AWHS at Work- Relief Efforts in Haiti
By Anne Barlow Ramsay and Eliza Chin, AWHS Co-Chairs
Hopital Bon Samaritain in Limbe, Haiti is a long-standing beneficiary of funds from AWHS (American Women's Hospitals Service). This facility was founded in an unlikely way by Dr. William Hodges, an archeologist, who came to do research inLimbe back in 1950. His wife, Joanna, had planned for the couple to return to the United States after his research was completed. But when they reached Limbe, they were horrified by the lack of basic medical care that existed in Limbe. So the vision of a hospital was born. With support and help from others, including the Baptist Church, this vision eventually became a reality.. The U.S. headquarters are in Lake Worth, Florida, headed up by their son, Paul Hodges. Their grandson is currently in Haiti, working at Hopital Bon Samaritain.
When we first heard of the earthquake in Haiti, we immediately contacted Hopital Bon Samaritain. 70 miles north of the epicenter of the quake, they felt heavy shaking but the hospital buildings designed by the late William Hodges were well built and no physical damage was seen. The emotional toll, however, has been devastating. Because life in Haiti is so migrational with most people living in the rural areas and then traveling to Port au Prince for work or school, almost everyone at Hopital Bon Samaritain has lost a loved one in the earthquake. The sense of loss is unspeakable.
AWHS has responded with additional funds sent to HBS along with a call for AMWA members to donate directly to HBS to help with the relief efforts. Already, they have been treating earthquake victims who have managed to return back to their rural homes and helping with the American Red Cross efforts to cross match blood. HBS was expecting imminent approval as a surgical site to handle overflow cases from Port au Prince.
We will continue our support of HBS over the long term, recognizing that the recovery in Haiti will take place over many months and perhaps years. AWHS was founded to provide humanitarian relief, and today, 93 years later, we are still fulfilling that mission.
