Cloud Forest Clinic

Posted by admin on Feb 3, 2011 in | 0 comments

As of June, 2011 we are celebrating our one year anniversary at the Cloud Forest Medical Clinic.  Over the past 12 months we have cared for over 8,000 patients, worked with groups like Medicos Sans Fronteirs (Doctors Without Borders) to fight the deadly disease of cholera, established community health initiatives, provided health education and disease prevention strategies, saved numerous lives & improved the quality of life for countless more.  We are pleased to announce that we have recently hired a full time Haitian physician named Dr Henery as well.  Dr Henery is native to Haiti and completed his medical training in the Dominican Republic.  In addition to Creole & French he is also fluent in English & Spanish as well.  Dr Henery’s compassion and competence make him the perfect addition to the Cloud Forest Family.

For more information on life in Haiti and our experiences in the Cloud Forest Medical Clinic visit the Haiti Blogs.The Cloud Forest Medical Clinic resides near the remote mountain village of Seguin in the heart of rural Haiti. As a crow flies the clinic is only 17 miles Southeast of Port-au-Prince but it might as well be a world away. Due to our relative isolation and skilled staff we have become the premier medical facility from the hills of Port-au-Prince all the way to the Caribbean Sea.

The Cloud Forest Medical Clinic is run by Humanity First USA and supported by “Where the Stars Still Shine”
The Cloud Forest Medical Clinic opened only 8 months ago and has already seen well over 5,000 patients. Some patients walk many hours (up to 8 hrs each direction) across the countryside to receive medical care and it is not uncommon to see a patient’s donkey tied up front by the clinic gates. Currently we are averaging almost 200 patients per week with our busiest days being Mondays & Thursdays (market days). We treat everything from malaria & typhoid to worms & scabies to HTN & GERD. Because healthcare is so grossly underserved in this area we see disease states that have progressed years beyond anything you would ever expect to see in the United States. Medical professionals who would like to volunteer are encouraged to register on the Humanity First USA website.

After a tumultuous and hectic two months life is finally returning back to normal in the mountains of Sud-Est, Haiti.  Cholera has swept across the country of Haiti like a deadly wave over the past several months resulting in several thousand deaths and countless more cases.  Long before cholera came to Seguin we carried out an equally agressive preemptive strike to stop cholera and save as many lives as possible.  Through education and prevention strategies we have been able to help minimize cases in our region and are very proud to announce that every single patient who has been it to our cholera treatment facilities has regained their health and made it home alive.  Cases continue to decline and now we only have a few cholera patients per week.

The remote and rugged Cloud Forest of Seguin, Haiti provided the perfect setting to create a prototype sustainable medical and integrated community aid infrastructure.  “Where the Stars Still Shine” has integrated into a 3 way NGO collaborative effort with Humanity First USA and Haitian Christian Outreach (who has generously donated the clinic facility).  Humanity First USA has been the overwhelming powerhouse behind the Cloud Forest Medical Clinic and has also created the Seguin Orphan Relief Program to provide support for those who lost their parents and have no means of providing for themselves.  Currently there are 22 orphans enrolled in the program who come to the clinic every month to receive food stuffs and to be weighed and evaluated.  In addition to providing assistance and medical personnel to the Cloud Forest Medical Clinic, “Where the Stars Still Shine” also provides educational services to the community such as the Haitian School Project which sponsors 36 students to attend school this year.