A Christmas Reflection

Another December is upon us in America, bringing, as usual, the long solstice nights and the beginning of winter. It is always a marvel that the coldest and darkest season is begun with the warmest and most cherished holidays. What other season has such a spectrum of observances? They range from houses festooned with lights, to the ubiquitous music and carols, to the incredible variety of movies, plays, books and stories. It seems no matter how difficult the year has been, or how shear the looming fiscal cliff, the holidays bring a respite from worry with its reassurances that Santa doesn't forget, Scrooge can be transformed, the Menorah will be lit, and the Infant has been born. Among the season’s timeless stories, one is especially appropriate for a clinic in Haiti. In fact, it inspired Visitation Clinic’s name. It was written by Luke, a physician, who tells of two Jewish women, one young, one old, who find themselves unexpectedly pregnant. The older one lives in the southern mountains and being six-months pregnant, she needs help. The younger one is a poorer relative who lives in the north, but when she hears of her cousin’s need, she hastily sets out to assist her. The distance is over a hundred miles, and donkeys are expensive, so she most likely walks the entire way. The journey is difficult and risky, with, perhaps, the danger of rejection, since she is unmarried and her older relative is the respectable wife of a priest, and the daughter of the high priest. So Mary greets her cousin first. But Elizabeth is not just welcoming; she feels her baby leap and exclaims her delight and honor by the visit. She proclaims her blessing and seems to know that their babies will change history. The story ends with the young Mary proclaiming her own gratitude, praise, and her affirmation of one of the great inversions found in scripture, “He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and has exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away.”   She then stays for three months to help out.

In our times, Haiti is where you can find the “lowly”, especially in the southern mountains and countryside near Visitation Clinic. To get to the clinic, most our patients walk at least four miles round trip. Half will be women, and more than half of those will be carrying either a child or a pre- or post-natal baby. Some will walk from the hills around the clinic, which makes the trek even more difficult. Because they can’t get to our clinic quickly, over 80% of mothers will give birth at home with the help of a neighbor, midwife or relative. Whoever assists usually has minimal medical training. Consequently, Haiti has the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the western hemisphere. Yesterday was the Friday before the holiday weekend. But births and other health needs don’t take holidays, and we were as busy as ever, caring for eighty-one patients, including thirty-nine women, twenty-nine children. When we ask, they tell us of the difference that Visitation Clinic has made in their lives. Still, we worry about those who can’t travel, or who need hospital care. So we are planning to expand both our services and our outreach. We have the expertise, staff and plans to do so. All we need is a relatively modest (by US healthcare standards) level of funding. For instance, you can adopt one of our assistant nurses for only $200 a month. It’s easy to donate. Just go to: www.visitationhospital.org/donate On behalf of the staff and board of Visitation Hospital Foundation, we wish you a merry Christmas and the happiest of holidays. Art Judy Executive Director