Haiti
Emergency Room (Urgence)
Location: St. Damien's Hospital for Children, Port au Prince, Haiti
Please note that the U.S. Department of State's current travel advisory for Haiti is at a level 3. If you wish to select this for your elective, you must give us a backup option.
UMN Faculty global partner lead contact: Dr. Jessica Hane
Type of elective: Clinical
Objectives:
Learn about pediatric care in a low- to middle-income country.
Learn to diagnose and treat common illnesses seen in children in Haiti, including malaria, tuberculosis, malnutrition, HIV and complications, common bacterial illnesses, vaccine preventable disease
Recognize challenges in diagnosis and treatment of children in Haiti
Pre-readings and videos:
WHO Pocketbook of hospital care for children: a simple book covering basic topics in global health FREE DOWNLOAD
Haiti: The God of Tough Places, the Lord of Burnt Men, 2010. Richard Frechette (priest/physician who started St. Damien and continues to be the director of NPH in Haiti)
Haiti: The Tumultuous History - From Pearl of the Caribbean to Broken, 2010. Philippe R. Girard (a well written history of Haiti)
Mountains Beyond Mountains, 2009. Tracy Kidder. (a must read, if you have yet to read it)
Haitian Creole Phrasebook: Essential Expressions for Communicating in Haiti, 2010. Jowel C. Laguerre and Cecile Accilien (a great basic introduction to Creole)
Estimated Costs for Haiti
Airfare - $860
Housing - $310 ($10/night)
Food - unknown
Travel Insurance - $60
Travel Meds: Doxyxyxline - $20, Azithromycin - $30
Travel Vaccines - Covered with HP insurance
Medical License - unknown
Ground Transport - unknown
Visa - unknown
Click here to view past academic projects for Haiti
Background Information:
Type of Experience: Hospital
Is a Temporary Medical License Required? No
Can a VISA be acquired upon arrival? No visa needed
Primary Language Spoken: Haitian Creole, French in medical setting
Are language skills required in the primary spoken language: No. English interpreters are available, but visitors are expected to pay for interpreter. ($15/day)
Housing: Located in hotel compound near the hospital. Cost is $30/night. Transport between the compound and the hospital is provided.
Dress code: Scrubs or professional attire in the hospital.
Travel Medicines: See CDC for Haiti for up to date information, take all prescription medicines in the prescription bottle
Required Vaccines: See CDC for Haiti for up to date information, consider rabies vaccine
Brief Background/History:
St. Damien Children’s Hospital was founded in the early 1990’s as a hospice facility in response to the AIDS crisis. It quickly expanded to become a full service medical facility. In 2006, it moved to a modern facility in Tabarre (on the outskirts of Port-Au-Prince). It is the only free-standing children’s hospital in the country and was one of the only hospitals in Port-Au-Prince to survive and remain functional during Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake.
Out of the partnerships formed during the earthquake response, the St. Damien Collaborative was developed. The collaborative is 15 academic medical centers who all work together in partnership with St. Damien with a goal of providing support as St. Damien continues to develop into a first-class pediatric academic medical center. This partnership includes academic support including bi-driectional exchange for St. Damien’s pediatric residency program, on-site training, quality improvement projects, research support, nursing support, and fundraising.
St. Damien Hospital Exterior
Hospital Courtyard
Villa Francesca (Hotel)
Reception/Common Area
Villa Francesca Courtyard
Example of bedroom at Villa Francesca