In the wake of yet another devastating natural disaster for Haiti, Shawmut Design and Construction and Build Health International have come together to support relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts.
Following the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on August 14, and damaged much of the infrastructure across the country’s southern peninsula, Shawmut Design and Construction, donated $25,000 toward Build Health International’s immediate relief efforts. Build Health International (BHI), a global health infrastructure nonprofit, has been designing, constructing, and maintaining high-quality health infrastructure in Haiti, and around the world, for over a decade.
Though the full scale of the damage is unknown, it is expected to be nearly as significant as the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in 2010, the event that inspired the creation of Build Health International. After retiring as the company’s CEO, Shawmut Design and Construction Founder Jim Ansara co-founded Build Health International to deliver sustainable, high-quality health infrastructure in the lowest resource regions of the world. Since BHI’s early days, Shawmut Design and Construction has supported the nonprofit’s mission through in-kind, volunteer and industry expertise on projects throughout the world.
“We are so saddened by the destruction this catastrophic earthquake has brought to Haiti, a country that has already seen so much devastation. We are humbled to contribute to Build Health International’s efforts to provide urgent healthcare infrastructure relief and repairs to hospitals across the country’s southern peninsula,” said Les Hiscoe, CEO, Shawmut Design and Construction. “At the core of Shawmut’s philanthropic efforts is the example set by Jim Ansara’s long and storied history of selfless charitable work and humanitarianism. We are proud to support BHI in the effort to help stabilize the region so badly upended by this tragic natural disaster.”
On the ground in Haiti, Build Health International has mobilized its Haitian team of engineers, electricians and technicians. United States-based logistics specialists are also being sent to clinics and hospitals across the southern peninsula, where they will further assess damage, evaluate safety, and coordinate immediate repairs to ensure that patients can receive treatment as quickly as possible. BHI is working alongside partners to facilitate the shipment of medical supplies, deploy surgeons, and set up a temporary trauma and surgical center at St. Boniface Hospital, centrally located on Haiti’s southern peninsula, which was relatively undamaged.
