Florida Hospital was devastated to hear of the earthquake in Haiti and horrified to see the images that came out of that country. As is our nature as caregivers, many in our organization were eager to spring into action. The question has been asked numerous times “What is Florida Hospital doing to support the relief efforts in Haiti?”

To make our efforts effective and most beneficial, we are working closely and coordinating with ADRA, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency. ADRA has a 30 year established record in Haiti. (In addition, the Seventh-day Adventist church operates a 71-bed healthcare facility and school just outside of Port-au-Prince.) ADRA acts as our eyes and ears on the ground and gives Florida Hospital daily assessments of the situation. Through them, Florida Hospital understands the very specific needs and we are acting accordingly. As you can imagine, ADRA’s Haiti operations are being inundated; there are literally thousands of earthquake victims on the property in need of medical attention and nourishment.

Based on the information we have received, Florida Hospital’s response will fit into two categories: Outbound (sending supplies, equipment, and possibly personnel to Haiti, if requested) and Inbound (preparing for the possible influx of Haitians coming to Central Florida who will need medical attention).

We have some specific information about our outbound efforts that we can share with you:

1. We have arranged to send medical supplies to ADRA in Haiti via chartered jet, scheduled to leave Thursday, January 21. As mentioned, these supplies are based on specific requests and will be delivered safely and securely by U.N. personnel to the compound of the Adventist hospital near Port-au-Prince.
2. In addition, ADRA representatives will be setting up a ‘headquarters’ at the Orlando campus. Starting this week, Florida Hospital will be working with ADRA to facilitate further shipments of supplies to Haiti.
3. In the event a request for personnel comes from officials in Haiti, we would like to have a team of medical professionals ready and able to go with short notice. We have also begun to see evacuees from Haiti, some of whom have been hospitalized. We anticipate this number will grow, creating a need for qualified medical volunteers right here in Florida. If you are interested in joining the team of volunteers, please visit http://www.floridahospital.com/HaitiHelp (this site will be operating by 5:00p on Wednesday, January 20, 2010)
4. In the short-term, donating money to the cause is perhaps the best way of adding to the relief efforts. The Florida Emergency Physicians group has already committed significant resources to this effort. We appreciate their support for the people of Haiti. If you would like to make a donation, please visit http://www.adra.org

The Florida Hospital Foundation has also made it possible for you to directly contribute to Haitian relief. You can easily donate $5 via cell phone. Text “MISSION” to 90999 (standard text message rates apply).

Our hope is that you find this information helpful and that it answers questions you may have regarding Florida Hospital’s plan to help the people of Haiti. I also ask that you keep them, their friends and family members in your thoughts and prayers.

Lars Houmann, FACHE
President and CEO
Florida Hospital