By Denise Kelly

I just returned from another visit to CRUDEM’s Hôpital Sacré Coeur. It is always wonderful to reconnect with friends and colleagues working in the hospital and meet old acquaintances in the Milot community. This time was no different with a palpable buzz of activity and excitement in the air due to various factors – energetic staff and volunteers collaborating together, Carnival week, a visit of the CRUDEM board of directors, the official opening of the new Milot community parish center. So many positive events to propel us all forward.

In some ways it is difficult to imagine that this is the same hospital that I first encountered when I came to live in Milot as a full time volunteer in October 2002. The weekend of my arrival the new laboratory and newly built Mission House residence for non-medical volunteers were being inaugurated and Dr. Ted Dubuque – co-founder of the CRUDEM Foundation who had been coming several times annually since 1986 was saying goodbye to the staff and the people of Milot. Over the past 8½ years, the growth and development has been phenomenal. In 2002 approximately 30,000 outpatients were annually treated at the hospital, numbers have increased to approximately 58,000 in recent years.

Our need for permanent expansion was even more evident than usual on this recent trip with hallways and all available space overflowing with inpatients and specialty clinics in the courtyard. The earthquake patient tents are now being used for various functions; as outpatient clinic space, emergency care, inpatient wards and a separate tent assigned as a cholera treatment center. The renovations and improvements in the hospital and surrounding grounds are numerous and impressive as Charles Dubuque describes in his article.

It became clear to me during this recent trip that CRUDEM-Hôpital Sacré Coeur exists and thrives because of the diverse contributions of so many; it’s like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that somehow come together and fit in a logical way to create something beautiful and greater than the sum of the individual parts.


Some of the most essential pieces of the puzzle include;
• The commitment and dedication of loyal Haitian staff
• The Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace
• Our many donors, volunteers and loyal supporters
• Board members who never seem to tire in their enthusiasm and devotion
• Partner NGOs in fulfilling our mission
• The people of the Milot community

As we mark the 25th Anniversary since Dr. Dubuque’s first visit to Hôpital Sacré Coeur this year, my hope and prayer is that all of the “puzzle pieces” remain resolute in continuing to provide the highest possible quality of care at Hôpital Sacré Coeur. CRUDEM and Hôpital Sacré Coeur’s extraordinary history over the past 25 years has proven that remarkable achievements and positive change and improvements can become a part of everyday life.

From 2002 to 2006 Denise Kelly lived at CRUDEM’s Hôpital Sacré Coeur, working with the Order of Malta and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul on various projects in Haiti. Since 2007, Denise Kelly has served as Executive Director of the CRUDEM Foundation. She has an MBA from Fairfield University and lives in Dublin, Ireland. And, to answer an oft asked question: she is not related to CRUDEM President, Peter Kelly.