The Crisis in Haiti:
International Disaster. Personal Response.

The faces are haunting. The cries of children heartbreaking. The reality reflected in the television images incomprehensible.

For eight employees of Mary Immaculate Health/Care Services (MIHCS), the earthquake in Haiti is more than a devastating natural disaster – it is a personal nightmare. Despite the passage of the days, each time a news crew provides updates on the chaos in their home country, they search for the faces of their loved ones in the crowds.

To compound the tragedy, the information from Haiti has been sporadic and unreliable, often provided by personal contacts themselves coping with the devastation and ruins. For this close knit group, there have been official confirmations of several dead, several still missing, and joyfully, 17 family members confirmed safe, although perhaps injured.

“When we first learned of the earthquake,” says Barbara Grant, MIHCS president and CEO, “there was a tremendous outpouring of support from our staff members when they heard of their co-workers’ personal connection to Haiti. On all levels, the MI family has joined together to provide whatever is necessary for our employees struggling with this horror.”

“At first,” says Kathy Callahan, MIHCS director of mission integration, “we knew we needed just ‘to be there’ for our staffers. They needed to talk and we needed to listen. Over time, several parts of an overall plan have come together.”

Nearly all of the 350 employees at MIHCS have purchased blue “Remember Haiti” bracelets. The lobby gardens are adorned with placards of Marguerite daisies with personal messages written for the victims. Residents from the senior housing and assisted living facilities have collected donations from tenants and visitors alike.

Funds from these projects are being combined with on-line gifts in a Donate Haiti fund. “While we don’t know what the future will hold for these families,” says Grant, “we can expect that many will incur significant financial expenses in the days ahead. Some may need travel funds or will have unexpected medical bills or living expenses to care for their loved ones. We want to take our lead from ‘our’ families themselves because they know exactly what they will need for longer term healing.”

In addition to money, the MI leadership team has leveraged professional expertise and political clout on behalf of their employees. During the early days, when so many staff members were frantically searching for news about their loved ones in Haiti, MIHCS Senior Managers reached out to their congressional delegation in an effort to streamline information about the status of victims. In the days that have followed, some impacted by this tragedy have expressed a desire to bring surviving family members to the United States. In response, the MIHCS corporate attorney has volunteered to work with federal officials on visa and immigration issues.

At MIHCS, relief efforts are personal. “While we could have focused on support for one of the international emergency organizations, at Mary Immaculate, we truly function as a family,” summarizes Grant. “Our organizational credo is to respond with compassionate care and dignity to the health, social and spiritual needs of each person we serve. To come together to support our own during this mind-numbing disaster is an example of how fully we all embrace this mission.”

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