Episcopal Connection: Mobile Clinics from Collaborating Parishes

This video documents a twice-a-year mobile clinic effort that is ongoing in the mountainous region of Haiti, south of Leogane.

The goal of the video is to provide a lucid document of the effort.  This includes the activities of the doctors and volunteers coming from the United States, the participating Haitian doctors and nurses, and the healthcare situation of the rural Haitian communities in question.

The primary interviews for the documentary are Diane Pizey, MD, and Terry Franzen, JD.  The project is the result of their collaboration with a Haitian priest, who rotates between two parishes, and uses the church locations as the sites for the clinics.  They raise money through their parishes in Minneapolis and Atlanta (respectively) to fund the medications, fees for translators, fees for Haitian medical personnel, and other resources.  Local citizens are informed of the clinics via church attendance, and also through the children that attend the local schools, which are in large part funded by the American congregations.

The documentary's narrative arc follows the U.S. based volunteer clinics as they travel to Haiti for one of their twice-a-year sessions.  An explanation of the organizational structure and impetus is followed by an analysis of the healthcare needs of the communities and what the effort provides.  The impact of the clinics is described by the doctors involved and also via 24 on-camera interviews with local residents. 

While the effort covers only two communities, it was found that the emphasis on continuance of care and the collaboration with Haitian doctors and nurses has produced a measureable effect on the health of the community, especially with regard to the particular conditions of intestinal worms, sexually transmitted infections, scabies, hypertension, vision care, and dental care.