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Educational Affairs
Take Your Pharmacy Skills to Haiti

by Bob Hoy, PharmD

Pictured: Coastline of Haiti at the FOTCOH clinic

Let me start with a quote from a recent volunteer who traveled with a medical team to the Friends of the Children of Haiti (FOTCOH) clinic in Haiti – "We travel from different parts of the United States to Haiti. The common goal forms a bond with our fellow volunteers, our interpreters, and other workers at the clinic – to help as many Haitians in need as possible – the burn victims, the domestic abuse victims, those with infected wounds, the babies who do not have enough to eat, the people with high blood pressure or diabetes. At the end of the clinic, we pray we have made a difference." - Katie, FOTCOH Volunteer

I surely agree with this volunteer. I have been to Haiti with FOTCOH on 23 medical mission trips, starting in 2001. My most recent trip was in November of 2018, and I look forward to going again in 2019. Let me tell you some specifics about the pharmacy role in these missions. Since 2001, pharmacists have been essential members of the team,
dispensing approximately 750,000 pills each clinic to 2,000 – 2,500 patients. These include prescription medications to treat chronic hypertension, diabetes, reversible airway diseases, seizure disorders, congestive heart failure (CHF), anemia, and malnutrition. During the clinic, patients also receive medications for acute conditions such as exacerbations of asthma, tropical and non-tropical infectious diseases, scabies, intestinal parasites, burns, cuts, inflammation, musculoskeletal pain, gastritis, and dehydration.

To do this safely and efficiently, FOTCOH volunteers have developed medical guidelines, pharmacy guidelines, and a medication formulary. Committees meet regularly throughout the year to review these guidelines and make changes to the formulary. The pharmacists, under the direction of volunteer Erin Briggs, PharmD, keep an up-to-date inventory, order medications from a variety of sources up to one year in advance, and meet by teleconferences throughout the year.

The goal of FOTCOH is to have 2-3 pharmacists join each team that goes to Haiti. These teams of U.S. volunteers go in January, March, May, July, September and November. In addition to the pharmacist volunteers, the U.S. team members include about five “providers”, five nurses and four “non-medical” volunteers. Some teams also include a dentist and/or a surgeon. At each clinic, we are joined by four physicians from Haiti and about 40 Haitian paid staff, who serve as our interpreters and “technicians”. For example, in the pharmacy, there are seven Haitian pharmacy technicians working under the direct supervision of the U.S. pharmacists. These highly skilled Haitian pharmacy workers are employed six times a year and learn their jobs very well.

Pictured: US Volunteers, Bob Hoy, Debbie Greene and Mark Ludwig

A typical day at the clinic begins around 7:00 AM when a group of about four U.S. and Haitian workers go out beyond the gates of the FOTCOH compound where the patients are waiting. Because the clinic is permanent, many of the patients with chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, CHF, or asthma have slips of paper that identify them. They are returning for medication refills and a health screening. These patients are sent into the compound to the medical records station. Other patients come for a variety of acute conditions such as infant check-ups, or dentist/surgery screenings.

Pictured: Bob Hoy in the pharmacy at the FOTCOH clinic with a young visitor

Next, workers triage the remaining patients and accept as many as possible into the process. Most wait outside for their turn to be seen. Inside the compound, workers guide the patients through the various stations in the clinic, including the pharmacy. Once a patient has been diagnosed and treated, they leave the compound. The workers take a common lunch break and then finish around 3:00 PM.

Pictured: Inside the FOTCOH pharmacy

After clinic, the U.S. volunteers relax, go to a local beach, and then have supper together. We share experiences of the day in a short team meeting. Most U.S. volunteers stay for two weeks, but FOTCOH provides the option to come for one week. This is to encourage more providers, pharmacists, nurses and non-medical volunteers to come who may not have enough vacation time to stay for two weeks. FOTCOH staff in Haiti escort all U.S. volunteers throughout the entire time that they are in Haiti. On the weekend between the two clinic work weeks, there is free time to visit the nearby city of Jacmel, spend time shopping, visiting the beach, going to church on Sunday, etc. The safety of the U.S. volunteers is foremost, so in addition to being escorted throughout these activities, limitation on some activities are observed, per FOTCOH regulations.

A FOTCOH medical mission trip costs $40,000 to operate including medications, food and utilities. For an individual volunteer, the fee is $600 for one week and $900 for two weeks. In addition to this fee for “in country transportation”, lodging at the clinic, food and emergency travel insurance, each volunteer pays for their airfare to and from Haiti. However, you will be able to use the FOTCOH generated Qgiv® fundraising platform to raise funds for your team fees and the link can be sent to your friends and family. Anything raised above your fees will go to the general FOTCOH funds any can also generate new donors for FOTCOH. Learn more about this at the FOTCOH website: www.fotcoh.org.

I can honestly say that my experience as a FOTCOH volunteer pharmacist has changed my life. I have also learned practical knowledge that helps me as a pharmacist from my participation in FOTCOH activities. Your skills as a pharmacist will contribute significantly to the success of this medical outreach to the poorest country in the western hemisphere. I would be glad to talk with you about volunteering for an upcoming FOTCOH medical team. Find out more at the FOTCOH website or contact me

directly at bobhhoy@aol.com.