The C Suite

My time in Milot has drawn to a close and I am grateful to those of you who followed this journey with me. I will continue this blog for a time, as I have more stories to share, and experiences to process.

I was inspired to come and aid the victims of the earthquake as well as regain perspective on what is important in my own life. Those that came ahead of me did a magnificent job in extremely trying situations. Much of what we did over the last weeks was optimizing the results of their life saving work. We were able to aid in the care of not just the earthquake victims, but also the local community. We will continue to augment the provision of medical care in Haiti, as it existed even before the quake. Unlike many faith based hospitals run by NGOs, CRUDEM has supported a local leadership structure. I want to tell you about a few of them.

Dr Harold Previl (top) is the hospital administrator. He is skillful at balancing the pressures he feels from the volunteers to do everything with the realities of the Haitian culture, his extremely constrained resources, and minimal governmental support. We were talking the other night about administration and were sharing notes on constraints – it turns out he's also doing a graduate program in health care administration in Port au Prince, this one sponsored by the University of Montreal. Harold comes to our staff meetings. He spoke eloquently tonight, his voice cracking, thanking us on behalf of the people of Haiti and in the same breath reminding us of the limitations he faced. I have worked with a lot of talented, smart, hospital CEOs… Harold is right there with them in his ability to read and optimize difficult situations.

J. Raymond Delnatus (middle) is the CFO, and general go to guy. He picked us up at the airport, could find key materials when everyone said there were none, and made sure the volunteers were taken care of. In addition, imagine trying to keep books with a local currency that is floating all over the place, a secondary economy based in US dollars, and a staff that is composed of both paid and unpaid personnel, some with the same job description. He has an apartment on the compound – right across the driveway from where I stayed… and he was always available on his cell. (The ring tone was a frog.)

I enjoyed my work with Dr Jerry Bernard (bottom, right), a young surgeon who just completed his residency in Cap Haitian. He was able to spend several months at Eastern Maine Medical Center and desperately wants to bring surgery in Milot to a higher level. There is no laparoscopy, diseases present at advanced stages, pathology and chemotherapy are not available. He soldiers on alone, draining infections, fixing hernias, and trying to do what he can for his countrymen. He’s also quite a soccer player, and during the afternoon pick up game in the compound, he brings the same level of energy and enthusiasm. His wife, an internist, is expecting their second child and they live next to Raymond. Looking at them, I remember what it was like to be starting a practice with a young family.

So why not pictures of these men in the hospital, looking professional and serious? Because in Haiti, your personal, professional, and societal lives are closely intertwined. You rely on each other, and family is central. All of these men could be making more money and having an easier life outside of Haiti. Yet they stay, nuture their children, improve medical care in fits and starts, and set the example that Haitians can lead their own countrymen.

…and that gives me some hope for the future of Haiti.