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HEI/SBH Pressroom
Working on a story about healthcare in Haiti? Obtain brand assets and key information using our media kit.
Press Kit:
Obtain high-res logos, fact sheets, and other assets by downloading our digital press kit.
Members of the press can contact us at press@haitihealth.org with any media inquiries.
If you are not a member of the press, please contact info@haitihealth.org with all other inquiries.
About Us:
Health Equity International has been providing essential health and support services to those in need for more than 40 years.
St. Boniface Hospital, our healthcare facility in southern Haiti, is the largest care provider for over 2 million people and serves as a model health system for the entire country. Our dozens of clinical programs are designed to meet and evolve with our patients’ needs. Here, medical professionals at every level of their careers come to learn 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 care they need.
In 2024, Health Equity International began its first-ever US-based program to provide critical shelter and stabilization services to homeless asylum-seeking families in Massachusetts. We work in accompaniment with more than 60 families to design a rehousing and stabilization plan that meets their unique needs and helps them achieve self-sufficiently and independence. Through compassionate, dignified, and culturally competent services, casework, and community support, we are helping our clients build the future they want for themselves.
At HEI, we believe that everyone deserves the right to be well. Together with our global network of partners and supporters, we’re building a safer, healthier world for all.
Quick Facts:
SBH was open and fully operational, 24/7, every single day in 2023. This fact is nothing short of remarkable during a year of devastating humanitarian crisis in Haiti—one that forced many other hospitals to shutter.
But we didn’t just keep SBH running in the face of tremendous challenges.
We saw 154,422 outpatient visits.
We welcomed 4,239 babies into the world.
We cared for 1,292 infants in our NICU.
We performed 4,708 surgical procedures.
We trained 74 medical residents.
We created new programs.
We improved services at partner facilities.
We strengthened our disaster readiness protocols.
And so much more.
Shelter and Stabilization Project
We hit the ground running when we began our Shelter and Stabilization project began in March 2024. To date, we are helping nearly 50 families to:
- Find and secure appropriate, stable work
- Find, secure, and transition to permanent housing
- Enroll children in local schools and secure daycare
- Schedule and attend healthcare appointments
- Understand the immigration process and attend related hearings and appointments
- Find and utilize community resources such as churches, cultural organizations, ESL lessons, and more
Key Staff:
Conor Shapiro, President and CEO
Conor assumed the position of President and CEO at HEI/SBH in 2011, leading the organization’s operations in Haiti and the United States. Under his tenure, the organization has emerged as the leading referral hospital in southern Haiti. Mr. Shapiro has overseen the expansion of SBH to include new buildings dedicated to spinal cord injury, maternal and neonatal health, surgery, infectious diseases and emergency care, and an expanded laboratory. During this time, HEI transformed into a leading NGO in Haiti and has partnered with USAID, the CDC, the GE Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, among others. He holds a master’s degree in Public Health from Boston University and has 20 years of experience with HEI, having first joined the organization in 2003.
Dr. Wilfrid Cadet, Chief Medical Advisor
Dr. Cadet is a licensed pediatrician trained in Haiti at the State University Hospital. He graduated from medical school in 1994 and first joined SBH as a social service physician, eventually rising to the position of hospital director. Under Dr. Cadet’s leadership, St. Boniface Health Center became St. Boniface Hospital, fully accredited and licensed by Haiti’s Ministry of Health. Dr. Cadet holds an MPH from Boston University’s School of Public Health and has worked with UNICEF, Catholic Relief Services, CARE, and others. He also has experience with Caris Foundation as deputy chief of party for USAID’s Santé program and with Partners in Health/Zanmi Lasante as chief operating officer of Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais. Dr. Cadet is an environmentalist and women’s rights advocate, and has long been involved in children’s empowerment through education, sports, and arts.
HEI/SBH in the News
Inside Philanthropy: How Kellogg and Partner Philanthropies Are Funding in Haiti, a Country Beset by Crisis
GBH: Boston-area aid groups struggle to maintain medical services in Haiti amid gang violence
Direct Relief: Children Affected Most During Haiti’s Recent Cholera Outbreak
Boston Globe: Children’s Harrowing Escape Highlights Charities’ Fears of “Dire” Situation in Haiti
Grantmakers in Health: Beyond the Headlines: Towards a New Narrative for Health Philanthropy in Haiti
W.K. Kellogg Foundation: New locally led Alliance launched in Haiti to build long-term food sovereignty and security from the bottom up
Direct Relief: In Haiti, Earthquake Traumas Give Way to Chronic Disease, Malnutrition…and Heroism
Massachusets General Center for Global Health: Building a Team of Technicians in Haiti
Real America with Jorge Ramos: Haiti on the Edge
CBC News: ‘Needs are huge,’ says doctor attending injured in Haiti
Good Morning America: Doctor details recovery scene in Haiti after earthquake