FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Broward Health today donated $250,000 worth of PPE and medical supplies to support earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. About 60 pallets of supplies, including face masks, surgical gloves, ponchos, sanitizers, isolation gowns and other items that can be used for health care, COVID mitigation and preservation of health and wellness, were shared with Man Dodo and the Haitian American Nurses Association for distribution in Haiti.
On August 14, 2021, Haiti experienced a magnitude 7.2 earthquake in the western Tiburon Peninsula, a region already experiencing a more than 75% poverty rate. The earthquake left tens of thousands injured and homeless. Almost two months later, more than 800,000 Haitians continue to experience lack of shelter, food/water insecurities and emergency healthcare per the Center for Disaster Philanthropy.
“Our nurses, doctors and so many in the community asked if we could step up following the earthquake in Haiti this past August,” said Shane Strum, president, and CEO of Broward Health. “This was something we could do, and it felt good to do it for everyone.”
Representatives from Man Dodo and the Haitian American Nurses Association are currently working with partners in Haiti to provide health care support. The medical supplies donated today will be shipped to the southern peninsula, which was most greatly affected by the earthquake.
“This should be a message to influence others,” said Sidney Coupet, D.O., a Haitian American internal medicine physician at Broward Health. “We should get together and give back to the global society.”
State Representative Marie Paule Woodson, also of Haitian descent, thanked Broward Health for the donation, saying, “Actions say more than words. Thank you for coming to our help at this time.”
