I have just returned from a three-week work trip to our office in Cap-Haitien. Haitian staff have returned from their summer holidays and, as always, there is much activity. Here are just a few developments...Our new telecommunications equipment arrived in the last container and has now been installed in our conference room. Danny Muller from our US office and Cap office administrator Jose Ramour tested it and it is working well. We are anxious to begin using it to improve communication and interactive training between partners in the US and Haiti.

Dr. Dubé, new executive director at Justinian Hospital and long-time partner of Konbit Sante, is working very hard to improve management systems at JUH and we are exploring ways that we can work with him on this. He is very excited about the arrival of Bretta Hixson (see her report here as well) who is working together with Isemanie Lucien, depot manager, to improve the supply chain so that it more directly supports the material needs of the hospital. Bretta did her Master's in Public Health internship with us in our US office, and is now working with us for 8-months on the ground in Haiti.

We are also pleased to have Johns Hopkins MPH student Meike Schleff working with us for 3 months on a long term quality improvement project with the hospital pediatric service, and with a project to strengthen the effectiveness of the TB clinic in Fort St Michel (FSM). The staff at the TB clinic has moved into the brand new clinic facility that is part of the expansion and renovation at the FSM hospital. The renovation and drainage projects, supported by funds from MINUSTAH (UN) and USAID, is almost completed. The USAID-funded electrical system evaluation of the Justinian Hospital is getting a lot of discussion in Port au Prince, and it looks like USAID will be financing the installation of a completely new electrical distribution system in the hospital... a very welcome development for the functioning and safety of the hospital.

As always, stay tuned for more news from Haiti.

Nate