Although you may not be reading it in the news every day, the situation in Haiti continues to deteriorate as gangs increasingly control territories in and around Port au Prince. We have reports from our friends in Haiti that gang violence has spread to Cap Haitien where Dr. Eugene Maklin and his New Hope Hospital are located. As you may know from previous updates, Blue Sky has refocused and redoubled its efforts to assist New Hope Hospital any way we can, as our original clinic, Double Harvest in Port au Prince, has ceased operation for the foreseeable future due to extreme violence and civil unrest.
We are in constant contact with Dr. Maklin, who remains tirelessly focused on providing desperately needed health care to the poor in Cap Haitien at a time when access to basic healthcare continues to deteriorate nationwide. Everyday thousands and thousands of Haitians nationwide are deprived of treatments for the many serious and chronic illnesses that are routinely treated in the United States. Blue Sky remains dedicated to addressing that tragic situation in any way we can.
Regarding our efforts to help build an access road that could safely transport patients to New Hope Hospital, we are deeply grateful to the ARRO Consulting, Inc., a highly regarded engineering, environmental, IT and management consulting firm headquartered in Lititz, Pa. Special thanks to ARRO CEO Cary Vargo, E.V.P. and COO Matthew D. Warfel, and civil engineer Carol Moulds for the generous donation of their time and expertise in assessing the feasibility of the access road’s design plan. Although the construction contract is currently under review by our lawyer in Haiti, Tammy McGill-Hoyt, Esq., New Hope Hospital’s increasingly dire need for operating funds has forced us to put the access road project on hold for now.
While the current security situation in Haiti has prevented us from resuming our in-country surgical missions for the foreseeable future, Blue Sky remains committed to its mission of serving the healthcare needs of Haiti’s poor. To that end, we have joined with the US-based NGO, Partners 4 New Hope, to increase our financial support for the operation of New Hope Hospital so that it may continue to survive and thrive.
Through the generous donation from the C14 Foundation whose Chair, Martina Molsbergen, is a member of our Board, Blue Sky will fund approximately 10% ($5,000) of the monthly operating costs of New Hope Hospital, augmenting Partners 4 New Hope’s generous monthly donation. We hope that our support will help the hospital meet its most pressing obligations while investing for the future with the continued education of New Hope’s student nurses.
As we have done as individuals since 2007 and more recently as an organization, the Blue Sky Board wants to express our deepest appreciation for the continued generosity of all our friends, family and supporters. We will not be deterred by the desperate situation in Haiti. In fact, we are more determined than ever to make a difference there, even if it means one patient at a time.
Regards
Tony
President
Blue Sky Surgical, Inc.
