As many of you know over the past few years God's call on my life in Haiti has taken a turn from providing therapy to the children at the Miriam Center to Training Nationals to have the skills to be therapists. Last year I was blessed with the opportunity to partner with Loma Linda Rehab Tech Program and to supervise their level 2 & level 1 students for their internships. This is also the school where we were able to send Nahum and Nicholson (my former therapy assistants to get an education & degree.
A few Months Ago God opened a new door for me through a phone conversation with Janet O'Flynn. I am very excited for the opportunity and chance to work alongside her and many others in furthering the development of education in the field of OT and PT. This September after 2 years of many working on the details the first ever 4 year OT and PT school will open in Leogane will open. I am humbled and excited that I can play a small part in making this happen. It has been a dream of mine for years that there would be an OT and PT school in Haiti! It is so needed. Below is some information I have taken from their website HaitiRehab.org
In Haiti, people with disabilities need rehab — and they need to receive their therapy from Haitian therapists! A new Rehab Department is about to open at the Episcopal University of Haiti ( UNEPH*). The new department is affiliated with their well-respected School of Nursing (FSIL*) .
The nursing school started the first four-year degree in nursing, in just the same way, at UNEPH, ten years ago. It now also has a master's degree program for Family Nurse Practioners!
We will offer 4-year degrees in Occupational Therapy (OT, or in French érgothérapie) and Physical Therapy (PT, or in French physiothérapie). For the first time Haiti will have its own team of rehab professionals: OTs and PTs who will be able to do it all:
- evaluate patients
- plan therapy
- supervise rehab technicians
- assess progress
- implement prevention programs
- advocate for rights of persons with disabilities
FSRL (Faculté des Sciences Réhabilitation de Léogâne)
About UNEPH and FSRL
FSRL (Faculté des Sciences Réhabilitation d’ Léogâne) is a new department offering degrees in occupational and physical therapy at the Episcopal University of Haiti (UNEPH) campus in Léogâne.
Mission
The purpose of the Haiti Rehabilitation Foundation Incorporated is to promote the education of providers of rehabilitation services in Haiti.
Case for Support
4-15-14: THE PROMISE OF A NEW FUTURE FOR HAITIANS WITH DISABILITIES
Occupational and Physical Therapists from many countries have visited Haiti for decades, bringing the vision and skills that are needed to give people with disabilities new possibilities for their lives. In the US and Canada, as in other developed countries, providers of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy work together with other health professionals including nurses to provide a full range of rehabilitation services. This kind of teamwork has been determined by the World Health Organization to be the most effective way to deliver a high quality of health services in a developing country (World Health Organization. (2010). Framework for Action on Interprofessional Education & Collaborative Practice. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO Press.)
There are no professional four-year degree programs for Occupational or Physical Therapy in Haiti. However, for the first time, Haitians will soon be able to receive a four-year professional therapy education in Haiti. The Episcopal University of Haiti will enroll the first classes of OT and PT students in a newly-formed Rehabilitation Department, beginning in September of 2014.
Does Haiti need therapists?
Haiti has a high number of people with disabling conditions. The following paragraph is an excerpt from the Pan American Health Organization’s Fact Sheet for Disability and Rehabilitation in Haiti, from the period of 2010-2011.
The number of people with disabilities in Haiti prior to the earthquake was approximately 10% of the population or 800,000 people. Following the earthquake the total number of people with … disabilities may have risen to 1.1 million. Approximately 310,930 people were injured and the number of people with mental health conditions has increased above pre-earthquake baseline rates (2-3 % for severe mental disorders and 10% for moderate and mild).
Why the Episcopal University, and why now?
The Episcopal Church, Diocese of Haiti, has had a strong presence in Haiti since 1861. The Bishops and clergy of the Diocese are Haitian. Health care and literacy are hallmarks of the Episcopal Church in Haiti, with 254 schools, 2 hospitals, and 13 clinics — serving well beyond the denomination. The Episcopal University of Haiti (called UNEPH, using the first letters of the French title) offers eight programs, on three campuses.
The success of the new academic nursing programs at the Léogâne campus (called FSIL, using the first letters of the French title) of the Episcopal University of Haiti has been the inspiration for beginning these new degree programs. In 2005 the University admitted students to the first four-year bachelor’s degree in nursing program in Haiti. Those nurses graduated in 2009. There are now 81 FSIL graduates with BSN degrees, and 78 of them are working in Haiti. In addition, in 2013, FSIL launched the first master’s degree program for nurses. 19 students are now studying to earn a Family Nurse Practitioner Master’s degree, in partnership with alumni and members of the nursing faculty from Hunter College, City University of New York.
The success of these programs at the nursing school shows the way for the new programs in Occupational and Physical Therapy. Curricula will meet the international standards established by the World Federation of Occupational Therapy and the World Confederation of Physical Therapy. Students will do their fieldwork in rural areas as well as in Port-au-Prince, with the intention of growing along with the public health service, which is now expanding in the countryside. NGOs in Haiti have already hired many of the nurses who graduated from FSIL. The newly graduated OTs and PTs will also be valuable to NGOs offering rehabilitation services in Haiti.
Need for funding
Expenses for the first year, which will consist of general health studies and basic sciences, are projected to be $155,100. USD. That amount is for program and for lecturer salaries, as well as for partial or full scholarships for students in the entering class of 40. That amount will increase to $333,950. USD in Year Two of the programs due to the need for salaries for a Rehabilitation Department Dean and for two new fully qualified faculty members. Tuition and room and board for all four years for one student will cost $10,000 (or $2500 per year.) In Year Two and Year Three, new construction will be needed for additional dormitories and for classrooms and labs. The projected cost of new construction will be approximately $2.5 million. (Please see Budget details in Appendix.)
An additional source of income will also become available when the students begin the specialization portion of their education. US and other international universities will be invited to write research grants in collaboration with the OT and PT faculty and students in order to find and document appropriate therapy practice for developing countries. The experience of providing rehabilitation in Haiti, especially in rural areas, will become a resource for other countries world-wide with similar health care provision challenges.
In the long run, graduate programs for these professions are anticipated. The goal is to have Haitian faculty who can take their place as contributors in the international rehabilitation community.
I am Excited to see what God does through this program!!! Please keep all involved in your prayers as well as the incoming students of the first class this September.
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