November 2009--The Patient Becomes the Teacher

dedicated to treating HIV and related illnesses like tuberculosis and sexually transmitted infections. The staff at GHESKIO has developed ways to remove barriers to treatment, including providing free ART, providing money for transportation and prepaid cell phone cards to remain in touch with patients, cultivating a force of field workers and couselors, and working with an NGO to provide food baskets to patients on ART. Offering additional needed services like dental and eye care as well as STI, family planning, and microcredit programs has encouraged patients to continue treatment despite stigma. Dr. Severe’s advice to the first years was to learn to ‘listen’. A good doctor will listen to everything a patient needs to say, even if it seems irrelevant. 

Mrs. Dumay and Dr. Severe run a break-out session where students were asked to construct their own hypothetical clinics in Haiti.