Earthquake in Haiti severely damages medical clinic established by local parish
A medical clinic in Haiti established by a local Archdiocese of Newark parish was severely damaged in the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck the country Saturday, killing 1,300 people and displacing 30,250 families.
The clinic’s 17 employees and their families are safe and accounted for. Still, several of them have lost their homes, according to Father Bob Stagg, pastor of Church of The Presentation in Upper Saddle River, and an update posted to NOVA Hope for Haiti’s website.
“We suffered a direct hit with the earthquake,” Father Bob said. “It came right through Cavillion, the town where our clinic is located. The earthquake collapsed the whole town. Our building did not come down, but there is a series of cracks all through the building. We’re not sure to what extent it’s been damaged, but it’s certainly unusable.”
He said that the recently renovated church in town once used as a clinic had been destroyed.
“We expect hundreds of fatalities,” he said. “Let’s pray for the people of this country who just can’t seem to catch a break.”
Church of The Presentation established the ministry and its health clinic in 2005 following several church-sponsored medical missions to the poor country. The ministry is a non-profit organization that provides efficient, low-cost healthcare in a remote, rural part of the country. It serves as the medical supplier for Cavillion.
Cracks and broken brick are visible in photographs of the clinic. Large pieces of sheetrock are folded over the balcony railings, and roof sections of the roof support are missing.
The clinic serves as the headquarters for NOVA Hope for Haiti. It also houses a pharmacy, laboratory, and offices.
“Obviously, they were affected,” Father Bob said. “A lot of the pharmaceutical supplies were damaged.”
In another significant setback to the community, the neighborhood well dug on the property by NOVA Hope for Haiti has been compromised.
“The water coming out now is reddish,” Father Bob said.
Before the construction of the well, locals had to walk a mile away for potable water. Construction of the well meant that children could attend school instead of serving as water carriers, he said.
“You can’t imagine how dire it is down there,” Father Bob said. “It makes Katrina look simple. The people have nothing.”
Father Bob said the internet is down, and there is some electricity.
“We did get lucky in the sense that on Friday, we had 10 water filtration buckets delivered to the clinic, so we’re able to get potable water to the people who visit us,” Father Bob said. “People are being treated a little bit in our yard.”
According to the update posted on NOVA Hope for Haiti’s website, their medical staff treated injured neighbors in an outdoor emergency treatment area within hours of the earthquake.
Father Bob and ministry committee members are awaiting further updates and photographs to better assess the situation. In the meantime, the parish set up a fundraiser to help rebuild the needed clinic.
“My fear is that we may have to bring the building down, which would be horrific to have to build it again,” Father Bob said.
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The challenge we face today is that in addition to helping our neighbors, we must rebuild NOVA’s headquarters, which has been a place of medical care, a community center, a place of safety, and even of refuge for people in Cavaillon, NOVA Hope for Haiti stated on their website.
NOVA Hope for Haiti also manages a second clinic for a Texas parish in a nearby town unaffected by Saturday’s earthquake.
Catholic News Service contributed reporting.
Featured image: NOVA Hope for Haiti’s main medical clinic and headquarters was severely damaged in the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck the country Saturday, killing 1,300 people and displacing 30,250 families. (Photo courtesy of Church of The Presentation)
