New Maternity and Neonatal Center

New Maternity and Neonatal Center
Hopital St. Boniface
Fond des Blanc, Haiti

Nap fe progre! Construction of the new addition at L’Hôpital de St. Boniface, which began in January 2014, is scheduled to be completed in February 2015. The hospital took on the general contracting under the leadership of Jim Ansara, Chairman of St. Boniface Haiti Foundation Board. Jim was also responsible for the construction of the new Partners in Health 200-bed Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais, located outside of Port au Prince. Consequently, he was able to engage some of the key sub-contractors from Mirebalais to work at St. Boniface.

The project has utilized locally sourced materials and construction skill sets:

• The building envelope and interior partitions are constructed of concrete masonry blocks with a stucco parged finish.
• The windows are jalousies from Port au Prince. 
• Metal railings and gates are being hand fabricated at Croix de Bouquet; the skilled craftsmen in this area have gained a global reputation for their intricate metal work.

The site work is nearing completion as several retaining walls are being poured and tiles are being installed throughout the building. The roof received a waterproof coating and the installation of the new 20,000-gallon cistern is well underway. In addition to the new cistern, the scope of work has expanded beyond the Maternity Center with several much needed campus infrastructure upgrades that include a new electrical system and re-engineered site drainage. For the sustainable garden, the design of which still needs to be finalized, we will be seeking assistance from a local agronomist for appropriate selection of plantings and maintenance. We anticipate that this garden will be finished by the time of the project’s dedication, which we plan on attending, in early spring.

The remaining building materials have largely been donated. Vendors have been quite generous with their assistance on this project. Reflex Lighting has donated the entire lighting package and Stone Source provided 15,000 SF of tiles. MAPEI, working in conjunction with Stone Source, donated the grout and underlayment. In addition, Falcon provided six high-end conference tables for the addition’s education and training center and C/W Design Group coordinated a shipment of previously used, but in good working condition, refrigerators and other medical equipment from Boston Children’s Hospital.

In addition to the material donations, a very successful fundraising event occurred this past November, with Paul Farmer as the keynote speaker, to help support the project. However, the St. Boniface Haiti Foundation is still in need of funds to cover the additional scope of campus infrastructure upgrades. If you’d like to show your support, read more about how you can make a donation here.