2022 Annual Report

From the President & Chair of the Board

Dear Friends,

This year we are honored and humbled to be celebrating HEI/SBH’s 40th anniversary. As you scroll through this page, I hope you are as proud as we are of how far we’ve come—and excited for where we’re headed, together.

In just the past year, our staff rose to new and greater heights to provide quality, life-saving care to more patients than ever before. They worked tirelessly to lead southern Haiti through the ongoing earthquake recovery effort, and the humanitarian crisis that left no corner of the country untouched. Their efforts are nothing short of heroic, and we are proud to honor them in this report.

Through every challenge, supporters like you stood unwavering in your dedication to our work and the people of Haiti. Because of you, SBH provided critical health services, 24/7, even amid dangerous unrest, extreme fuel shortages, and more. While these obstacles caused other facilities to shutter, you helped SBH remain a beacon of hope for all in need. Thank you for all you do.

As we honor our roots and look to the future, we know that we will continue to prove that incredible things are possible in Haiti, just as we have for the past four decades. We cannot wait to continue this great and important work with you.

Sincerely,

What we do

HEI/SBH is a trusted, Haitian-led health network shaping and strengthening healthcare in partnership with the people we serve. We are the largest healthcare provider for over two million people in southern Haiti and serve as a model health system for the entire country.

Our dozens of services are designed to meet and evolve with our patients’ needs. Here at HEI/SBH, medical professionals at every level of their careers come to train and expand their skills. And through our community health program and satellite clinic, we are ensuring people living in even the most remote places can access the quality care they need.

Our doors are always open, and no one is ever turned away because they cannot pay. Providing care is our only priority—for every patient, every day.

Our vision is what makes us unique. Our work is based on equity. Every patient receives the same high quality of care.

We also value making patients feel welcome. From the moment they enter the hospital until the time they leave, we ensure that their experience is positive.

This hospital is a refuge for Haiti.

Ms. Rachelle Laguerre, Head Nurse

View of clean bright hospital buildings around a grassy courtyard under blue sky. A papaya tree is in left foreground.

Photo © Nadia Todres

2022 By the Numbers

Our clinicians cared for more patients than ever before in 2022. Amid the earthquake recovery and humanitarian crisis, our patients trusted us to provide the urgent, life-saving care they needed.

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158,782

Outpatient Visits

a simple graphic icon of a hospital consisting of one large building with a cross on it and two smaller buildings on either side. The icon is solid dark blue.

5,989

Inpatient Admissions

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3,774

Births

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1,090

NICU Admissions

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4,633

Surgeries

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6,265

COVID-19 Vaccines Administered

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42

Young Medical Professionals Trained

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85,774

Visits to Post-Earthquake Mobile Clinics

40 Years of Proving What’s Possible

This timeline of our work over the past four decades is dedicated to the ambitious, courageous, and generous leaders who helped shape HEI/SBH from its earliest days. Their legacies will live on in our work forever.

The numbers 1983-1993 in dark blue with a yellow line above it indicating the passage of time

HEI/SBH began as an international partnership between a small parish in Quincy, MA, and a small community in southern Haiti—a partnership that will lead to the relentless pursuit of high-quality, accessible healthcare for all people living in resource-limited settings.

A group of HEI/SBH's founders posing in front of a white truck in Haiti.

1983-1984: Parishioners from St. Boniface in Quincy, MA, arrive in Haiti for the first time. They travel to the remote mountain village of Fond des Blancs and commit to supporting a one-room medical clinic.

An old photo of SBH clinicians and patients during a clinic

1985-1987: The clinic begins a community health program, making it easier for people in isolated hamlets to access basic care close to their homes. Volunteers from Massachusetts help with immunization campaigns.

A photo of the old Saint Boniface health center with two Haitian men digging a hole in front of the entrance.

1988-1992: The Fond des Blancs community unites to transform the medical clinic into a 20-bed hospital. The community completes construction in 1992 and dedicates St. Boniface Hospital (SBH) in August.

1990-1992: St. Boniface Haiti Foundation is incorporated as a nonprofit and applies for 501(c)(3) status, which is granted in 1992.

The numbers 1993 through 2003 in dark blue on a pale blue background with a short yellow line and a long purple line above it, indicating the passage of time from one era to the next

Patient volume rapidly increases as our reputation for delivering quality, compassionate care spreads. In this decade, we expand our services and professionalize operations to keep up with patient demand.

An old photo of a male Haitian medical resident at SBH

1993-1994: SBH becomes an official training site for medical residents in Haiti, helping to train the next generation of Haitian health professionals.

An old photo of a SBH ambulance, with Haitian health professionals helping a patient out of the back of the vehicle.

1996: The hospital is seeing more than 1,000 outpatients and admitting 35 inpatients each month, while also continuing the community health program.

An old photo of SBH's early operating room, with a woman Haitian medical professional standing in front of anesthesia equipment

2000: SBH opens its first operating room and begins conducting routine procedures for hernias and other conditions. The hospital also launches a dental clinic to serve patients who previously had no access to a dentist.

A Haitian nurse takes blood from the finger of a Haitian man for testing.

2002: SBH begins one of the first HIV/AIDS treatment and support programs in Haiti—a program that will help thousands of people living with the virus lead full, healthy lives.

The numbers 2003 through 2013 in dark blue on a pale blue background with a short purple line and a long green line above it, indicating the passage of time from one era to the next

In this decade, we continue to extend our reach and expand our capacity to care for more patients. We step up to provide life-changing care for survivors of the devastating 2010 earthquake.

An old photo of a Haitian nurse using a stethoscope to check the heart beat of a young Haitian boy, who is sitting in his caregiver's lap. His caregiver is a Haitian woman.

2003-2008: Patient volume continues to grow. SBH expands its emergency room and pediatrics department. The number of Haitian staff working at the hospital grows as the hospital works to become more sustainable as well as Haitian-led.

An old photo of the original villa clinic, a low white building with an white ambulance parked in front.

2009: SBH opens a satellite clinic in Villa, an hour’s drive east of the hospital over unpaved roads. Villa Clinic provides quality care, including labor and delivery services, to residents of one of the most remote parts of southern Haiti.

An old photo of a spinal cord injury patient leaning over in his wheelchair to reach for a red ball on the floor during his physical therapy exercises.

2010: In response to the catastrophic earthquake, SBH creates the spinal cord injury rehabilitation program. This comprehensive program is the first of its kind in Haiti. It will go on to help hundreds of patients heal from spinal cord injuries and regain their independence.

The numbers 2013 through 2023 in dark blue on a pale blue background with a short green line and a long pink line above it, indicating the passage of time from one era to the next

This decade is marked by transformation and tragedy. We open new facilities and see more patients than ever before. At the same time, Haiti faces a series of natural disasters and public health crises. We increase our capacity to lead rapid responses and save lives across southern Haiti.

2015: SBH opens a new maternal and neonatal health center to further improve care for mothers and infants. The facility includes a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and dedicated space for emergency obstetric care.

A photo of a surgical suite with a Haitian surgeon standing in the middle of the room and smiling. He is surrounded by equipment.

2016: SBH opens a new, state-of-the-art, surgical center with a pre-op ward, three operating suites, and a post-op ward. All surgical staff are cross-trained to perform many different procedures and tasks, ensuring patients never have to wait for specialty providers.

A mobile clinic during Hurricane Matthew. A Haitian doctor sits at a table outside and tends to a patient while other patients crowd around in the background.

2016: SBH leads the response to Hurricane Matthew, launching a mobile clinic program to deliver care directly to the most affected communities. Mobile clinics will go on to become a critical component of the organization’s future disaster response efforts.

Two Haitian doctors walk alongside SBH's Center for Infectious Disease and Emergency Care

2018: SBH completes construction on the Center for Infectious Disease and Emergency Care, which includes the region’s only 24/7 emergency room and one of the country’s only safe treatment facilities for infectious diseases. The doors of the new ER open in March.

Two Haitian male patients in wheelchairs show off a dark blue HEI T-shirt

2019: The organization changes its name to Health Equity International/St. Boniface Hospital (HEI/SBH) to better reflect its mission, vision, and values.

A Haitian woman clinician wears personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. She wears a blue medical gown, a white face mask, a clear face shield, and a protective net over her hair.

2020: HEI/SBH leads the COVID-19 pandemic response for southern Haiti, providing education, testing, and treatment. In 2021-2022, SBH’s community health team will go on to execute one of Haiti’s most successful COVID-19 vaccination campaigns.

An earthquake patient is taken out of a military helicopter on a stretcher. Two military pilots in full gear carry the front and back of the stretcher across a field.

2021: Immediately following the powerful August earthquake, HEI/SBH launches a comprehensive emergency response. Staff provide urgent care to survivors, dispatch mobile clinic teams, support damaged clinics across the region, and begin a permanent orthopedic surgery program.

A group of woman Haitian clinicians tend to a patient in SBH's emergency care center.

2022-2023: Despite supply chain challenges and a humanitarian crisis in Haiti, the doors of SBH never close. Thanks to dedicated local staff, the hospital remains fully operational for every patient in need.

The words "proving what's possible for years to come" with a pink line ending with an arrow pointing to the right above it indicating heading into the future

There is so much ahead in the decades to come. We hope you’ll join us as we continue to prove that anything is possible in Haiti!

Crisis Response

HEI/SBH is always prepared to navigate the most complex situations and save lives.

Our four decades of experience preparing for and responding to natural disasters, outbreaks, political unrest, and more have made us a leader the people of Haiti can depend on.

In 2022, our staff confronted some of the greatest challenges they have ever faced. As we continued our relief efforts for the 2021 earthquake, an escalating humanitarian crisis and the resurgence of cholera made it harder than ever to procure resources and provide care.

Despite every obstacle, our team stopped at nothing to ensure we were ready for every patient, every day.

Earthquake Recovery

The August 2021 earthquake damaged or destroyed more than half of all healthcare facilities in southern Haiti, leaving survivors without access to even basic health services. As the largest care provider in the region, HEI/SBH stepped in to lead the emergency response and save lives.

Our Impact

100+

Clinicians served five mobile clinics and four impacted health care facilities

85,774

Total patient visits seen across sites in 2022

100+ communities received care through mobile clinics

Strengthening Southern Haiti

In the wake of the earthquake, we began leading a coalition of 31 healthcare facilities in southern Haiti to improve access to quality, affordable care throughout the region.

A map of of Haiti's southern peninsula with all of the participating healthcare facilities in the IHSD/Kore Sante program marked.

Map of healthcare facilities participating in health system strengthening project.

This impactful, five-year project will:

ENHANCE LOCAL CAPACITY to provide quality, sustainable care throughout the region through mentorship, training, and technical assistance
IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES for more patients through quality service delivery, patient education, and community outreach
INCREASE RESILIENCE to shocks and crises by prioritizing disaster preparedness and strengthening emergency response protocols

A Haitian male doctor stands in front of palm trees, smiling brightly at the camera. He wears a white doctor's coat and has a stethoscope around his neck.

Photo © Nadia Todres

Staff Spotlight

Dr. Saintilien Brings Care to the Community

Dr. Elie Saintilien is the Medical Director and Mobile Clinic Director at SBH.

In this story, he talks about the importance of the mobile clinic project and the power of HEI/SBH’s earthquake response.

Read his story

Navigating Humanitarian Crisis

Haiti’s long-standing challenges with gang violence, fuel shortages, inflation, food insecurity, and other factors intensified to create an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in fall 2022. While this still-ongoing situation has forced many other healthcare facilities across the country to close, our fast-acting operations team moved mountains to ensure SBH had the resources to care for patients, 24/7.

Overcoming Challenges with Innovative Solutions

A white SBH ambulance drives along a bumpy country road. The road is unpaved and slopes downward slightly, from right to left. The sky is blue and cloudy. The car is driving in front of some low green trees and brush.

1. FUEL SHORTAGES

Nearly doubled our fuel storage capacity
Expanded supplier network and identified new fuel sources
Implemented fuel triage system to ensure maximum support for critical services during fuel shortages

Several bottles of the same kind of medicaton stand on a wire warehouse shelf. The bottles are small and made of white plastic. The white label has black text on it with a dark blue bar across the bottom. The bottle cap is a bright teal.

2. BLOCKED PORTS

Utilized air freight and alternate ports to transport goods
Analyzed and explored alternate ground routes to safely make supply runs during dangerous unrest
Leveraged local partnerships to procure critical goods locally

A young Haitian man carries stacks of egg cartons over his left shoulder. His arms are above his head securing the bundle. He wears a red t-shirt.

3. FOOD AND WATER INSECURITY

Distributed food kits containing dietary staples to families in need
Distributed water purification tablets in the community
Doubled water storage capacity with purchase of second water truck

Combating Cholera

Cholera reemerged in Haiti in October 2022, three years after its last confirmed case. Guided by our experience responding to the prior epidemic as well as COVID-19, HEI/SBH rapidly prepared a comprehensive response to the new outbreak.

HAITI-WIDE CHOLERA OUTBREAK | October 2022-February 2023

29,288

Hospitalizations for patients with suspected cases of cholera

36%

Of confirmed cases were children under 9 years old

594

Cholera deaths* registered with the Haitian Ministry of Health

*The humanitarian crisis and limited access to health and laboratory services likely means that these numbers are underreported. Data from the Pan American Health Organization.

HEI/SBH's cholera response team stand in two rows in a hospital ward. All of the clinicians are wearing blue medical. All but two of the clinicians are wearing light blue protective gowns.

Our team quickly created a 15-bed cholera treatment center to provide safe, compassionate care for patients.

We also launched an outreach campaign to educate community members about cholera and ways to prevent its spread. By the end of the year, 3,000 community members had learned how to protect themselves and their families through these sessions.

While cholera cases have significantly decreased across Haiti in 2023, our team is vigilantly monitoring the situation. Together with our national and international partners, we will continue to conduct disease prevention activities in the communities we serve to prevent future outbreaks.

A Haitian woman community health worker stands in front of a building and gives a small smile at the camera. She wears a coral-colored polo shirt. Her hands are on her hips, and her hair is intricately braided.

Staff Spotlight

Miss Witnie Uses Knowledge to Counter Cholera

Miss Witnie is a member of our community health team. She and her colleagues have been working tirelessly to help stop cholera’s spread.

Read her story

Patient Care

SBH is the largest and most reliable healthcare facility in southern Haiti.

Despite Haiti’s concurrent crises, our dedicated clinicians saw 158,782 patient visits in 2022: a new record. Along with the services spotlighted in the following pages, these patients came to access our dental clinic, enroll in our HIV/AIDs treatment program, manage non-communicable conditions like diabetes, and so much more.

Every day, we’re proving that high-quality, affordable, and sustainable care is possible in Haiti.

Maternal Health

As the region’s leading maternal health referral center, our highly skilled clinicians are able to take on even the most complex cases.

A pregnant Haitian woman stands in the courtyard hallway at St. Boniface Hospital. She wears a grey dress with a white lace top, a open flower-printed shirt, and a bright blue hair bonnet. She smiles at the camera with her hands on the top and bottom of her pregnant stomach.

“We contribute greatly to the reduction of maternal mortality [in Haiti],” says Dr. Berthony Guerrier, Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “We are a fountain in the desert.”

In 2022, more than a third of all women who delivered at HEI/SBH had a high-risk pregnancy, and nearly half needed a lifesaving C-section. Many traveled for hours in active labor while risking dangerous roadblocks—all because they knew here, they would find the care they needed.

SBH is one of the only hospitals in Haiti able to perform C-sections and other obstetric procedures, as well as treat dangerous complications such as high blood pressure and preeclampsia. Our maternal health program also includes comprehensive pre- and postnatal care, lactation support, HIV testing and specialized care to prevent mother-to-child transmission, family planning, and more.

Every year, Dr. Guerrier and his team care for an extraordinarily high volume of patients, often operating at over 120% capacity. Although the work can be difficult, they are immensely proud of the impact they are making. “When you think about all those people who come to receive assistance from us, you wonder: If St. Boniface didn’t exist, what would they do?” asks Dr. Guerrier. “St. Boniface serves the entire country. Our everyday work is its own success story.”

Learn more about our maternal health services

A Haitian woman stands in a wooden doorway. She holds her infant son in her hands, held up near her face. He wears blue shorts and a plaid button down-shirt. He is sleeping. The woman wears a black hair bonnet and a sleeveless black dress. She has a bright smile.

Patient Story

Accessible Care for Mother and Baby

Samora is 31 years old and comes from Maniche, Haiti. When she fell ill eight months into her pregnancy, she turned to both our mobile clinic and SBH for help.

Read her story

NICU

At the only fully functional neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in southern Haiti, we care for the littlest and most vulnerable patients.

NICU nurse checking a patient.

In 2022, 28% of babies born at SBH required NICU care; nearly 1 in 3 are in peril before they are a day old.

Although there are many reasons why an infant may need NICU care, reduced access to maternal health services across Haiti may be contributing to this trend.

Our highly trained staff take great pride in delivering quality, compassionate care to every baby. They tend to each infant as if they were their own, providing advanced services such as breathing support, hypothermia treatment, and treatment for anemia and infections. All the while, our staff reassure and relieve parents and caregivers as their babies heal.

Thanks to our maintenance and supply chain teams, our NICU had a constant supply of oxygen and fuel for the generators that keep incubators and other critical equipment operating around the clock. Despite the great scarcity of these resources in Haiti throughout 2022, their tireless work helped keep our babies safe.

Learn more about our NICU

In a hospital, a Haitian woman in a blue gown and surgical mask arranges a blanket on a newborn situated in a bassinet. Two additional newborns rest, one on each side of her.

Patient Story

Urgent Care for Naromie’s Triplets

Naromie is 41 years old and comes from L’Asile, Haiti. She and her triplets received urgent care at a hospital near her home that our clinicians helped staff after the earthquake. She also received care at SBH.

Read her story

Emergency Care

Our Emergency Care Center is the only facility of its kind in southern Haiti. Here, our patients can receive urgent, life-saving care 24 hours per day—no matter what.

A woman patient lays in a hospital bed with a blanket covering her torso as a woman Haitian doctor puts an oxygen mask to her face. The doctor stands to the right of the bed. The doctor wears a white medical mask, black scrub top, and white exam gloves. Her hair is intricately braided. An IV pole stands to the left of the doctor, and to the left of the IV is a large green oxygen cylinder.

Dr. Mimi administers oxygen to a patient.

Mirielle Bien-Aimé—who we affectionately call Dr. Mimi—has been leading the ER for more than five years. “ER is a new specialty in Haiti,” she says. “This is one of the few hospitals that has an emergency room staff of high quality.”

Although the humanitarian crisis and ongoing unrest made travel extremely dangerous in 2022, Dr. Mimi and her team saw more than 9,000 patient visits. Working around the clock, the team treated everything from severe wounds to breathing difficulty. All the while, they were proud to know that for our patients, the care they received and the relief they experienced was worth the often-difficult journey.

“Because of the earthquake, so many new people have learned about the hospital, so we now have more patients than ever before,” says Dr. Mimi. “There would be much relief in the country if every area had a hospital such as this one. We are very dedicated to providing high quality care.”

A young girl Haitian baby sits in her caregiver's lap. The baby has big, bright brown eyes and only a light dusting of light brown hair. She wears a dark blue sweater and sucks her thumb. Her caregiver's black and white striped shirt is seen to the left.

Patient Story

Nourishing Little Princess

When baby Princess began showing signs of malnutrition at nine months old, her grandmother brought her to SBH for immediate care.

Read her story

Surgery

HEI/SBH provides a vast slate of general, pediatric, and orthopedic procedures for more than 4,000 patients each year. Here, surgical care is always a guarantee.

Three surgeons perform a procedure. They all wear light blue surgical gowns, caps, and surgical masks. A table of equipment stands in the foreground.

Our world-class surgical center is the most advanced facility of its kind in southern Haiti.

Our unique model has revolutionized the level of surgical care patients can receive in low-resource settings. Every member of our surgical team is cross-trained to perform a wide variety of procedures and tasks. This highly efficient approach ensures we are never dependent on any one individual, and life-saving procedures are never delayed.

In 2022, 56% of surgeries were emergency procedures. Because of our agile system, we are able to take on these cases and save lives where no one else in the region could.

SBH added a permanent orthopedic surgery program to our slate of services in response to the 2021 earthquake. The disaster highlighted the acute, pre-existing need for orthopedic care. Broken bones, torn ligaments, and other musculoskeletal injuries occur every day—not just in times of crisis. By creating this new service and building it to last, we’re providing essential care the people of Haiti deserve today, tomorrow—and for years to come.

Patient Story

Albertiny Can Play Again

Albertiny’s arm was crushed when the August 2021 earthquake toppled the walls of his home on top of him and his family. Today, he is making great strides in his recovery.

Read his story

Financials

HEI/SBH ended Fiscal Year 2022 (July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022) in a strong financial position.

Generous funding from our partners and supporters helped us raise the already-high level of care we provide our patients during a tumultuous year in Haiti. We supported earthquake-devastated communities through our mobile clinics, strengthened our new orthopedic surgery program, navigated countrywide supply shortages, and more. We are deeply grateful to everyone who made this work possible.

Read our 2022 Audited Financials

A dark blue circle with a bright green equal sign and a white plus sign in the middle. Around the outside are the words, "40 years of proving what's possible 1983-2023"

40 Years of Proving What’s Possible

Whether you have been a part of our team for 40 years or 40 days, your partnership and support has helped us save lives and create a healthier tomorrow for the people of Haiti. Thank you for your partnership.

We hope you’ll continue to join us throughout 2023 as we celebrate our milestone 40th anniversary with events, special features, and more.

Learn more