By Dessalines Ferdinand
Last year, about fifteen thousand Haitian migrants made their way from Central and South American countries to come to the US-Mexico border. Over two weeks, U.S. Border Patrol agents expelled nearly all of them. A few lucky ones were allowed to enter the United States and have their requests for asylum or other permission to remain in the country evaluated by U.S. immigration judges.
Those fortunate migrants, after being freed from the giant migrant camp under the international bridge in Del Rio, Texas, needed to start a new life in the USA. Many of them have chosen Miami-Dade County (Florida), where there is a well-established Haitian Community.
The needs and health issues of refugees in the United States vary greatly depending on their country of origin, their experiences during their travels, and on the living conditions they face once settled into the U.S. Those asylum seekers who become ill and contract diseases during their long travels and the stress they experience can be extremely detrimental to their mental health. Some are arriving with tuberculosis, Hepatitis B, or malaria. Many are malnourished and have weakened immune systems.
This is where the Center for Haitian Studies, a community health center located in Miami, becomes so valuable for those new arrivals. This non-profit organization has been monumental in helping the vulnerable residents of Miami-Dade County, who, for the most part, have no other means of receiving healthcare from some of the best specialists in the region.
Those new Haitian migrants feel more comfortable being seen by the physicians and nurses at the Center for Haitian Studies because there are no cross-cultural differences or language barriers to overcome. This means they cannot be misdiagnosed.
The Center for Haitian Studies (CHS) is a duly registered non-profit, tax-exempt health and social service organization founded in 1988 for the purpose of serving the disenfranchised populations of Little Haiti/Little River in Miami, Florida, with a focus on the underserved Haitian community. The clinic not only provides health services free of charge, but also provides patients with a culturally sensitive atmosphere. The clinic takes care of anyone who needs medical attention.
Since the influx of those new arrivals, the community health center finds itself in a situation where the medical staff needs to see more patients.
“We are grateful that we are able to assist those new arrivals. This is one of the missions of our health community center, to make such an impact in people’s lives, especially patients in need. We are here to help the underserved population,” said Dr. Laurinus “Larry” Pierre, M.D., Founder and Executive Director for the Center for Haitian Studies.
Dr. Georges Metellus, M.D., M.P.H., Administrator of the Center for Haitian Studies, said, “Recently, we have noticed a huge increase of Haitian patients looking not only for health care, but also for social services. This is the reason why we have recently hired full-time social workers to help those new arrivals navigate the system. Taking into consideration the cultural aspect of those new Haitian patients, I can attest that our staff is well-qualified to serve them.”
CHS is featured on Miamigration, a website dedicated to showing the New Miami as defined through the immigrant experience. In keeping with its mission, CHS provides a wide range of services to members of the population, including health education, health services free of charge to indigents, psychosocial counseling, and case management.
According to Dr. Metellus, more patients mean the center needs more money to keep up with the increased demands. This is a significant challenge for the Center from a financial aspect. They need more funds.
Laurinus Pierre, M.D., M.P.H., executive director of the Center for Haitian Studies, said the center was borne out of a grant from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and continues to maintain a strong partnership that benefits many people in need.
“The community needs every one of us,” said Pierre, who earned his Master of Public Health degree at UM. “The community needs you. It is not something one person can do,”
Over the years, CHS has received grants and donations from various federal, state and local entities such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Miami-Dade County, the Greater Miami Health Education and Training Center, The Jackson Health System, University of Miami Health Education Center and the Health Foundation of South Florida.
Pierre said the center greatly appreciates the monetary support from those entities. These help it sustain its financial operations. Among the grantors, the one received from one Miami-Dade County seems to be helping a lot over the past twelve months.
Under the funding from Miami-Dade County in 2021, CHS expanded primary health care, mental health, OBGYN, laboratory services and Outreach Health Education services to address a significant increase in need among the population.
“Before, we had to make the patients pay a basic $20 fee per visit and their laboratory exams at a low price,” said the administrator of the center, Dr. Georges Metellus, M.D., M.P.H. “Now, we can proudly say that we are able to remove those expenses. The patients have nothing to pay, thanks particularly to the grant we received last year from Miami-Dade County.”
“I did not have any problem with paying the $20 visit fee for my mom to see a doctor at CHS, but it was always a little challenge for me to find the money to pay for her exam. Now, I feel less pressure when I have to bring her here for her annual checkups,” said Jude (who wants to keep his last name anonymous).
“My cousin had risked his life to come to [the] US,” said Jean Daniel Philius. “As many other new migrants, he doesn’t have a health policy insurance. I had some concerns when I saw him for the first time after his release from the US-Mexico border migrant camp last year. I was able to take him to CHS for a complete checkup without paying a penny to see a doctor. This is really helpful. The center even provided us a ‘Prescription Savings Card’ where I was able to buy him medications at [a] huge discount price at a local pharmacy.”
Due to the presence of the new arrivals of migrants, medical professionals and social workers at CHS see more than one hundred patients daily, for a wide range of health issues.
The Center for Haitian Studies continues to be a powerful example of care and love we can all aspire to share. With the financial support it has received, particularly from Miami-Dade County, it is able to meet the growing needs of Haitian immigrants, including those who were recently released from detention near the US-Mexico border.
It’s important that we not only remain aware of the work these dedicated doctors and nurses and administrators at the Center for Haitian Studies perform, but also how communities come together to support those in need, whether they were born here or just arrived across the border. We are all part of the same community, all part of the human race, and our humanity is what makes communities and centers like this more precious than all the money in the world. Yet, money is what makes it all possible, and perhaps we can all look for ways to help when we can.
