“C2C doesn’t wait for the fire to come to us. We find the fire in the community,” Fusley Laguerre, C2C’s lab technician in Camp Coq, told me during my visit last week.
He’s right! C2C is about giving people the tools they need to keep themselves and their families healthy, from preventive education to efficient treatment. Our clinicians and Community Health Workers are constantly in the community – in schools, in people’s homes, in churches – to educate as many people as possible about ways to avoid illness. We find the fire in the community and give patients the information they need to stay healthy.
When prevention isn’t enough, our clinic provides excellent clinical services. One patient, Martha, said, “I was never able to get proper care elsewhere. As soon as I heard about this clinic I came, and it has changed my life. Here, it’s human being to human being, and they treat people very well.”
The clinic’s self-appointed godmother, Rejeanne (pictured above), said, “This clinic is for us. The prices are good, we don’t have to travel, and it’s important for us to support it.”
Having visited clinics in Haiti and elsewhere, I understand what Rejeanne, Martha, and their neighbors most likely experienced before their community partnered with C2C. Travel on the back of a motorcycle taxi, long wait times (sometimes stretching into the next day), pharmacy stock-outs, non-functioning labs, rushed staff, and dirty surroundings are unfortunately the norm in many places.
I’m always in awe of our staff members on the ground, who work tirelessly to improve health in and around their community and provide a clean, safe space for treatment. Our physician at Camp Coq, Dr. Preval, said it best: “We are always in the community so everyone knows us and we have a good understanding of their needs. We hear from the community that they are happy and get better care here, and that’s why we do what we do.”