I want to share with you updates from Kaye Wilkins, one of the medical directors of CURE’s efforts in Haiti.  He is really pleased with how things are progressing in Haiti. It is indeed amazing progress and a great story.

Here’s a brief summary of where we stand:

• Bob Cady and Kaye Wilkins are serving as co-Medical Directors. They are recruiting ortho surgeons to visit monthly to supervise and follow-up.
• Kendy Bellegarde is our new country coordinator and doing a fantastic job. He is a fantastic young man.
• Mandy Schambach is doing a very nice job organizing everyone and getting this moving forward.
• At this next training we will have 15 – 20 cast technicians attending to further their education for treating clubfoot.

In addition, Dr. Wilkins visited a number of locations where he was able to present lectures on treating clubfoot with the Ponseti technique as well as introduce CURE Clubfoot Worldwide and the Haiti Clubfoot Treatment Program (HCTP). He reported some additional points about these locations:

• Hôpital Lumière in Bonne Finn – Dr. Wilkins found this hospital in a small village to be fairly well supplied and equipped.   The medical director, Dr. Rudolph Richeme, would like to be certified as a trained orthopedic surgeon.  He would also like some of his staff members to be trained in the Ponseti technique.
• Adventist Hospital in Diquini – This hospital treats a large number of clubfoot patients, including several severe cases that would be best treated with surgery.  It also has needs in organizing patient records. Dr. Wilkins suggests that Adventist Hospital would benefit from visits by orthopedic surgeons in residence to treat the clubfoot patients needing surgery, as well as the establishment of a HCTP chart system to track patient progress.
• École St-Vincent in Port-au-Prince – Dr. Wilkins spent time with the medical director, Dr. George Beauvoir, and viewed the newly constructed clinic area.  He reports that the remains of the old clinic, including the old operating room, are beyond repair; a new operating facility needs to be constructed.  The clinic would also benefit from continuing staff education in treating clubfoot with the Ponseti technique.
• Healing Hands for Haiti in Port-au-Prince – This well-established rehabilitation project lost their clinic facility in the earthquake, but they have set up shop in a temporary facility in a strip mall and are back in the business of rehabilitating Haitians with various types of disabilities.  The founder, Dr. Jeff Randle, invited Dr. Wilkins to work with their medical director, Dr. Bernard Nau, to re-establish the HCTP at the clinic.  This work has already begun.
• Pazapa Center for Handicapped Children in Jacmel – Dr. Wilkins reports great encouragement from his visit to Pazapa.  The technician there, Anthony Antoine, has over eight years of experience in the Ponseti technique and gets excellent results for HCTP patients.

A year ago we had nothing and the entire program was in ashes. Today we are back up and running and growing. As we all know, in Haiti you are only as good as what you see today – things can change tomorrow. But for today – things look very good.

God is so Good! There is absolutely no other reason for our success than His blessing.