Support Relief Efforts in Haiti

In the aftermath of the tragic earthquake, more than 1,200 SEIU health care professionals have volunteered be part of SEIU’s Help Haiti Initiative.

 

Right now, dozens of SEIU members are already in Port-au-Prince providing medical care and translation services for survivors and more are set to go each week. Five SEIU 721 members are ready to deploy to Haiti as needed including Ted Perez from Ventura County who also helped relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina.

Additional Support

Our union has established support centers to provide counseling to members and their communities in Boston, New York and Miami. We are working with relief organizations and emergency personnel as Haitian-Kreyol translators.

And we are working day in and out to connect the Haitian community in North America to resources and empower them to play a fundamental role in the reconstruction of a nation.

Do you have experience in disaster relief?

SEIU is seeking volunteersto help relief efforts in Haiti with the International Medical Corps. 

You will need to provide the following information and be released from work for at least two weeks.  

• Full Legal Name
• Date of Birth
• Nationality
• Passport #
• Passport Expiration Date
• Do you speak Creole? Y/N
• Do you have disaster experience? Y/N
• What is your job (RN, MD, etc)?
• Area of expertise – such as OR, Critical Care, Ortho, trauma, etc.
• Phone Number
• Completed liability release form 

This is NOT a guaranteed departure and details are very limited right now, but if selected you will be provided with exact details including what to pack and travel logistics. Please contact SEIU 721 Haiti relief coordinator Patsy Howard for more information.

What is International Medical Corps (IMC)?

International Medical Corps is a global, humanitarian, nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs. Established in 1984 by volunteer doctors and nurses, International Medical Corps is a private, voluntary, nonpolitical, nonsectarian organization. Its mission is to improve the quality of life through health interventions and related activities that build local capacity in underserved communities worldwide. By offering training and health care to local populations and medical assistance to people at highest risk, and with the flexibility to respond rapidly to emergency situations, International Medical Corps rehabilitates devastated health care systems and helps bring them back to self-reliance.

Donate Now

Support the relief effort in Haiti with your donation:

Partners in Health: PIH was founded in 1987, two years after the Clinique Bon Sauveur was set up in Cange, Haiti, to deliver health care to the residents of the mountainous Central Plateau. PIH co-founders had been working in the area for years. The Clinic was the first project designed to address the health care needs of the residents of the poorest area in Haiti. In the 20 years since then, PIH has expanded its operations to eight other sites in Haiti and nine additional countries and has launched a number of other initiatives.

Donate to the American Red Cross: You can also help immediately by donating to the Red Cross to assist the relief effort. Contribute online to the Red Cross, or donate $10 to be charged to your cell phone bill by texting “HAITI” to “90999.” 

You can also join SEIU’s Help Haiti Volunteer Effort: SEIU is investigating what volunteer needs and opportunities exist at this time. SEIU Healthcare members – nurses, personal care assistants, doctors and others – are mobilizing to determine the types of direct support that are needed by the people of Haiti. We are coordinating with federal agencies and the service and relief communities and we are recruiting healthcare workers for possible deployment once more information is known.

Please sign up here if you are interested in hearing about ways to help once we find out how our direct support can be useful.

Find more ways to help through the Center for International Disaster Information.

“The whole world is watching the devastation in Haiti following yesterday’s earthquake with horror and compassion,” said SEIU President Andy Stern. “This catastrophe calls on each of us to do what we can to ease suffering and help the survivors get past this tragedy and rebuild their lives. The Service Employees International Union, both as a home to a large Haitian population with family directly impacted and as the largest union of healthcare workers in North America, will support efforts to help Haiti recover.”

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