Healing Hands for Haiti International Foundation Inc. A Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Institution

how we help

PATIENT CARE AND SERVICES

Our outpatient facilities and Port-au-Prince provide physical and occupational therapy, speech therapy, clinical services, and training. We have trained Haitian technicians who fabricate and fit prosthetics and orthotics, and wheelchairs. We have become a center of excellence for the delivery of both care and training.

Continuing Medical Education

Our Continuing Medical Education (CME) Seminars provide formal training courses in aspects of physical medicine and rehabilitation to Haitian medical professionals and caregivers. Additional training opportunities and mentoring help local care providers better prepare to deliver high-quality care to the patients they serve.

Rehab Tech

We are dedicated to providing a comprehensive training program for all disciplines of the Rehabilitation Medical Team. Through formal classroom training, continuing medical education, and real-time mentoring, we believe our physicians, therapists, technicians, and nurses will be better prepared to deliver high-quality care to the patients we serve. Since its inception, HHH has employed a 'train the trainer' model and is dedicated to supporting rehabilitation by Haitians for Haitians in Haiti.

Spinal Cord Injuries

We deploy clinicians to train, mentor, and provide care to spinal cord injury centers throughout Haiti.

Haiti SCI Confidential Database

The Haiti SCI (confidential) Database was created in March 2010 to identify and understand the issues surrounding spinal cord injury (SCI) in Haiti and is coordinated by Fiona Stephenson RN.

It has been established that the majority of patients with SCI sustained in the earthquake (especially with complete/incomplete paraplegia) are still alive almost two years post-trauma. It is the opinion of the Haiti SCI Working Group that these vulnerable men, women and children with disabilities are generally living longer if they receive appropriate care, and that this apparent increase in health status is directly related to NGO’s providing specific SCI care, education of local staff, patients and caregivers, the introduction of intermittent catheterization to patients as well as an emphasis on position changes, pressure ulcer risk assessment (Waterlow Tool) and skincare.

Statistics are only as good as the information provided; Out of 300 cases known, 145 were earthquake-related. The main cause of SCI since the earthquake of January 2010 is due to gun violence. The majority of these patients are young men.

To register a person with a spinal cord injury, please fill in the Haiti SCI Database information form and email it to [email protected]. Be sure to mark ‘Confidential’ in the subject heading. This data is only a glimpse of the reality in Haiti, and there is a lot more work to be done to get a true picture. Thank you in advance for your help.

Patient Stories

Meet Monsieur Diralus Shirley

Monsieur Diralus Shirley is a 50-year-old man who had a cerebrovascular accident in March 2023 at his home. He began having physical therapy visits at his home, but without much improvement. He came to Healing Hands for Haiti to continue therapy. At the clinic, he was diagnosed with left hemiparesis. He has limited mobility in the left shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist, fingers, hip, knee and ankle. Little by little he feels that he is beginning to recuperate. He is very motivated and says that he is very satisfied with the quality of the care he is receiving at the clinic.

Meet Laplante Pierre Revest

Mr. Laplante Pierre Revest is a 78-year-old who had a stroke 6 months ago. He is confined to a wheelchair. He was referred to Healing Hands for Haiti by his personal doctor for rehabilitation. He was diagnosed with left hemiparesis in August 2023 and began therapy the same month. He appreciates the way that the Healing Hands therapists treat him. They are patient, but rigorous. He reports that he is beginning to feel improvement in his painful and limited movement in his left shoulder, elbow and wrist.

Meet Layana Kiara Charles

Accompanied by her father, Layana Kiara Charles aged 2, was evaluated at Healing Hands in 2022. It was apparent that she needed a brace, and other equipment. Her parents were in despair when they learned the cost Layana's equipment. Her 53-year-old father is a motorcycle taxi driver. Her mother had to quit her job selling food and fruit due to illness. They have 2 other children in their family and had ability to pay for Layana's treatment. Fortunately, Haiti Kinder Hilfe EV heard about her case and decided to cover the entire cost of her brace and equipment. Her parents were overjoyed that their daughter could get the treatment she needed. They are very grateful to Haiti Kinder Hilfe EV and to the Healing Hands for Haiti Clinic.

Financial Responsibility

Healing Hands for Haiti takes financial responsibility very seriously. We aim to work as efficiently and effectively as possible to address the needs of Haitians with disabilities. 

On average, 14 percent of the budget of HHH is devoted to administrative costs. This means that 86 cents of every dollar raised goes directly to serve Haitians with disabilities.

Healing Hands for Haiti International Foundation Inc. is a tax-exempt, non-profit 501(c)(3), non-governmental U.S. organization. We are committed to the principles of transparency, accountability, and sustainability. The Board of Directors appoints a Board member as the Treasurer for a three-year term. This is a volunteer position. The Treasurer is a member of and reports directly to the Governance Committee, a joint committee of the International and Haitian Boards.

The Treasurer is responsible for all financial transactions of the international organization and fiscal sustainability by ensuring monthly financial statements, an annual audit, and legal, ethical, and effective accounting procedures and reporting, plus compliance with all government regulations and the organization’s By-Laws and Code of Ethics.

In order to keep our donors and supporters fully informed, we make our audited financial statements, 990 tax forms, and annual reports available to the public upon request.