Even before we brought our first child into BLB, medical has always been a priority for us. We knew that we would have to provide a lot of medical treatment to the children that came to live here, and boy were we right! We have been blessed to have an incredible amount of Doctors, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants and Nurses from all over to help us on this journey.

As the medical needs of the children declined, (we figured 2 physicals a month on a child was really not necessary any more~HA!) we pulled back on bringing medical Britsionarys in. However, the medical community continues to reach out to us to see if we need any help. Though the need inside BLB is not as great as it once was, we realize that we are part of a community, an amazing community, and that not everyone is as fortunate as we are. So one of our many goals for 2017 is to expand our medical program. In the infant stage, we have been talking to a variety of people and organizations in order to do this thoughtfully & purposefully and making the needs of our community the priority; one of those needs is education.

Who better to help with health education than Regis College in Weston, Ma. Why Regis you ask? Even before the earthquake they recognized the healthcare shortage in Haiti and were doing something about it. Since the earthquake, they have started an incredible program: Regis College Haiti Project. This amazing program is educating nurses in Haiti. I will NOT be able to articulate it properly, so I encourage you to watch their video: http://www.regiscollege.edu/global/rchp-educating-the-educator.cfm

Regis’s President Hays, a strong, compassionate woman & leader, came to Be Like Brit a little over 2 years ago for a visit and last July I reached out to her again to see if we could start a discussion about pursuing a partnership at BLB. It took her all 12 minutes to return my email and then another 3 minutes to coordinate a meeting with those that should be involved. After many meetings, I was thrilled to bring two Professors of Nursing (and Nurse Practitioners) from Regis College into Haiti with me, Sheryl & Lisa.

Sheryl and Lisa are two of the most amazing ladies I have ever met! They are doers and I love it! They worked with our nurses Mirlane & Madonna tirelessly and really listened to what they thought the needs of this community are; one thing is crystal clear: Education! Education! Education! We are excited to see where this goes.
Mesi Anpil Lisa & Sheryl for all that you are doing for us and for our community.
To get involved please email: Medical@BeLikeBrit.org

Earlier this week our little Valentina wasn’t feeling to good. She didn’t need a nurse or a doctor, just some TLC and time. I took one for the team and held her until she fell asleep (and a little, okay, a lot longer). Not sure if it made Valentina any better but it made this mom, who terribly misses holding a little girl in her arms, a whole lot better!

Have a fabulous week everyone and thanks for reading~