HOSPITAL SACRE COUER
Haiti, 2014
After the earthquake in 2010 and with help from Sextant, Project HOPE safely installed portable prosthetics labs throughout Haiti.
SUMMARY
In the aftermath of the 2012 earthquake that devastated Port au Prince and other southern regions of Haiti, the rest of the country and the world was charged with providing much needed aid. Among the earliest responders was Hôpital Sacré Coeur (HSC) in the northern Haiti town of Milot. As the largest hospital in northern Haiti, Hôpital Sacré Coeur was a vital part of country’s healthcare system even before the earthquake. The 122-bed hospital was stretched beyond capacity to accommodate the thousands of victims flown in from Port au Prince. The increased use of the hospital was an enormous strain on the already overtaxed and out-of-date electrical system.
The hospital was reliant on several unreliable and expensive electrical systems which included a malfunctioning diesel-fueled main generator, an equally unpredictable backup, and overhead electrical wires susceptible to weather damage; all of which were a huge cost to the hospital. There were often times when surgeries were delayed due to lack of sufficient energy to power multiple operating rooms simultaneously or a need to switch from one generator to the next.
This project has ensured that Hopital Sacre Coeur can continue to provide much needed healthcare for Milot and the surrounding region of Haiti. The new systems provide reliable 24hour/day energy and allow for all of the hospital’s facilities, staff, and volunteers to function uninterrupted without the threat of brown outs or poor energy distribution.
The solar power provides reliable energy, resiliency to operate after a natural disaster, reduced operating costs, improved local air quality, carbon emissions reductions, and local skills to the community to operate the new systems.
