At the request of the USAID mission in Santo Domingo, Abt Associates has been asked to provide support to several hospitals along the Dominican Republic border with Haiti through its Maternal & Child Centers of Excellence Project, as part of the U.S. Government emergency relief efforts.
The intervention focuses on selected Dominican Republic hospitals along the Haitian border that are receiving a large influx of earthquake victims with life threatening conditions. The hospitals are in dire need of medicines, supplies and additional health care workers. The demands placed on these hospital facilities in Jimaní, Neyba, Barahona and Azua far exceed the capacity of an already fragile health care delivery system.
Activities began when Abt Associates fielded a team of four doctors to the border region to assess the situation and identify critical needs. Shortly afterwards, a second team visited the hospitals identified and began providing support and care, while the remaining members of the project in Santo Domingo worked on procuring medical supplies, pharmaceuticals and equipment, ranging from gauze and surgical gloves to portable x-ray machines, refrigeration equipment and tents. Three truckloads of surgical and medical supplies and equipment departed for the region and an additional team of medical professionals will be fielded to assist with distribution of supplies and relieve the initial teams. Intense rotations are expected to continue for several weeks.
The USAID funded Maternal & Child Centers of Excellence Project, implemented by Abt Associates, began coordinating efforts with the Dominican Republic Government's Emergency Committee last week to provide assistance. The USAID Mission in Santo Domingo has authorized $1 million in emergency response funds for Abt Associates to:
Strengthen health services’ capacity to identify, refer, transport and provide care to critical patients arriving at the identified hospitals and neighboring mobile units.
Support maternal and newborn health care services with emphasis on emergency obstetric care.
Provide essential and critical medicines and supplies aimed to save lives and limit long-term disabilities.
Provide supplemental health care and support staff in the intervention sites.
Implement biosafety and infection control interventions to protect patients, providers and communities.
Strengthen epidemiological surveillance in intervention hospitals and nearby areas.
Provide counseling to patients suffering from acute post-traumatic stress disorder.
