Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere. With a population of approximately 10.48 million people, 80% live in extreme poverty . There are 290,000 babies born each year, and it is estimated that 1,200 of these children are born with a congenital heart defect that requires surgery. Children born with heart defects in Haiti are either sent to the United States for help, live for a few years with their defects, or die shortly after birth. Most newborns with serious heart disease unfortunately die at home. Several charitable organizations exist to help with basic health care; however, very few provide cardiac care for children in the country. By partnering with Gift of Life and the International Children’s Heart Foundation (ICHF), two non-profit US medical charities committed to serving the children of the world with heart disease, Chadasha provides life-saving surgery as well as education to local healthcare providers. During 2015, Heartbeat of Haiti performed approximately 80 surgeries and plans to perform at least 80 surgeries in 2016. 36 of the surgeries for 2016 have already been funded. education to local healthcare providers so they can eventually provide this care independently. ICHF has been to 24 countries and performed more than 4,400 operations over the past 18 years.
Meet Dr. Clint Doiron
Dr. Clint Doiron is a cardiologist and the founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors for Chadasha. Doiron, along with wife Kristine, has been actively involved for more than 13 years in mission work. He is a partner with East Tennessee Heart Consultants in Knoxville, TN. Doiron earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and completed his fellowship at Baylor University Medical Center. Before founding Chadasha in 2009 alongside other volunteers, Doiron became heavily involved in interventional cardiology in China, Egypt, Cuba and South America.
