Haiti Medical Missions Best Practices Symposium reports on results

Posted Sep 13, 2013

[Grey Dove, Inc.] On September 6-7, 2013 Grey Dove, Inc. sponsored the Haiti Medical Missions Best Practices Symposium at the Miami Airport Marriott in Miami, Florida. The symposium began at 5PM on Friday with a reception and an invocation offered by the Rt. Rev. Leo Frade, Bishop of Southeast Florida. Sikumbuzo Vundla, Chief Operating Officer of the Diocese of Haiti presented the Keynote Address: “Communication Strategy for the Partnership Program, moving forward.”

Saturday’s events included presentations and workshops that focused on defining the concept of sustainability as it relates to the development of effective community health care programs in Haiti; the agreement to design a coordinated plan that will develop standards of medical care for US based missioners who are intending to provide mobile medical clinics in Haiti; and the development of strategies to stimulate the growth and development of Haitian medical and preventive health care resources.

Participants included Sikumbuzo Vundla, COO of the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti; the Rev. Dr. Frantz Casseus, Canon to the Ordinary, Episcopal Diocese of Haiti; the Rev. Dr. Kesner Ajax, Coordinator, the Haiti Partnership Program; the Rev. Dr. Rosemari Sullivan, Special Coordinator for Haiti – Presiding Bishop’s Office; Hilda Alcindor, BA, RN, Dean of the FSIL School of Nursing, Leogane, Haiti; Charlotte Barry, PhD, RN, NCSN, Professor and Master Teacher, Florida Atlantic University, Lynn College of Nursing; and Frantz Large, MD, President of the Haitian Society of Ophthalmology.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Symposium participants agreed on a Covenant Statement.  The Statement is as follows:

“With the common goal to stimulate growth and sustainability of accessible quality health care in Haiti, we believe these core principles to be essential and covenant in this collaborative effort to apply them in the development and implementation of all Haiti Partnership Program medical mission efforts.

For every medical mission to develop a Partnership Agreement that includes:

  • A Community Assessment  – current community resources (strengths), what the community wants, current initiatives in place, identified needs, and history of other missions
  • A Plan for Sustainability – Empowerment of the community through partner (Haitian and American) accountability, trust, honesty, and commitment with the ultimate goal of “It will be there when I am gone.”
  • A Medical Mission-to-Recipient Partnership – every aspect of the medical mission will be a community-to-community effort working side-by-side
  • Coordination (Communication) of Resources – between medical mission organizations and also with Haitian organizations (professionals, supplies, information, etc.) as well as scheduling, and identified needs
  • Intent of Mission – clearly defined with measurable goals
  • Evaluation – determine outcomes and assess what is accomplished using a variety of tools

The Rev. Clelia P. Garrity, President of Grey Dove and Coordinator of the Symposium said, “The concept of coordinating the work of the Haiti Partnership Program healthcare medical missions has been several years in development, as has my interest in finding ways to identify existing strengths in the Haitian community that can be built upon.”

Garrity, went on to say, “The Haiti Partnership Program, a collective of Haitian and American Episcopal parishes, dioceses and organizations, is a wonderful vehicle in and through which these tasks can be accomplished, with the end goal of establishing sustainable health care programs throughout Haiti. Together with my Medical Director, Dr. Pejman Bady, I have offered to be the central point of information gathering, information vetting, information storage, and information dissemination as it relates to all aspects of medical missions in Haiti.”

As a result of the consensus reached by participants in the Symposium work has begun on developing an operational job description for this project.  As the development of a position to coordinate health care partnerships continues, The Rev. Clelia Garrity will follow-up on the work, begun at the Haiti Medical Missions Best Practices Symposium, of collecting partner resource information and assembling the design of the project and the tools needed to move forward quickly, efficiently and effectively. This is a fully collaborative effort between partners in the US and Haiti. With questions, or relevant information, please contact Rev. Clelia P. Garrity, greydoveinc@gmail.com; 561-271-2890.

Grey Dove, Inc., is an organization dedicated to stimulating the well-being and sustainability of communities throughout the world by providing primary and specialized medical care and prevention education. Grey Dove was founded by the Rev. Clelia P. Garrity of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Delray Beach, Florida.


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