Helping the Healers: A Donation of Much Needed Supplies to Haiti
In our day-to-day lives, we often hear and see news of events that quickly get our attention but then fall off our radar. Unfortunately, that’s the case with Haiti, which is still suffering the effects of a devastating 2010 earthquake that killed an estimated 250,000 people.
In a country ravaged by storms and lingering poverty, basic medical care is often difficult to come by. Also needed are critical supplies to effectively treat patients, even the basics such as surgical gloves and fresh linens.
One bright spot is St. Boniface Hospital, located in Fond-des-Blancs on Haiti’s Southern Peninsula. People come from hours away seeking care and the hospital doesn’t turn any patients away.
Once the story of St. Boniface’s determination and commitment came to the attention of our President and CEO Jim Cashman, ImageFIRST decided to help.
A Gift of Help and Hope
Working alongside Health Equity International, which oversees St. Boniface, we sent pallets filled with linens, including hundreds of patient gowns, lab coats, surgical gowns & towels, and bed sheets. The team at HEI received them in June 2020 and immediately began preparing them for use at the hospital.
“We were honored to provide St Boniface Hospital an in-kind donation of much needed linen products,” said Jamee Niles, Vice President of HR at ImageFIRST. “St. Boniface provides a much-needed essential service to their community, and we saw an opportunity to help. Despite the disruption of the pandemic, and thanks to Health Equity International’s help, we managed to get pallets of these products to them.”
In addition to the challenges they ordinarily face, St. Boniface is also working to combat coronavirus and minimize its spread in southern Haiti. The linens and supplies we donated to the hospital will help in the fight.
“We are grateful that ImageFIRST reached out to us and were able to provide such a generous in-kind donation of much-needed hospital linens during this really challenging time,” said Dilek Gungor, Supply Chain and Logistics Manager at Health Equity International. “The items are all high quality, which means they will be able to be washed, sanitized, and reused many times. As our staff work around the clock to treat COVID-19 patients and keep all other hospital services running, their support is invaluable.”
Living Our Purpose
As ImageFIRST has expanded, we’ve brought our dedication to community support by partnering with organizations and groups all across the country. Each year, we give nearly $500,000 in monetary and in-kind donations, participate in community service events, and hold a Community Giving Day where all ImageFIRST associates help fulfill this part of our purpose.
If there’s anything the last few months have reminded us, it’s that the spirit of giving and selflessness remains large — and so is the need. We know that now’s not the time to pull back on community giving. ImageFIRST is determined to continue our purpose to serve the healthcare community and give back where it’s needed most. And together, we’re doing our part to heal in these difficult times.