How You Can Help

In 1956, in the remote Artibonite Valley of Haiti, Dr. Larry and Gwen Grant Mellon built and staffed a medical complex that fit the needs of a neglected rural population. Fifty-four years later, the hospital is a perpetual swirl of activity, fully engaged in the life of the community and addressing significant health challenges.

Today, HAS Haiti is an integrated health system dedicated to prevention as well as cure. Surgery suites, hospital facilities and laboratories are joined with mountain clinics, agricultural services, clean-water systems, and reforestation efforts to ­­provide a healthier life for the 300,000 people in this 610 square mile area.

In this time of devastation for Haiti, HAS has faced numerous challenges, which have been managed with considerable poise and acumen. As one of the few referral hospitals in Haiti, HAS has a surgical specialty, a physical therapy program, as well as extensive community health and development programs. Trauma teams led by Haitian medical personnel – doctors and nurses that have been trained at HAS over the years – have been providing life-saving care. Reinforcements from hospital partners around the world continue to arrive to help.

In the two weeks following the earthquake, HAS treated more than 850 victims, mostly major surgical procedures. Our rehabilitation program, the Rehabilitation Technician Training Program proved essential in the stabilization, treatment, and recovery plan for trauma victims.

Now the urgency of traumatic injuries is abating, and new challenges arise. HAS and the Artibonite Valley are greeting a wave of displaced Haitians. More than 150,000 people have arrived, and tens of thousands more are expected to come. The population that has been serviced by HAS’s 80-bed facility has essentially doubled in the last month. Already, new cases of tetanus are emerging, and there is an immediate need for a health census, new-arrival vaccinations and begin preventive care. More than ever, the Friends' programs which buttress HAS Haiti's mission are needed now, perhaps more than ever. Supporting the hospital and wider community infrastructure through innovative programs such as the HAS Haiti Timber Re-Introduction Project, and the Rehabilitation Technician Training Program are what defines the phrase "hope for Haiti."

Needless to say, the impact on HAS’s finances will be enormous. With an annual budget of just $5 million, HAS is already strained to provide care for the 300,000 people formerly in their service area, only 40 miles north of Port-au-Prince. The first day after the earthquake alone, an entire month’s worth of supplies were consumed. The hospital will continue to treat, save and care for untold numbers of earthquake victims far into the future. More funds than ever will be required to accomplish this. As the single largest donor to HAS, we hope you will join the Friends of HAS in working to sustain the care HAS Haiti has consistently provided for the past fifty-four years.

Now, more than ever, we are relying on your continued support of our organization as we rise to our greatest challenge yet.

Many thanks,

Lucy Rawson

President, Friends of HAS Haiti