Action Committee

Over the last 6 months, Patrick and I've taken part in project proposals, have learned about and reviewed programs, and have participated in the sharing of ideas with our coworkers. We've made mistakes, we've learned, and we've been inspired. Together with our partners in CONASPEH we've developed some lofty goals for both theological and health services outreach. Some goals can be acomplished in the short term, others are visions for the long-range future.

In general, my physical work thus far has been a series of spurts and lulls in activity. Both Patrick and I have to continually remind ourselves that we are still early in our time here and thus have to find patience with our language development, our ability to accomplish what we've been asked to do and with our own satisfaction with the tasks at hand. Much of our own projects and work hinges on certain milestones that need to first be crossed during this Haitian journey: language fluency, orientation to our professional communities around us, networking, and a school calendar.

Aside from Sunday visits and preaching at CONASPEH churches, Patrick is currently teaching three classes in the seminary: Theology, Old Testament and New Testament. He has begun recruiting friends and acquaintances with backgrounds in theology to come volunteer as visiting professors and offer ancillary course work to the seminary (consider yourself invited!). He is working with the leaders of the seminary in reviewing the curriculum, organizing administrative tasks, evaluating course work and discussing goals for future projects. He teaches 2 classes of English and inspires lively games of basketball in the afternoons. He's taken over group planning and is ever busy with CONASPEH helping organize activities for the many partner visits anticipated over the next year.

I continue to be a presence in the CONASPEH clinic in the mornings, offering consultations to kids of the school, pastors of CONASPEH, and whomever wanders in. I'm teaching two classes in the nursing school as well while working with the director of the school on projects like clinical rotation evaluations and site visits, devising learning labs, utilizing medical volunteers and educators, and ultimately licensing requirements. I travel to Carrefour once weekly for a clinic day, try to be available when feasable for after-church mobile clinics, and conspire with the CONASPEH board how to best develop more broad reaching programs of health education and service which I'll better be able to teach when I've gotten a better grasp on the language.

Lately my own work has fallen into a lull. For a girl used to the 36 hour on-your-feet, use-your-hands call shifts of residency, a schedule which is largely meetings and "planning" tends to feel slow. Several of our projects have been in a waiting cycle. The proposed collaboration with Dr. Laplaunch (the Haitian physician) fell through and for one reason or another, the clinics haven't been very busy, leaving me antsy and wondering how to take the next step. Imagine my delight when CONASPEH beat me to the punch.

Last week Francois and I had a meeting where she had asked to see a list of proposals I had, projects I thought might benefit CONASPEH covering everything from clinic and mobile clinic outreach, nursing school projects, school and public health education, and partnerships with international friends. We reviewed things we've accomplished, projects currently underway, those pending and long-term goals. It was one of those meetings that helped us all put things in perspective--allowed me to hear what CONASPEH's needs and goals were, listen to feedback on my own ideas, and collaborate on further action.

This week, Francois invited me to a meeting of a newly formed CONASPEH committee--the central committee on health. I was introduced to Dr. Charcot, a young Haitian physician who has recently finished his training. Dr. Charcot has grown up in CONSPEH, was a former student in the primary and secondary school, and through CONASPEH's partners, had his medical education funded. I was thrilled to meet a very smart, very capable young man who was full of ideas and energy. As far as I know, CONASPEH can't afford to pay him a salary, and he is currently job searching. But because of his loyalty to the organization that molded so much of his success in this life, he has been vigorously giving back. He teaches in the nursing school and now has volunteered to help be an advisor to this central committee. I was thrilled. Here is the teammate, the connection to the Haitian medical community I was hoping for. I loved his energy, his connection to CONASPEH and his willingness to get things done.

In our first meeting we reviewed current and proposed projects, local and satellite clinics as well as mobile clinic outreach. Ideas were flying, and I could barely keep up with the rapid fire Creole. AFter it was all said and done, we had come up with a new Health Program to present to the pastors of the CONASPEH churches; a program that would outline CONASPEH's new commitment to health services, and a proposed way of making a self-sustaining systems of intervention and care.

Today Dr. Charcot, Miss Fano, Francois and I introduced ourselves as members of the central committee (Mdm Altena--director of the nursing school was in absence) to a large assembly of pastors representing multiple broad regions of the country. We introduced CONASPEH's vision, and our planned programs.

In short, CONASPEH has started a membership program for its health services. Churches can pay a small yearly membership fee (the equivelent of $2.50 U.S.) to offer health care access for their church members. With this membership also affords the possibility of a mobile clinic visitation to their church and/or community. A suggested donation per patient for clinic service was set at 50 goudes (a little over $1 U.S) which covers consultation and any medications that might be dispensed from the pharmacy, depending on ability to pay. We discussed our presence and the unification of the central CONASPEH clinic, the Carrefour clinic, and the future clinic in Point Sonde. We discussed starting with small mobile clinic outreaches with hopes to expand services as medical volunteers come down to offer their skills, as our laboratory outreach becomes a reality and as our own CONASPEH mobile medical team becomes organized utilizing our nursing students.

CONASPEH is one of those organizations that has projects underway covering almost all social services: education, health care, spiritual growth, nutrition and political representation. There have been times that I've wondered, given the enormity of their vision and action, whether a viable health care outreach program and/or system was really among their priorities. But today, watching the enthusiasm of my committee members and the excitement of the pastors, I was convinced otherwise. And in true Haitian style, a seemingly huge endeavor has suddenly been not only proposed but mobilized.

And I'm thrilled with new team I'm surrounded with and the anticipated acceleration in pace! Bring it on.