08 Feb The Good Shepherd Foundation Clinic – Now Providing Childhood Vaccinations
In our last blog article, we wrote about a young patient who visited the Good Shepherd Foundation clinic and was diagnosed with polio. The good news is that she is thriving and doing well. Fortunately, our clinicians were able to quickly refer this young girl to a local hospital and provide much-needed funding for the journey.
“Her suffering and pain could have been prevented with a simple childhood vaccination. Something most of us take for granted—which is often not available to children in Haiti.”
That is why the Good Shepherd Foundation (TGSF) is pleased to announce that we have established a partnership with staff from a state operated clinic, administered by a private contractor and funded by USAID. This partnership has enabled us to initiate a childhood vaccination program at our monthly clinics. Today, infants and children who visit the clinic are offered the opportunity of enrolling in a regular vaccination program – something that can save their lives. This service was not previously available in the area. Through this program, our doctors and nurses administer vaccinations for measles, mumps, and rubella; polio, tetanus, whooping cough, diphtheria, bacterial pneumonia, and hepatitis b. Since the vaccines are funded through an outside program, TGSF’s cost for the vaccination program is limited to record keeping and providing nurses from our Haitian medical team to administer the vaccines. This team travels to the area monthly and may see up to 250 patients in a normal clinic day.
In order to broaden the scope of vaccinations we can offer, TGSF would like to expand the program to include testing and immunization for HPV (human papillomavirus) and for Cholera; which periodically reaches epidemic proportions in the areas we serve.
Preventing disease early in a child’s life is the key to building a healthy community. To continue to provide this care, we will require additional funding to pay for test kits, vaccines not available through our local partner, and clinical staff. Please join us in supporting this life saving program with your donations.
If you would like more information about this program or want to learn how you can help, please contact Linda McGurn, The Good Shepherd Foundation Vice President, at 860.805-1006 or send an email to [email protected].
Learn more about the Good Shepherd Foundation by staying connected with us on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thegoodshepherdfoundation/