Building Resilient Healthcare and Sustainable Systems in Southern Haiti

HEI/SBH and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Partner for Long-Term Response to Hurricane Matthew

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) has awarded a one-year $1,900,000 grant to Health Equity International/St. Boniface Hospital (HEI/SBH) to support HEI/SBH’s work to address the immediate and longer term response and recovery in southern Haiti in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. The much needed project will strengthen efforts to rebuild, revive, and reinforce health services in southern Haiti. Over the next 12 months, HEI/SBH will continue to play a critical role in building healthcare infrastructure and services that were affected by Hurricane Matthew. This work will include expanding HEI/SBH’s current role as a regional referral center in order to contribute towards building the long-term resiliency of the health system. With this support from WKKF, HEI/SBH will expand treatment capacity in the region for specialty services such as obstetric and gynecological care, neonatal intensive care, and the provision of community health outreach services. This work is targeted towards communities, families, and individuals most affected by the hurricane, with the goal of promoting resilience for future disasters.

“The Kellogg Foundation’s ongoing support of [HEI/SBH]’s core mission to provide high-quality healthcare to the people of southern Haiti is a testament to their long-term vision of a stronger, healthier Haiti. In the wake of Hurricane Matthew it has never been more important to ensure that all people, especially the most vulnerable, have access to healthcare. We are grateful for WKKF’s partnership in this effort,” said HEI/SBH CEO Conor Shapiro.

In addition to building the capacity of its referral hospital, HEI/SBH has partnered with Build Health International (BHI), which has successfully constructed essential health infrastructure in Haiti and southeastern Africa for years, to strengthen supply chain systems vital to delivery of quality care in southern Haiti. BHI will construct a 10,000 square-foot warehouse to expand the current storage capacity for much-needed supplies. This warehouse will serve as a regional distribution point for supplies and medications. 

This is WKKF’s fifth grant to HEI/SBH. In addition, the WKKF provided major support for the construction of the Maternal and Neonatal Health Center, and ongoing operations support for maternal, neonatal, and child health services, as well as surgical and monitoring and evaluation programs.

About Health Equity International/St. Boniface Hospital
Founded in 1983, HEI/SBH provides essential health services to some of the poorest and most vulnerable populations in southern Haiti. HEI/SBH’s model of healthcare delivery includes clinical and community-based care that works collaboratively to bring healthcare access to a large and dispersed population.

HEI/SBH’s main facility, St. Boniface Hospital, is located in Fond des Blancs and is the largest regional hospital on Haiti’s southern peninsula. It is accredited by the Haitian Ministry of Health and is one of the only providers of specialized services, including surgical care, to a broader region of over two million people, many of whom live on less than $1 per day.

HEI/SBH is a U.S.-based 5013c3 organization that also has nonprofit status in Haiti. The office in Newton, Massachusetts supports approximately 275 staff in Haiti, 98% of whom are Haitian. For more information visit haitihealth.org or call us at 617-244- 9800.

About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal pioneer, Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life.

The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Michigan, and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special emphasis is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org.