses. We planned also to promote the agriculture system in this area.

Dr Jean-Paul, Dr Elysee
As soon as the doctors finished seeing patients around 5:30 PM, they went to the pharmacy to help because the team members from the pharmacy could not keep up with the flow of patients that the doctors were sending to them.

We brought different type of medications like antibiotics, vitamins, pain medicine, fungal and antibiotic creams, cough medicine, worm medicine, iron, eyes and ear drops, pedialyte, and Gerber, skin lotion for fungual, scabies etc, hypertension medication, antacids, iron, diabetes medicine and Aqua tab for the water.

As I told you before there is absolutely no medical center to see patients and to delivers babies. There are many kids in each family. You can see in the pictures a lot of woman with many kids. I met a lady of 30 years old who got 8 kids, a lady of 20 years with 5 kids .You can see in the pictures the type of houses they live. Those people experience large post-partum complications. The ones who deliver babies do not have any medical education so they cannot face the very common post partum complications. They have many kids, without a job or money to get food or send them to school. Malnutrition is therefore very common among of a big population of non-educated people. Vaccination is a big concern .Water is also a big concern. The water they use to drink is the same they use to wash their clothes and bath. This water is not clean at all it is a big source of a large variety of infections. The kids and adolescent (from 0 to 16) represent 50 percent the youths (16 to 40) represent 30 percent and the adult and very old people represent 20 percent of the population. They don’t have shoes and clothes. Take a look at the pictures.

A little patient
The agriculture system is not developed enough with poor infrastructure due to a lack of agriculture instruments. Polyculture is common, like rice, plantain on very small parcel of land. The water drainage system is not exist, on rainy season or rainy day the road is totally non accessible and the water get into every single house .Since the houses they live are not strong some of them disappear after or during the rainy season. There is only one church and one school in the village of Joaneau and some other churches and school with very poor infrastructure. The environnement is extremely vulnerable. Most of the people do their needs on the ground during the rainy seasons everything is drain to the small river (canal).

The most common diseases that we saw were :Lower and upper respiratory infection , gastro-intestinal diseases , malnutrition ,scabies, diarrhea , impetigo, fungal infection ,hypertension, cataract , visual problem, UTI, Vaginal infection, infection with tinea capitis, Malaria, typhoid, gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcer, Hernia and Hydrocele, worms, teeth problems ,this time we saw many arthritis and chronic conjunctivitis. We left the place it as already 7 PM .We were very happy because we served this time every single people. We realized we saw more than 500 patients at the end of the day. Our SantéBus is in bad shape because of the road. The front door is blocked and broken at the bottom because it has been hit by a big rock. Anyway I will send it back to the garage.

This time, this mobile clinic gets a large positive impact in the population. Everybody is happy. They are waiting for us to buy the land and build the clinic and the school. I hope we will find enough financial support to buy the land as soon as possible. I heard the Haitian Government plans to remodel the Joaneau road. We will need also to have very strong cars for our mobile clinic like the white Toyota Lancruiser or a Defender. Those are very strong cars that we can go anywhere with. That was a blessing for us to be able to help the poor. The ones that cannot help us back. I hope that our Lord Jesus will help us find enough support to keep having more and more mobile clinic everywhere in Haiti..
a patient at La Tremblay
healing the children
Dr. Elysee Edmond and Dr. Penina Edmond
the pharmacy.
Sister Edith watching Dr. Elysee treat her mother

a report from team member Dr. Elysee Edmond, M.D.
see a slideshow from the day here

December 3 clinic at the St. François d'Assise orphanage in La Tremblay

We got to the orphanage around 8: 30 AM. First we unloaded our medical stuff from the SantéBus and set up a tent for the pharmacy. The bus will need repairs before the next mobile clinic. We used a classroom to examine the patients because there is a primary and secondary school at the orphanage. This school welcomes any students from the community. We started seeing patients around 9:30 AM. We were a team of four doctors myself Dr ELysee Edmond , my wife Dr Penina Edmond , Dr Gloria Thermidor a fourth year medical student and Dr Ruth Gracien a second year medical school student. We saw about 250 patients .We had four helpers, a young guy named Jean Gardy as our photographer and three Catholic sisters (Sister Edith, Sister Ladouceur and Sister Alma) who are in charge of the orphanage. Two sisters were in the pharmacy and Sister Edith the head of the orphanage was in the exam room with me. You can see that at the pictures.

This orphanage belongs to the Catholic community named St. François d'Assise and it accommodates about 80 girls from 3 years old to around 20 year old. I saw one old lady of 81 years old who is the mother of Sister Edith who is in charge of the orphanage. She had arthritis, and hypertension. Take a look at the pictures you will a sister and me helping an old lady. That was amazing.

The place is big, this is why we divided our patients into two categories, first the kids from the orphanage that I personally saw and the patients from the neighborhood. Eighty percent of our patients were girls and young ladies and 95 % of the girls from the orphanage were complaining of abdominal pain. It is obvious that most of the kid from the orphanage were sick. The most common diseases were Genitourinary infection, skin fungal infection, scabies, impedigo, infection with Tinea capitis, upper respiratory tract infection, hypertension, diarrhea, asthma, anemia, cataract, gastritis, arthritis GERD, parasites.

The most common causes of the skin infection, the genitourinary infection and upper respiratory tract infection are the WATER and dust according to every single member of this community even the Sisters incriminate the water as the potential source of infection.
The sisters were very happy and they told me their doors are opened for me any time. We left the place around 3: 30 PM .It was a blessing to help the people from the La Tremblay community specially the girls form the orphanage. It was a very successful mobile clinic .The Lord always guides us to the needy places.
The road to Jouanau
Awaiting their turn.
Dr. Elysee at work
Waiting their turn at the pharmacy.
At the dispensary

a report from team member Dr. Elysee Edmond, M.D.
see a slideshow from the day here

November 5 , 2011 The first mobile clinic at the village of Jouanau

We left Croix-des-Bouquets at 7:30 and we got to Jouanau at 9:30 .The road is bumpy, full of water floured and narrow .There were more than 400 hundred patients most of them were kids .We started seeing patients at 10:30 due to the first preparation like find the best place to install a tent, chairs, table, and also organize everything. I had six people in my team, three doctors, one person at the pharmacy, and two to control the flow of the patients at the pharmacy and at the clinic. My wife Dr Penina Edmond she is an excellent and very experienced medical doctor with a great heart. She’s a Christian and she likes so much to help the poor people. She saw about 200 kids. Dr Monpremier he’s a four year medical school he saw about 80 patients and I saw the rest about 150 patients. He’s also a Christian with a great heart. Dr Ruth, she was in the pharmacy, she was so much happy to help. Marcellin, and Mackenson (two local church members they are wonderful people that have started the church there. We saw the patients and we shared the Gospel with them because the plan is not only to help the patients with their body but also their soul. This is why I had in my team Christian people only.

It was very difficult for us because we had more people than expected. I couldn’t have more volunteers because they asked me to pay them and we did not have a budget for that. My wife was seeing kids, and the other doctors (a four year medical school) and me, we saw adults.

At the pharmacyIt was 4:30 when we realized that we would not be able to see all the patients, so all the doctors stopped seeing patients and went to the pharmacy to help. You can see that at the pictures. I was the one also to take pictures. We left the place at 6:00PM.It was very dark.

We brought different type of medications like antibiotics, vitamins, pain medicine, fungal and antibiotic creams, cough medicine, worm medicine, iron, eyes and ear drops, pedialyte, and Gerber, skin lotion for fungal, scabies etc, hypertension medication, diabetes medicine and Aqua tab for the water.

The name of the village we did the mobile clinic is Jouanau. It is very difficult to get there because the road is terrible .Take a look at the pictures. There is absolutely no medical center to see patients and to delivers babies. There are many kids in each family. You can see in the pictures a lot of woman with many kids. I met a lady of 40 years old who got 12 kids, a lady of 20 years with 5 kids .You can see in the pictures the type of houses they live. Those people experience large post-partum complications. The ones who deliver babies do not have any medical education so they cannot face the very common post partum complications. They have many kids, without a job or money to get food or send them to school. Malnutrition is therefore very common among a big population of non-educated people. Vaccination is also a big concern. Water is also a big concern. The water they use to drink is the same they use to wash their clothes and bath. This water is not clean at all it is a big source of a large variety of infections. The kids and adolescent (from 0 to 16) represent 50 percent the youths (16 to 40) represent 30 percent and the adult and very old people represent 20 percent of the population. They don’t have shoes and clothes. Take a look at the pictures.

The agriculture system is not developed enough with poor infrastructure due to a lack of agriculture instruments. Polyculture is common, like rice and plantain on very small parcel of land. The water drainage system does not exist. In a rainy season or on a rainy day the road is totally non accessible and the water get into every single house .Since the houses they live in are not strong some of them disappear after or during the rainy season. There is only one church and one school in the village of Joaneau and some other churches and school with very poor infrastructure. The environment is extremely vulnerable. Most of the people do their needs on the ground during the rainy seasons everything is drain to the small river (canal).

Health problemsThe most common diseases that we saw are: lower and upper respiratory infection, gastro-intestinal diseases, malnutrition, scabies, diarrhea, impetigo, fungal infection ,hypertension, cataract, visual problems, UTI, vaginal infection, infection with tinea capitis, malaria, typhoid, gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcer, hernia and hydrocele, parasitosis(worms), teeth problems.

The people are very happy and they wish to have a medical visit them every week .They ask me to establish a clinic, a school and an orphanage there. They ask also if we can help them to remodel the road.

My plan is to open a clinic, a school and an orphanage there. We can start with a mobile clinic program every two weeks at the same time we can bring foods, (Gerber, milk, peanut butter, cereals, etc.) clothes, shoes and a hygiene kits (soap, toothbrush and toothpaste, towels).

From Sam's blog http://ndotoafrica.blogspot.com/

June 13 , 2011 Haiti's Hope visits

I love giving people gifts more than receiving them (most of the time). I also love showing people things they have never seen before and watching the looks on their face change from wonder to amazement to shock to happiness. I recently had the opportunity to show 16 college kids a country they had never been to. We knew this group for Haiti’s Hope had been coming since the end of April and we didn’t have a big enough vehicle for all of them so we made other arrangements before they came down. Being Haiti, of course, those plans for another vehicle fell through the morning we went to the airport to pick them all up. Not really knowing what was going to happen next, I get told that we are leaving right away so I hop in the car and off we go looking for a bus on the streets of Port Au Prince. We see one turn a corner so we follow it but unfortunately, like always there is some traffic so Greg jumps out of the car and runs up ahead to jump on the bus to proposition the driver to let us use the bus for 4 days. He agrees and off we go to the airport with time to spare. That’s how a lot of things seem to work out in Haiti.

After everyone is back safely at the house and we have eaten, we head over to the orphanage to show the college group where they will be working the next few days and to hang out with the kids once they get out of school. At first, like always, the kids were all a bit shy but after a while they warmed up and started playing with everyone. It is amazing to see everyone having such a great time and communicating even though the college group and the kids at the orphanage don’t speak the same language.

Friday morning we all got up early (mostly because of the chickens downstairs but also to start the day early) to hike up the mountain to see Pou Soley Leve’s school up there. That morning it was extremely hot, probably the hottest time I have ever hiked up the mountain. Eventually everyone made it up and the kids sang and danced for everyone. The group brought some school supplies and candy for all the children and everyone was having a great time seeing something they had never seen before and taking everything in. After everyone was back at the house and changed out of their sweaty clothes the group headed back to the orphanage for the rest of the day while a few of us went to the hardware store to pick out paint for the orphanage to be repainted. We picked out some good colors and then the guy working there told us they didn’t have those colors so we picked out some more but they didn’t have those either so he finally just told us which ones they had which happened to be the same colors of the orphanage already but we had no choice but to take them. After buying paint and brushes, we left the store satisfied we would not have to buy anything else the next day.

Everyone was up early again the next morning to get some painting done. We were there around 8:30 to get to work. We had all the kids help clear out the rooms and clean them so they could be painted and scrubbed clean. Since we didn’t have that many brushes and rollers we had a few people in each room painting. The kids wanted to help so before anyone knew it most of the rollers were one color so we had to send someone out to get more rollers. By 1, most of the rooms had at least one coat, if not two and the outside was getting a second coat.  We forgot about one of the rooms so we had to wait until all the other rooms were finished to see if there was enough paint for the room. There was not enough of one color to finish the room so each wall is a different color but it still looks better than they did before. Some of the kids decided to help paint the back but eventually ended up with more paint on themselves than the walls. By 4, everyone was exhausted and tired so we headed out. Sunday was going to be a busy, long, fun day.

Sunday morning we sent the bus over to the orphanage to pick up the kids and bring them back to the house before we all set off for the ocean. The drive is about 2 hours away and we had to take the suburban and the bus in order for everyone to fit. Most of the kids had no problem being in the water but a few of them wouldn’t go in past their knees. After playing in the water for a while Jay baptized some of the kids. Everyone ate and there was a guy selling coconuts and he was lucky enough to stumble upon our group and sold most of them to us. By this time, everyone was tired and it was starting to get late so we headed back to the city. Almost everyone fell asleep on each other on the ride home. We had to go to the orphanage to drop the kids off and when we got back on the bus, it was eerie how quite it was. Most of the group was either looking out the window or had tears in their eyes. Some people may think that you can’t fall in love in four days, but I have seen it first hand.

The flight back for the group was 9am so we had to be at the airport by 7am. We dropped them off and said our good-byes and within a few minutes they were all gone through the doors of the airport. By 7:45 I was back in bed trying to be caught up on my sleep. From the looks on all their faces, I can tell that they are all going to be back sooner rather than later.  
One of the children at the deaf camp
Chasing each other for the snacks the sisters
brought to the deaf camp
Yvon at the deaf camp

From Sam's blog http://ndotoafrica.blogspot.com/

March 4 , 2011

There were only a few days between when the RWB left and when the first of the Sisters was to arrive. On the 14th we brought one of the women, Grace, who cooks for the children up in Kenscoff for Pou Soley Leve, to the J/P HRO hospital because he thyroid was enlarged and she was having trouble breathing and could not eat. The doctors at J/P HRO did an assessment of her and realized they were not equipped to handle her case so she was referred to Medishare downtown. The hospital, along with all the other hospitals in the city and I’m sure in the country, was packed. There were people in beds next to each other with barley enough room for a doctor to squeeze in and talk to the patients. After an hour or s of waiting we finally found an ear-nose-throat doctor from NY who was down just for a few days. She was able to operate on Grace and relieve the pressure and we brought her back home a few days later. During these few days the mechanics were also working on the suburban and the mini bus. On the 18th we got the mini bus working. We are still working on the suburban though. Every time I went to get mad at our mechanic, Pierre, for not having the cars running he would look at me and say “yes, madam?” How was I supposed to be mad after that? He is doing an amazing job and continues to use his own time to try to get the car running again.

The next day we went to pick up Sister Johnice and Michael. Sister J and Sister Judi had spent some time with Yvon last summer and were coming back to see how things were progressing. We all went to church on Sunday and in the afternoon we took a drive to Sodo which is about 2 hours again. There is a waterfall there and it was just a nice relaxing afternoon. We left around 5:30 to have enough time to get back home and eat and then go out for pre-carnival celebrations at 8. Sounded like a great plan. That was until we got a flat tire coming down the mountain. Now to get to Sodo it is very easy and the road for the most part is smooth until you turn onto the road that takes you up and over the mountain. That road- not so smooth. In fact it is just rock. It was a good thing we got a flat when we were almost down the mountain and not just starting to make the climb back over. After much help from the locals we were able to finally find a tire that fit. Just as they were struggling to get off that last luge nut (which they worked on for a good 45 minutes) the power went out so all of the men were holding up their cell phones to shed light on the tire. They were also changing the tire by hand with no tools whatsoever. By the time we finally go back on the road it was 10:30. Needless to say there was no pre-carnival celebration for us that day. The next few days were filled with showing the Sisters the different things that were now happening to the programs they were working with during their last visit, which included the deaf camp, Pou Soley Leve in Kenscoff, and talking with Catholic Relief Services on what they are doing. On Tuesday the 24th the sisters left and Alex, Dr Bonnet’s son and one of my best friends, came down for a few days. On Friday at 8am we were supposed to hike up to Sarazin where Pou Soley Leve has another school program going. Eight in the morning was Haitian time of course and we didn’t end up starting the hike until 11am which by that time was much much hotter than it was at 8am. At least I got to work on my tan some more. The hike takes about 25 minutes, but it is not just a strolling walk. The beginning is the hardest climbing just up rocks while trying not to slip and fall. We can only take the car to the base of the mountain so when we dropped of the rice we got donated from J/P HRO the week before, the children had to make the hike while carrying the boxes. They are also building a school up there since no schools exist up there and because of this, children do not start going to school until they are around 10. Since there are no bricks at the top of the mountain the children have been bringing them up brick by brick. There are a few different drop-off points for the bricks so the children don’t have to carry them up the whole way each time. The school is nothing more than a long tent you would use for parties divided into 6 sections for the different classes. By the time we got up there the children were finishing school since they only go for half a day and then return home and help their families in the fields or with whatever work they need help with. That day for lunch they were eating the rice that J/P HRO donated. Sometimes that is the only real meal a day these children get.
RWB headed home
Chris with his graduated students at J/P HRO hospital

From Sam's blog http://ndotoafrica.blogspot.com/

February 28 , 2011

Let me fill you in on the last two weeks...

On Wednesday the 9th we picked up 5 members of Radiologists Without Borders (RWB) who included Dr. Ron Israelski, Christopher Moreno, Shelley Benson, Brian Wetzel, and Dave Kerr. On their first day here we took them to the General Hospital so they could distribute the lead vests for the x-ray techs they brought with them. After that it was starting to get dark so we headed home to eat and discuss the rest of the week. The next day we dropped off the crew at the hospital while Yvon, Greg and I went to J/P HRO to pick up 30 boxes of food they were donating to Pou Soley Leve. When we went to pick up the RWB they told us about a 14 year old boy who got caught in a fight and his forearm was now cut deeply and the nerves had been cut as well so he couldn’t move his wrist and hand. Friday morning we went to the General Hospital so Dr. Ron could try to do what he could for the boys arm and for the rest of the team to fix one of the x-ray machines that hadn’t been working. Around 11 am we took Chris, Brian and Shelly up to the J/P HRO hospital so they could train some of the x-ray techs up there and to train some of the mid-wives on how to use the ultra sound machines they have. Chris was training 3 of the x-ray techs on how to use on of their portable x-ray machine and Shelly went over to the maternity section to train them on the different things they could do with the ultra sound machine. Dr. Ron was able to complete the surgery on the young boy but will have to do some follow up surgery when he comes back in a few months. That night we had a dinner party for all of the people who helped the RWB while they were here. Some of the doctors and interns came and everyone talked and made plans for future visits and what can be done to improve the hospital. Before they left for the airport we went up to Gilbert to drop off the rice that we had received from J/P HRO a few days prior. After we helped the kids carry the boxes, Dr. Ron proceeded to give the kids a lesson on the leg bones and the arm bones. When he was demonstrating joints by moving his leg in circles the kids copied him and everyone started laughing. We could only stay for about 15 minutes because they had to catch a flight back home. They are planning to come back though this summer to train some more people and to bring more doctors back to the hospital. It was sad to see them go since they were here for such a short time but we have all made plans to continue the work we are doing back in the states and down here.
On the path to a Pou Solèy Leve site
Meeeting Bishop Joseph Lafontant

From Dr. Bonnet's third trip to Haiti in six weeks.

July 20, 2010

Happy to report from Haiti, our SanteBuses are on the road and are great vehicles. The Suburbans get everywhere even though they are two-wheel drive. There has been much rain recently and climbing dirt paths is not an issue. The logo on the bus seems to bring a smile from all that see it. Traveling with a team of Felician nuns in one of the 'Burbans is the president of Madonna College. They will be starting several programs here in Haiti, and we can be proud at SanteBus that we opened the doors. It's magical, in a way, how it is all falling into place. I visited a camp of 400 deaf families. Our colleagues at Pou Soleil Leve will be starting a school program for the children who are not deaf. Madonna College will begin a program for the deaf families as well.

The Sean Penn JPHRO (Jenkins-Penn Haitian Relief Organization) team is loving the school bus and will soon start using it to do the mobile clinic. The bus is air-conditioned, and we were joking about sleeping in it.

We are beginning the process of interviewing Haitian doctors to be full time with us. We will place the first at the Penn camp. We are going out a bit on the limb, as we will need to secure larger funding, and we pray and trust this will come. The generosity of our community is what has launched this long-planned project. We hope our support team grows. Updates can be found at www.santebus.com.

For those that knew John Anderson and Robert Boyle were coming down, the flight plan got derailed due to weather.

Much is being done but is shadowed by the work that needs to be done. The blessing is that the long overdue changes are now being addressed. On Tuesday, we are meeting with the bishop of Port au Prince, and he can help secure food for one of the programs we support.

The thousands of street children are an issue we hope to have some input with. These kids need a loving support system, and at present many have none. We have thoughts of children's homes but will need to tie them to churches or sources of support from the United States, such as churches or families. The link can be virtual with Skype. Is anyone interested in helping?

To all who have helped us with either financial support, time, prayer, materials: Thank you, thank you, thank you. Stay with us; we need more help. This will take years, but is all good.

Blessings and again thanks to all.

JPB

P.S. There are areas of discontent where people are still starving. If the hurricane season is bad, it could be a catalyst of anger. We are trying to encourage calm and patience to all.

Read Sister Johnice's account here

Delivering 56 mattresses to King's Orphange
At the deaf families camp

March 24, 2010

The SantéBus Fleet has launched! Last Wednesday, March 17, the Healing Haiti Fund watched proudly as it's first three vehicles left the Brooklyn port and started their long journey to Haiti! The SantéBus Bus and two Suburbans are expected to arrive in Port au Prince late this week, and Dr. Bonnet has arranged for their safe keeping with Sean Penn's Jenkins-Penn Haitian Relief Organization (J/P HRO) in Petitionville. On his most recent trip to Haiti, in early March, Dr. Bonnet had the pleasure of meeting with J/P HRO volunteers, who expressed their urgent need for reliable medical transportation. The J/P HRO Strike Team provides mobile medical services, and is already treating nearly 200 patients every day.

SantéBus was designed specifically for mobile medical services, carrying on board each bus a mobile field clinic where doctors and staff can drive directly into the temporary camps and begin to provide care - especially followup care for those patients who were able to be treated in the first few weeks after the earthquake, but who have since not been able to see a doctor.

The Healing Haiti Fund is proud to be partnering with the Jenkins-Penn Haitian Relief Organization, and is eager to launch the rest of the Fleet in early April! SantéBus will then have 3 mobile medical clinics and 5 medical transport vehicles in Haiti, stationed with partner clinics in and around Port Au Prince. The Healing Haiti Fund is always looking to create and ship more SantéBus buses - the need in Haiti is great and each bus will result in more lives being saved, more patients being treated, and more doctors reaching more victims. SantéBus is healing Haiti, one bus at a time.

March 8, 2010

Dr. Bonnet arrived in Haiti last Thursday, and has since been meeting with the clinics that will host our buses and suburbans!

The SantéBus suburbans have been designed! The graphic installer, Mr. Mark Maruska, who was also responsible for the beautiful wraps on the buses, will be installing the graphics on the suburbans as well. Check HERE for the images.

Early last week Dr. Bonnet was honored by the Sussex County Community College by being invited to be the graduation speaker for this May's graduation ceremony! Check back as Dr. Bonnet plans his speech!

The wheels are in motion – literally! Our first SantéBus was completed in February, with two more in the production line. The Healing Haiti Fund owes our thanks to Mr. Mark Maruska of Gravity Designworks, in Newton New Jersey, for his countless hours of work on the SantéBus fleet's vehicle graphics. Working with art and graphic directors Kerr Grabowski and Christine Steelman, Mr. Maruska created and installed the fleet's beautiful vehicle wraps, which will continue to inspire hope and happiness to the communities in Haiti as SantéBus buses and suburbans bring medical care and doctors to the victims of the January earthquake.

March 5, 2010

The wheels are in motion … literally! SantéBus, a nonprofit organization founded by Sparta resident and doctor Jean-Paul Bonnet, is preparing to launch its pilot Fleet of SantéBus buses and suburbans! In mid-March, SantéBus (which means Health Bus in French) will be shipping two medical buses and five suburbans into the earthquake devastated region of Haiti surrounding Port Au Prince. Dr. Bonnet is travelling to Haiti this week to finalize arrangements in country for the pilot fleet, securing their transportation and meeting again with the two clinics who have agreed to host the SantéBus buses during the program’s pilot phase. The doctors and staff of the clinics will use the SantéBus buses to bring their medical care directly to their patients, in the communities where they live. Each bus has been repurposed from retired American school buses into mobile medical field clinics. Stocked with medicines, medical supplies, exam tables, and over 400 square feet of shade tents, SantéBus buses will bring hope and health to the people of Haiti. The SantéBus suburbans will serve as transportation vehicles for visiting medical teams and supply delivery from Port Au Prince.  Dr. Jean-Paul Bonnet, who has been travelling to Haiti for the last fourteen years and most recently volunteered with a group of medical relief doctors in the wake of the earthquake, has been planning and developing a medical delivery system designed to target Haiti’s specific needs and provide urgently needed medical access to Haiti’s poor. When he returned to New Jersey in late January, he set his plan in motion by creating the Healing Haiti Fund and setting a fundraising goal of $100,000. The Healing Haiti Fund started the engines on SantéBus immediately, and held three successful benefit concerts in February. To donate to the Healing Haiti Fund’s SantéBus project, visit SantéBus online or contact Dr. Jean-Paul Bonnet at info@healinghaitifund.com!  The SantéBus mobile field clinics will allow doctors and health care providers to serve their communities outside of the clinics, bringing needed medical attention to the hundreds of people injured in the earthquake, many of whom could not otherwise reach medical doctors.  SanteBus strives to enhance the lives and livelihoods of the people of Haiti with accessible, mobile medical care in partnership with the communities while creating needed job opportunities and a sustainable health care delivery system for Haiti.

March 1, 2010

Just four short weeks since the devastating earthquake that rocked Haiti, the Healing Haiti Fund has received an enormous amount of support from our community! We are well on our way to reaching the fundraising goal Dr. Bonnet set in late January, with over fifty thousand dollars raised! We are eager to meet, and exceed, our original fundraising goal!

Last Saturday, however, a malicious attack on Dr. Bonnet's email account resulted in a fraudulent email being sent to all of his contacts. This hacker requested $850 in Dr. Bonnet's name, and while many of our fears for his well being were immediately calmed by the realization that this email was a fraud, one of his close friends in Haiti acted too quickly and was taken by the scam artist. Mr. Assali, owner of the Golden Orchid farm in Haiti, actually overdrew his bank account to send Dr. Bonnet the money the hacker requested. In response to this unbelieveable act of kindness, Dr. Bonnet will make a personal contribution to his friend's program in Haiti that exceeds the amount lost to the hacker. The Healing Haiti Fund extends our thanks to Mr. Assali, and hopes that no one else was scammed by this fraudulent attack on Dr. Bonnet.

In better news, the second and third SantéBus buses have been fully retrofitted and all necessary mechanical improvements have been made – they now have a "clean bill of health" and are ready to go to the wrapper for graphic detailing!

Dr. Bonnet will be travelling to Haiti later this week to finalize arrangements for the SantéBus buses and suburbans! He will be meeting with established partners in Haiti who will host the vehicles and pilot the SantéBus project for the next several months. Shipping arrangements for the vehicles are still being made, but this trip to Haiti will be an exciting opportunity to discuss the project in more detail with the clinics!

February 22, 2010

SantéBus in the news – again! Last Tuesday Mr. John R. Luciano, of the Aim Jefferson, interviewed Dr. Bonnet and you can read his story HERE.

The Healing Haiti Fund would like to thank all who attended the Voices and Hearts for Haiti benefit concerts Saturday evening, held at the Pope John High School in Sparta and the Sussex County Community College in Newton. Choir Director Karen Scott did a wonderful job putting together an evening of student performances at the Pope John High School, and the out pour of support from the Pope John community has been overwhelming. Vice President of the Theater and Performing Arts Club at Sussex County Community College Ms. Katelyn Saxton presented a lovely concert, featuring fellow students and the Fund's own Mr. Phillip Lid in an evening of music celebrating Hope. We are greatful for the support of all those who were involved in making these concerts happen. Read more about these concerts and see photos from the events HERE.

Last Wednesday, Graphic Artist Kerr Grabowski and Web Director John Anderson met with Don Potter, of Roxbury Auto Wreckage, to review the latest bus the Healing Haiti Fund has purchased and to measure the bus for graphics! Check out the photos HERE.

Don Potter has also found the Healing Haiti Fund several Chevy Suburbans for the SantéBus Suburban Fleet! Graphics are already being planned to turn these school-bus yellow suburbans into SantéBus transport vehicles for the income-generating arm of SantéBus in Haiti! Check out the photos HERE.

A great local organization, Pass It Along, will be hosting there 8th Annual Concert. The concert will be held at the Farmstead Golf & Country Club on Saturday February 27th with doors opening at 7pm. Please call the Farmstead Golf & Country Club ahead of time for reservations at 973-383-1666 Ext. 102.

February 15, 2010

Progress is happening so quickly at the Healing Haiti Fund!

Last night, the Voices and Hearts for Haiti: A Sussex County Cares Festival benefit concert at Sparta High School presented an afternoon of beautiful music and performances by local artists, and the first SantéBus was parked outside the school! Click HERE for pictures of the SantéBus and the concert's performers. Our thanks go to Dr. J. Thomas Morton, Superintendent of Schools, and Mr. Denis Tobin, High School Principal, whose support and kindness enabled the concert to be such a success. Thanks also go to the performers, whose artistic talents were truly enjoyable.

If you missed last night's concert, check out our Events page to learn about the upcoming concerts this Saturday, February 20th, at SCCC and Pope John High School!

Partners in Health, founded by Dr. Paul Farmer, is doing some absolutely amazing work in Haiti. The need for medical care is urgent, and this organization is truly inspiring. Read more HERE
PIH mobile clinics http://act.pih.org/page/m/27a18450/4693c66e/6c5cfd17/c8962d6/1098076018/VEsH/

Last week, thanks to the work of the Healing Haiti Fund's Chief Legal Counsel Mr. Richard Pompelio, the Healing Haiti Fund became a registered New Jersey Charity! We're well on our way to becoming a nationally recognized 501c(3) tax exempt organization!
Our friends over at Pass It Along were nice enough to promote our first benefit concert at Sparta High School through a FaceBook update! Thank you, Pass It Along!

February 8, 2010

The Healing Haiti Fund has been busy this past week, with three benefit concerts already planned to raise funds for SantéBus! Our thanks go to Mr. Phillip Lid, Mr. and Mrs. Lou and Lynda Andres, Mrs. Karen Scott, and Mr. Peter Lubrecht for their efforts to organize and create the first three benefit concerts in the Voices and Hearts for Haiti: A Sussex County Cares Festival of musical performances to raise money for the first Fleet of SantéBus buses!

The Fund's SantéBus graphic designer has been hard at work, preparing graphics for the exteriors of the first SantéBus buses! Her beautiful sun graphic will bring hope and happiness to the people of Haiti as the SantéBus brings medical care and doctors to the communities surrounding Port Au Prince.

An impromptu benefit concert was held last Friday at the Greens Beans cafe in Sparta, NJ, and the students of Pope John who organized the event donated over $500 to the Healing Haiti Fund's SantéBus project. If you'd like to make a contribution to SantéBus, donate online via our secure PayPal account!

Hope to see you all at the first benefit concert, organized by Mr. Lid and hosted by the Sparta High School in their new auditorium! Local artists will perform, and all proceeds will go directly to the SantéBus project! For more information, check our Events page!

February 1, 2010

The Healing Haiti Fund is formed the SantéBus project is created! Dr. Jean-Paul Bonnet, a resident of Sparta, New Jersey, returned late last week from his most recent trip to Haiti. He has been visiting Haiti for fourteen years, and flew down to the earthquake devastated Port Au Prince on January 15, 2010, to provide emergency medical relief to the thousands of victims injured by the 7.0 magnitude quake. While in Haiti, he made a funding request to the people of Sussex County, New Jersey - “if everyone in Sussex County gave one dollar, we'd have [].” See the full article HERE. His call was headed, and even before he returned to New Jersey, donations were arriving at the Skylands Medical building in Lake Hopatcong. The Healing Haiti Fund, a dedicated team of professionals volunteering their time and expertise to realizing Dr. Bonnet's plan for Haitian medical services, quickly coalesced and began planning for the future. SantéBus, the Fund's first project, is already in the works.