Sacrifice at the golden price of our St Luke Foundation staffs

Sacrifice at the golden price of our St Luke Foundation staffs

Every day, our brave staff is hindered in their transport by roads barricaded with burning tires. Many protestors are after reasonable aims, but this chaotic situation makes the situation downright violent, and our staff is sometimes verbally and physically impacted with slurs and even protestors throwing stones at the ambulances

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A visit from the School of nursing sciences (DBTec)

 A visit from the School of nursing sciences (DBTec)

On August 5,2019 St Luke Hospital had the honor to welcome more than 60 students in their 4th year of Nursing Science, coming from the School of Nursing with DBTech. Students were accompanied by their director, Mrs. Angelika and had the opportunity to visit the various parts and services of St. Luke Hospital. Students were also fortunate to be able to participate in a training based on Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or stroked. CVAs are one of the leading causes of death in Haiti (WHO 2017), making it important for training on the early warning signs and treatment options for patients. Dr.Dorcelus  Berthie, the Academic Head of St. Luke Hospital, stressed the importance of education and mitigation of risk factors for patients, which would help to prevent this disease that is very common in our country.

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Breast Cancer Screening for Mother's Day at St. Luke Hospital

 Breast Cancer Screening for Mother's Day at St. Luke Hospital

On Mother’s Day in Haiti, the May 26th, 2019, the St. Luke Hospital organized a large educational event for Breast Cancer Screening, with more than 200 women having the opportunity to participate. This may not seem like much of a mother's day present to most, but access to healthcare and health education is one of THE most important tools we can provide our patients at St. Luke. In Haiti, most breast cancer patients present at such advanced stages that even modern therapies offer only modest survival benefits, a sad fact that is all too real for doctors and nurses at the hospital. As for incidence and survival rates for patients with breast cancer, Haiti may have the least amount of data available in all of the Western Hemisphere (1).

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Taicha, Tenebrae, and Corpus Christi

Taicha, Tenebrae, and Corpus Christi

Dear Family and Friends,

I don't know if you have ever seen a child without a face.

The question is not rhetorical.

Childhood cancers have slowly disfigured and then slowly killed too many children, too often, in history.
Especially in impoverished countries where access to care is very limited, this is not ancient history, but all too recent.

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Third Edition of Haitian Acute and Emergency Care Conference

Third Edition of Haitian Acute and Emergency Care Conference

On the 26th and 27th of April 2019, the St. Luke Foundation successfully held their third  international conference on Acute and Emergency Care at the St. Luke Hospital. This year the conference focused on the management of trauma cases because trauma patients are common in hospitals while professionals specializing in trauma care are lacking.

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Patient Spotlight: Wilner

Patient Spotlight: Wilner

Wilner was St. Luke Hospital’s first severe burn victim. Before being admitted to St. Luke Hospital, he was refused care at a different hospital, which claimed he only had about a 30% chance of survival. When this happened, Wilner says he had no hope that his body would ever function again due to the extent of his burns. And when he found out that he was to be taken to St. Luke Hospital for treatment, he was scared because he knew of someone who had been treated at the hospital, but sadly had not survived. He thought he would die too.

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Pieta - When Demonstrations Cause Babies to Die

Pieta - When Demonstrations Cause Babies to Die

When I returned to St Damien Hospital at about 5pm yesterday afternoon, after spending the day buying medicines for our hospitals, there was a woman in the hallway holding a small child, and I sensed something was very wrong.
She was not crying, but her face revealed a restrained panic. 

Her one year old daughter, while seemingly asleep in her arms, was, to my eye, lifeless.
The child was dead, and this poor mother could not accept it.

This is the kind of thing that happens when roads are blocked with violence, when hatred rules the streets, when mothers are afraid to risk the roads with their sick children.

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World Day of the Sick, February 11

World Day of the Sick, February 11

February 11, World Day of the Sick, was first instituted in May 1992 by Pope John Paul II. At our St. Luke Hospital, we celebrate this holiday every year. This day is an opportunity to pay special attention to the condition of the sick, and, more generally, to give us the opportunity to show how much those who suffer are valued in our eyes.

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Fr. Rick Reflects on the 9th Anniversary of the Earthquake

Fr. Rick Reflects on the 9th Anniversary of the Earthquake

When Haiti was devastated by the infamous earthquake of 2010, the world had not seen a comparable disaster since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. It was also one of the first disasters in the age of the cell phone and instant messaging. The size of the disaster, and the ease of instant communication worldwide, sparked immediate and universal awareness, concern and mobilization to help the suffering.

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USAID Meeting at St. Luke Hospital

USAID Meeting at St. Luke Hospital

Through the American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (“ASHA”) grant that St. Luke received in 2014, we were able to build a conference and education center at St. Luke Hospital. The meeting took place in our conference room and organizations such as Restavek Freedom, the Caris Foundation, Mission of Hope, Samaritan’s Purse, Christianville, and Catholic Relief Services were represented at the discussion. St. Luke was honored to host this meeting, and hopes that the discussion and collaboration will continue.

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