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WHEREAS, 60 years ago Larry and Gwen Mellon, inspired by medical missionary and Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Albert Schweitzer, embarked on a mission to provide modern medical care to one of the western hemisphere's most poor and remote areas, Haiti's Artibonite Valley; and,
WHEREAS, following his passion, Larry Mellon finished his medical degree in his forties, while Gwen studied a variety of medical topics; and,
WHEREAS, H?pital Albert Schweitzer (HAS) Haiti opened its doors on June 26, 1956. Named in honor of Dr. Schweitzer, the hospital, with its modern facilities and services, became a model for effective, compassionate healthcare in the developing world and is the only full-service hospital to serve more than 350,000 people; and,
WHEREAS, Gwen and Larry Mellon lived and worked at the hospital for the rest of their lives dedicating their time, energy, and resources to furthering the health and well-being of an extremely challenged region of Haiti; and,
WHEREAS, Larry's great wish that Haitian healthcare workers and the greater community would be full partners in HAS's mission to promote the health of the people of the Artibonite Valley, has come to fruition. Today, 98% of HAS employees are Haitian; and,
WHEREAS, through the efforts of these pioneers in public health, HAS helped to create a model of effective, patient-centered healthcare delivery that would later be adopted by health organizations around the world, including the World Health Organization; and,
WHEREAS, today, HAS runs one of the most active and efficient Integrated Community Services programs in all of Haiti, screening for malnutrition in children, providing vaccines and medicines, training community health workers and birth attendants, and aiding communities with crucial wells and water projects; and,
WHEREAS, this approach has proved critical in light of stemming mosquito borne illnesses such as Zika and deadly diseases such as cholera; and,
WHEREAS, HAS has been a shining ligh...
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