RAPID: Local Health-Related Capacities in Northern Haiti Response

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This Rapid Response Research (RAPID) grant provides funding to conduct a case study centered on the two main hospitals that serve the northern region of Haiti, using semi-structured interviews and an analysis of organizational networks, the research will: 1) examine what local health-related resources were available in the northern region of Haiti, 2) how these were, or were not, made use of in response efforts, and 3) the level of coordination and collaboration among health delivery groups. The northern region of Haiti was relatively unaffected by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake on January 12, 2010, that caused extreme physical damage experienced in the areas in and around Port-au-Prince and the southern region. One might question what the role of an already fragile health system could, or would be, during response and recovery in the face of such an extensive catastrophe. The underdeveloped nature of the health system might support an argument for top-down response from international sources, particularly in the absence of leadership from the Haitian government or Haitian disaster management structures. This research explicitly takes the view, however, that even in a place that is the "poorest in the Western Hemisphere," structures and resources exist through which international assistance and response could work to draw on capacities within the local system. Through an assessment of what health-related Haitian and NGO resources were operating in this region and an articulation of the level of coordination and cooperation between them, the research will contribute to an understanding of local capacity, particularly in a developing country setting. The study also recognizes that any attempt at sustainable recovery planning and/or disaster mitigation necessitates directly incorporating the Haitian health sector as a building block and so the data collection will establish a baseline for future assessment of the recovery process. The findings can also suggest possibilities for hospital disaster planning beyond Haiti in places with stressed health systems. Most significantly, this research incorporates a partner with a long standing presence in Haiti and a design with a feedback loop so that findings have greater potential for use in capacity building at this location.