March 8^th marked International Women’s Day, a time to bring attention to the global fight for women’s rights and gender equality. This year, in recognition of this important day, we hosted a special program at our Camp Coq, Haiti clinic. Our clinicians provided 100 women from the surrounding communities with free HIV and PAP testing.

Partnering with Borgnes Hospital, our clinical staff spent the day providing these two crucial tests to women of all ages. Both cancer and HIV/AIDS remain among the top ten causes of premature death in Haiti. While these tests can be lifesaving, paying for them can be a struggle for many women in the farming communities of the north.

At C2C we seek to provide the best primary care for women and their families. In 2015, 68% of patients at our clinics in Northern Haiti were female. They receive quality care from our clinic staff, which is 83% female itself.

C2C truly believes that healthy women are vital to healthy families and communities lipitor generic. Through our primary care, our community health screenings, and our free maternal health program, we strive to serve as many women in the communities of Northern Haiti as possible!

Over the past couple weeks the mosquito-borne virus known as Zika has become a hot topic, not only in the health world, but in the global media as well. In response to an outbreak of cases across the Americas, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Zika a global public health emergency. With all the concern surrounding this outbreak, we wanted to share some information about the virus, as well as what Care 2 Communities is doing in response in Haiti.

Zika is spread by mosquitos and, for most who contract the virus, symptoms are usually mild to moderate and can include fever, headache, and muscle and joint pain. There is no vaccine, and no cure, however, eighty percent of people that become infected show no symptoms, and those that do are usually better within a week.

The major concern lies in a possible connection between the Zika virus in pregnant women and microcephaly in newborns. While this connection has yet to be definitively proven, the possibility is strong, and pregnant women in countries with the virus must take extra precautions.

The first cases of Zika were confirmed in Haiti in January and the Haitian Ministry of Health is in the process of developing a coordinated national response view it. While C2C has yet to treat any patients presenting with the virus, we work in close partnership with the Ministry of Health and will adopt national protocols when they are established.

In the meantime, we are committed to helping to protect all pregnant women that are enrolled in C2C’s antenatal care program, over 600 women and growing, by distributing insect repellent and education about the dangers of standing pools of water as mosquito breeding grounds.   Additionally, Zika prevention awareness meetings will be incorporated into the weekly Community Health program. C2C’s focus is on promoting messages of prevention to vulnerable people and ensuring that pregnant patients are as protected as possible.

At our newest clinic in Acul du Nord, Haiti, which opened in May, our staff reach out constantly to increase community awareness of our quality and services. C2C uses tried and true marketing methods – radio ads, community/church announcements, and word of mouth – and has also taken advantage of a medium that is more unique to Haiti – mobile DJs.

Recently, our Haitian team members joined four loyal C2C patients at a community radio station in Acul du Nord. They discussed and recorded patients’ reasons for selecting C2C as their primary care provider. The recordings will be used in three new radio commercials that will air throughout the area. These ads will be aired on the radio, as well as through mobile DJs. These mobile DJs drive cars or trucks with loud sound systems through communities. They air commercials and announcements for residents who might not have access to radios.

Claudia, a patient who has visited the Acul du Nord clinic a number of times since it opened in May, will be featured in the new commercial. She said, “The reason I like C2C better than other clinics is because when I go to C2C, I know I will get results, which is not necessarily true at other places. Before my consultation at the C2C clinic I had several illnesses. After the consultation, all of them were cured.”

C2C has previously had great success with these types of public announcement ads; however, we are looking forward to featuring patient voices for the first time!

Evens Simeon joined the C2C team in August, as our new Senior Project Manager in Haiti.  He brings with him many years of NGO experience in Haiti, including working with the World Food Programme and the United Nations.  Here, he shares his background as well as his hopes for C2C’s future.

Joining C2C is a great thing for me for several reasons. I like the idea of sustainability behind the model, and also feel the work we are doing is critical. As Senior Program Manager, I will put all my energy and expertise into the success of this project. I believe my country really needs organizations like this. I have shared a bit of my background below.

I attended the Universite Notre Dame d’Haiti where I studied Administrative Sciences (Management) for 4 years. Soon after completing this degree I started working in the Marketing field for Sogecarte, a subsidiary of Sogebank, a well-known institution in Haiti. After two years there I was hired by United Nations for Project Services, in their Communication Center project. I spent almost 7 years working as the National Communication Center Supervisor. Following the completion of that project in February 2013, I joined the World Food Programme (WFP) in Haiti as Senior Communication Center Supervisor.

After the WFP project concluded, a friend invited me to take part in a social project that he was planning, Entreprise Social Priorité Education Developpement. The goal of the project was to offer financial assistance to poor people who desired to study, and to make a library and a cyber-center available. I liked the idea of helping Haitians help themselves, and that led me to C2C.