Women and children in Haiti are among the most vulnerable to disease and death in the western hemisphere. HAS brings health care to the most remote communities and homes in its central Haiti service area to ensure that pregnant women receive pre-natal and post-natal care that is literally life-saving.
As in the rest of Haiti, up to 75 percent of births in HAS's service area are at home, and Haitian women and children are at much greater risk for serious complications related to pregnancy than in any developed country.
HAS brings pre- and post-natal care to those who need it in the community. Through continuous health posts, home visits, and mothers' clubs organized by community health workers throughout the HAS service area, women are encouraged to attend at least three prenatal visits and one post-natal visit, although many attend more.
In the HAS service area, approximately 75 percent of new mothers receive post-natal home visits by community health workers within the crucial three-day post-birth period, compared to 13 percent nationwide. Nearly 100 percent of women in the hospital's service area receive prenatal screenings by trained personnel, compared to 90 percent throughout Haiti. HAS aims to expand its reach for pre- and post-natal care this year and beyond.
