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Updates from Haiti - Feb 19, 2010
Our clinical team is hard at work caring for about 50 patients a day at the Christ Pour Tous clinic, as well as distributing clean delivery kits, mattresses for displaced persons, personal hygiene supplies and safer sex supplies, all donated by UNFPA. They are providing trainings to other clinicians to ensure that they can respond to gender-based violence and other needs specific to women, and promoting breastfeeding, one of the most important steps we can take to prevent mortality in babies under two. They have been able to provide life-saving treatment for many childbearing women, helping to make sure that the crisis doesn't cause an increase in Haiti's already high maternal mortality rate.
COHI volunteers and 15 female earthquake survivors, trained by COHI as community health leaders, completed their assessment of women's health status and needs in the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp of Fond Parisien, Haiti. This assessment is in the process of being shared with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and other agencies. We are currently working with UNFPA to make sure that the health care needs of women and infants remain a priority in the response to the earthquake.
Two Haitian midwives, who have been trained by our partner organization, Midwives For Haiti, will join our clinical team. These two talented professionals will be a sustainable presence, caring for childbearing women in the Fond Parisien area. COHI has committed to help provide for these midwives, as part of our commitment to build the capacity of women's health care providers in crisis areas of the world. At this point, COHI is limited only by how far we can stretch our dollars, and we desperately need financial donations. Please consider donating HERE.
Please join us for an upcoming COHI fundraiser:
Yoga for Midwives, Saturday Feb 27th, 6pm. Area Yoga, 320 Court St. Brooklyn.
2010 Middle East Coexistence Meeting
The first co-existence meeting of 2010 took place on February 16th as midwives and health practitioners from both sides of the Israel-Palestine conflict gathered to share personal stories, professional development and the political, personal, financial and social difficulties they encounter in their profession.
At the meeting, midwives from the West Bank's only birth center, Mithaloon, accepted a generous donation from COHI's partner organization, MADRE. This donation will help cover salaries, supplies and upkeep of the birth center, which provides a safe place for women to give birth and receive needed health care.
To add to all this good news, one of our amazing volunteers, Tenley Spatz, has secured a grant that will allow us to ship an ultrasound machine, donated by Remedy in New Haven, to Gaza, where it will be used to provide prenatal monitoring and care to pregnant women.
COHI First Annual Women's Health Summit, June 4, 2010 Boston, MA
Bridges: Women's Health As An Agent of Change
We have an exciting day planned with speakers, workshops, networking and sharing lined up. A full schedule will be up on our website soon.
Early Bird registration is available on our website, and we are offering a discount to the first 20 students who sign up. Poster submissions are due April 1. Poster submission forms are available HERE. CEUs may be available through the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council.
Leilani Johnson, MPH
Executive Director
Circle of Health International
90 Coventry Wood Road
Bolton, MA 01740
leilani[at]cohintl.org
Mobile: 512.517.3220
skype: leilanijohnson
www.cohintl.org
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