Description:

We are a non-profit dedicated to meeting the physical needs of the Grison-Garde community in Haiti. Through our medical clinics and all-volunteer teams of physicians, nurses, and other supporters, we have been serving this community since 1985.

Tovar Clinic

The Tovar Clinic was built by the Haiti Mission Foundation in 1985 to serve the medical needs of the Grison-Garde community in Haiti. The clinic is open year round, five days a week. During an average week when the medical team is onsite, approximately 2,500 patients are seen, about half of whom are children.

A Day at the Tovar Clinic

The clinic is located approximately 20 miles southwest of Cap Haitien, about a 45-minute drive from Cap Haitien. Along the way, one observes the very poor conditions of the city and the rugged country roads. However, the countryside itself is quite beautiful.

As you pass from village to village, the Haitian people are going about their business, on two- or four-legged transportation, but always with a wave and a smile as we pass. They know we are headed for the Tovar Clinic.

When you arrive at the clinic, you are greeted by a cacophony of sound and a rush of greetings, especially from the very curious young people. As you exit your vehicle, they respectfully stand aside to allow you to enter the clinic. They know that the medical team has arrived and a very busy day is about to begin.

The medical team immediately disperses and sets about their assigned tasks for the day. Many patients are waiting, having already registered for their visit. Each patient, from infant to the elderly, has his/her vital signs taken and is seen as soon as possible by one of the team’s physicians and/or nurses, depending upon their individual needs.

Each physician has an assigned interpreter to insure total communication with the patient (or the patient’s parent in the case of infants or children). Once the physical examination and diagnosis have been accomplished, each patient is given appropriate medication and/or nutritional (including vitamins) supplements and, when necessary, a return visit is scheduled with either the Haitian physician or a returning team physician.

Organizational Base: Charlottesville, Virginia

Other Programs: Nutrition, Food, Drilling Wells to provide potable water