Harvard Humanitarian Initiative

HHI's Response

In response to the Haiti earthquake disaster, the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) is playing a lead role in supporting the coordination of the Harvard-wide response including that of the Harvard-affiliated hospitals within Partners Health Care System. By leveraging HHI’s unique position as an academic and research center with long-standing ties to leading medical and public health personnel, HHI has been able to facilitate the deployment of more than 70 surgeons, emergency physicians, anesthesiologists and nurses to Haiti in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake.

Field emergency medical teams from Harvard hospitals are currently managing a post-operative field hospital at Fond Parisien on the Haiti-side of the border with the Dominican Republic. Harvard affiliated teams have performed hundreds of critical surgeries, and are working to meet the needs of thousands of injured survivors.

In addition to deploying medical and public health personnel and delivering plane loads of donated supplies, HHI is providing episodic situation updates detailing the Harvard-wide relief efforts. This includes tracking and reporting on all of the current activities of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Children’s Hospital, and others as they continue to support Partners in Health and the humanitarian relief effort on the ground in Haiti. This level of coordination is a powerful testimony to the solidarity of the Harvard system in support of Haiti and our partnering organizations providing relief to those who are in desperate need.

The HHI Fond Parisien Disaster Recovery Center:

The Harvard Humanitarian Initiative has taken a lead role in coordinating a large displacement center and medical compound in Fond Parisien on the Haiti side of the border with Dominican Republic. The project is managed in cooperation with several academic centers and the American Refugee Committee. The camp, started by Hilarie Cranmer and Stephanie Rosborough, was created to accommodate the several hundred injured Haitian earthquake victims who underwent surgery in the nearby Dominican Hospital in Jimani. The displacement camp provides a temporary home for over 1000 injured Haitian survivors and their families, and provides a high level of medical and rehabilitative support.

To read more about the camp, visit our Fond Parisien Disaster Recovery Center page.

Volunteer

The Fond Parisien Disaster Recovery Center is staffed by a dedicated team of Hatiains and international volunteers. Volunteer teams of doctors, nurses, and administrators are a crucial aspect of the Haiti recovery effort.

To find out about volunteer opportunities with HHI at the Fond Parisien Disaster Recovery Center, please visit our Volunteer in Haiti page.

Situation Reports

Since the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti, HHI has providedepisodic updates of the Harvard-wide response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti. The updates include current activities of Harvard-affiliated hospitals, including Partners Healthcare institutions, BWH and MGH, and efforts from the HSPH and other Harvard Institutions. Also included aresummaries on the status of relief operations in Port au Prince and surrounding affected areas. Click on the links below for Situation Reports from each date.

HaitiVOICES

Ushahidi and HHI have launched HaitiVOICES to facilitate the collection and dissemination of information pertinent to humanitarian response and logistics in Haiti. All response agencies in Haiti, whether local or international, are encouraged to post their current activities and anticipated project needs on the site.

In the Media

For a complete listing of media related to HHI's response in Haiti, please visit our media page.

	"Hospital rises in the grass: Harvard-affiliated doctors spearhead Haitian trauma center," Harvard Gazette, February 8, 2010
	"A vision for Haitian healthcare," The Globe and Mail, January 21, 2010
	"Haiti by the numbers: Damage, help on giant scale," The Washington Post, January 15, 2010
	"Help is on the Way," Harvard University Gazette, January 14, 2010
	"Haiti Quake Victims Face Threat of Disease," WBZ Boston, January 14, 2010

Contact

For media and other inquiries related to HHI's response to the earthquake in Haiti, please contact HHI's Director of Programs and Administration, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .