When Dr. Jeff Kempf, retired director of the global health program and emergency medicine physician, counts his blessings, he often thinks about Haiti and its people. It was because of Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, that Dr. Kempf was able to develop a transformative program to bring health care and support services […]
Akron Children's Hospital has an affiliation agreement with St. Damien Hospital, which is located in Port-au-Prince and is the only free pediatric hospital in Haiti. Many of our dedicated doctors, nurses and staff travel regularly to Haiti to help deliver medical supplies and care for the many sick children who come to St. Damien's for medical treatment.
Haitian heart patient feels love without boundaries
Say hello to this beautiful, 5-year-old boy from Haiti. He has a chance to live thanks to many caring people coming together at the perfect time from all over the world, including nurses and doctors in our Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in Akron and hospital administration. Director Dr. Jeffrey Kempf says our Global Health team […]
Community support inspires physician to give
Growing up in Cleveland, Dr. John Pope says he didn’t know much about Akron. Now, after 19 years at Akron Children’s Hospital, he can’t imagine being anywhere else. “I decided early on that this is where I wanted to stay until I retire,” Dr. Pope said. “When I came here from Cleveland I said, this […]
Doctors Hope to Close Gap in Care for Kids in Haiti With Sickle Cell Disease
It is a simple but harsh reality that children with sickle cell disease living in Haiti will have more pain, worse quality of life, and are less likely to survive childhood because they don’t have access to the treatments routinely provided to children with sickle cell disease in the United States and other developed nations. […]
Helping Haiti: Care From The Heart
Gift of Life International (GOLI) is a non-profit organization that facilitates life-saving surgery for children with congenital heart disease who would otherwise not have access to care. St. Damien Pediatric Hospital partnered with GOLI for their first surgical mission in 2015. Through this partnership, our Akron Children’s team went to Haiti in November to help […]
Helping Haiti: A Team Approach Saves Young Boy
In global health, incredibly difficult situations can arise where we’re unable to cure children because we don’t have the equipment or resources needed. Adding to this frustration is the reality that if these children were lucky enough to live in the U.S. or other developed countries, they would have access to appropriate care. In the […]