The clinic
For many years, Dr. Jerry Paz, a Warrenton dentist, has made annual trips to Haiti to provide free dental care for the people on the island of LaGonave.
Some of the people on the island of LaGonave had no dental care for years. Some had large abscesses caused by teeth that had become severely inflamed and infected.
Dental care in a third-world country is a bit different than in the developed world. Many people wait in great pain for a dentist who can just pull a bad tooth to remove the inflammation.
Initially borrowing space from other missions, it became clear that dedicated space was needed for a clinic that could provide a place for visiting doctors and dentists to practice in the Anse-A-Galet area of LaGonave.
Jerry Dickherber, with the help of numerous volunteers from churches in the United States and paid Haitian workers, has built a very nice (especially by Haitian standards) clinic.
The clinic has ceramic tile floors and plenty of cabinets for the clean storage of equipment and supplies.
A wooden dental chair places the patients in a position appropriate for the dental work.
Update August 2009
In August, we received medical equipment and hospital beds for the clinic, thanks to the generosity of Guts Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Guest Quarters
The clinic also has living quarters for the health care teams who come from the United States and other countries.
Volunteer workers (other than medical teams) stay in a separate guest house with Sonja and Jerry.
Some missions organizations require volunteers to pay a fee for room and board. This is not the case with Celebrate Jesus of Haiti. The volunteers must pay their own transportation expenses, etc., but are fed basic meals and are provided with a place to stay at no charge.
Success stories
Many Haitians have received dental and medical care since the clinic was built. With poor nutrition and abject poverty, there are always more challenges than resources.
Celebrate Jesus of Haiti, Inc. does not charge money for these services. The generosity of professionals like Dr. Paz makes this possible. These individuals devote much of their vacation time to help alleviate pain for some of the poorest people on earth.