PTPI Blog

Brandie Conforti, Director of Corporate Relations for Partners In Health (PIH), sent a recap of a recent conference call with PIH co-founder, Dr. Paul Farmer, PIH physician, Dr. Koji Nakashima and Chief Program Officer, Ted Constan.  Here are some of the highlights:

• The country as a whole—from government entities to the individuals whose lives were devastated by the quake—will need what Paul described as “patient [enduring] accompaniment” as well as a huge injection of resources. Comparing the process of rebuilding in Haiti to that of a blood transfusion, Paul remarked we were going to need “a very large needle.”

• Koji provided an update on the number of patients treated since the earthquake struck four weeks ago, estimating that 3,000 patients have been seen across the four existing PIH sites that received the highest number of earthquake related injuries. (These figures do not include the several thousands of patients treated at the University Hospital in Port au Prince.)  He added that one third of those 3,000 patients will need ongoing care and that PIH staff and volunteers have performed 500 surgeries with 200 people still hospitalized for inpatient care.

• Ted spoke about what PIH needs from supporters now and in the future by outlining three major areas:

1. Maintaining and building strong partnerships with other organizations.  Over the past 20 years and particularly in the last month since the earthquake, PIH has learned a great deal about supporting services that are not directly medical, including bringing clean water to communities, supporting economic development through job creation, and providing access to education.

2. Haiti’s struggle—and triumphs—must stay in the news if we are to garner to the support and momentum needed to truly build back better.  Supporters can act as extensions of PIH’s Communications Team by ensuring that Haiti’s recovery continues to be a topic covered in local news.

3. Financial support will continue to be critical. PIH has always responded to the needs of our patients, and monetary support allows us to remain nimble as we determine how best to respond to those needs in the short, medium, and long term.

If you would like to listen to the conference call, you can download it here: http://act.pih.org/Donor-Update-Call-Recording-202.10.10.wav