Gorry C

Language: English
References: 5
Page: 44-47
PDF size: 202.96 Kb.

Text Extraction

Natural disasters of the magnitude of the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti rend societies, exposing social inequities and laying bare weak disaster mitigation strategies. These tragic events not only test the limits of communities, families, and individuals, but also reveal the strength and mettle of survivors. Struggling to recover and rebuild, young and old stand as daily testament to human resilience. For participants in a mental health program led by Cuban health professionals in Haiti, this resilience has—at times, if only momentarily—translated into smiles, laughter, and hope.

REFERENCES

1. For more information about the Henry Reeve Medical Team, see Cuban Health Cooperation Turns 45 and Cuba’s Man in Sichuan China: José Rodríguez, MD, in MEDICC Review, Summer 2008, Vol 10, No 3, available from: http://www.medicc. org/mediccreview/index.php?issue=3&id=16&a=vahtml

2. The Comprehensive Health Program was established in 1998 after Hurricanes Mitch and Georges ripped through Central America and the Caribbean, exposing brutal health disparities among the region’s poor. By 2008, Cuba had signed accords with 37 countries, under which Cuban health professionals provide health care in poor communities. In Haiti, over 3,000 Cuban health professionals and technicians have staffed public health facilities in two-year rotations. Under the CHP, many of these countries, including Haiti, have also taken advantage of Cuban scholarships to the Latin American Medical School.

3. This program continues today and has treated nearly 25,000 children from the Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia free of charge since its founding.

4. Protective factors are defi ned as conditions or environments that encourage the development of individuals and groups, while reducing the effects of unfavorable conditions: in other words, the opposite of risk factors. See Martínez C. Importance of Protective Factors for the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents in Emergencies and Disasters. MEDICC Review, December 2004, Vol 6, No 3, available from: http://www.medicc.org/publications/medicc_review/1204/pages/cuban_medical_ literature.html

5. The Brigade was named for Kcho’s mother who sheltered neighbors after the 2008 hurricanes devastated the Isle of Youth Special Municipality. Along with Pinar del Río, Camagüey, Las Tunas, and Holguín provinces, the Isle of Youth was among the hardest hit by the storms.