Your Covenant Hospital Network Advisory Council met by teleconference on June 7, 2006 to form directions for the network (CHN) on certain policy and operational issues as they pertain to our role as partners in the mission at Covenant Hospital.  This report summarizes those discussions for all of you who are participants in CHN, and will be recommended to our Haitian partners, MBF, and PCUSA International Health Ministries. Please make this available to all members of your mission committees and take time to discuss it with all involved and interested in the work in Jesus’ Name at Covenant Hospital. Please feel free to address any questions or comments to our Contact page.

CHN desires to re-state clearly our relationship to the three entities of the mission partnership, and declare our desire to work in a planning, advisory, and participating role in the operations and programs of the hospital. In order to keep congregations engaged in the mission, we will continually pursue timely information relating to the essential principles and directions of the hospital’s operation as administered by the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti (EDH) and the Haitian Ministry of Health (MSPP). 

CHN wishes to affirm the choice of Hospital Administrator made by the Diocese and encourage that this person be put in place in his job as soon as possible to work alongside the Medical Director.

CHN would like more information about the decision to use Cuban physicians as medical staff rather than Haitian physicians on their one-year Social Service assignment.  Our concern relates to questions of comparative effectiveness in the hospital’s mission, and the US role in training post-graduate Haitian physicians at Covenant Hospital during short-term missions.

CHN wishes to affirm to all the importance to us of retaining Dr. Kens St. Louis as resident Medical Director, and we look forward to enjoyable and productive relationships with him and his family.

Given a more positive security situation within the country, and improved communications with the hospital, it is our intention to facilitate the return of  US mission teams to Covenant Hospital as soon groups can make plans to do so.  Mission teams will work to assist the established clinical programs of the hospital planning with and under the supervision of the Medical Director and Administrator. Credentials of health professionals planning to work at the hospital must be documented and submitted to the Medical Director in advance of the trip.  A method has been established to do that. The role of visiting teams will also be clarified to EDH and MSPP to help assure cooperative and fruitful effort and experience for all.  A newly-edited Mission Team Manual will be available to assist mission groups. The teams schedule and mission focus and trip reports  will be posted on the CHN webpage so that others may use this information or potentially join the team if there is room. Teams planning visits will initially contact Kendal Capaz.

A list of needed supplies, medications, and repair/maintenance tasks for the physical facilities will are available on this web site. This is to assist churches in being involved first-hand in the hospital’s work, and also to assist groups who are planning to go to Mombin Crochu to work at the hospital. 

The utilization of the guesthouse needs to be clarified again with EDH.  It is our desire and recommendation that the guesthouse be closed and not prepare/serve meals when there are no official visitors in residence.  We recommend that meals not be served to resident security staff.  All persons who stay at the guesthouse should have an official function relating to the conduct of the hospital’s mission, and all who stay or eat at the guesthouse are responsible to pay for their meals and lodging. Guesthouse facilities should not be used by non-residents.  When US visitors are in residence at the guesthouse, any others entering the guesthouse do so only by invitation of the visiting team.

 Yours in Christ,
 Al Atz, Sylvia Campbell, Jon Closson, Paul McLain