First of all, thank you to this community for your outpouring of support in the past couple weeks! Every donation bolsters our efforts to fight COVID-19.
This week the Haitian Ministry of Health named HAS an official COVID-19 treatment site. The number of cases is growing in Haiti – now up to 30. Testing has been very limited, so we know the situation is much more severe. HAS has not received any patients with the virus yet, although there is one confirmed case in the Artibonite.
As we take action on our COVID-19 Emergency Response Plan, we thought you would appreciate hearing a few highlights from the past week.
Staff training progress
The Integrated Community Services team completed training of 8 head nurses and 38 care providers in COVID-19 prevention. This week 47 community health workers are learning what they can do to stop the spread of the disease. Next, the CHWs will take to the streets with megaphones, educating the community about the virus.
Coronavirus treatment center
The Physical Plant Team has been transforming the former cholera treatment center into a site for coronavirus patients – repairing, painting, and cleaning up the interior. They are also preparing an area outside to fit up to 17 tents, if needed.
Water treatment machine up and running
Thanks to a generous gift from the Hummingbird Foundation, we now have a cost-effective way to produce disinfectant with a MIOX water treatment machine. The technology combines salt, water, and power to generate disinfectant on site. The contractors met with HAS’ technicians this week for the installation. The team is acquiring new skills and will produce hundreds of gallons of disinfectant.
We could not do this lifesaving work without you! Please support our efforts to fight COVID-19 today.