PRESS RELEASE: Community Health Initiative, Haiti Hosts Event in Iowa City to Commemorate 10 Years of Service in Haiti

Community Health Initiative, Haiti (CHI Haiti) announced that it will celebrate “10 years of CHI Haiti” on September 17, 2022 at 5pm with an in-person gala event called CHI 360. The event will be held at the Graduate Hotel's elegant Wayne Ballroom in downtown Iowa City for an evening of reflection, reunion, and reconnection. Additionally, the gala will feature guest emcee, Iowa Public Radio host Charity Nebbe, music by Jim Dreier & band, Ritmo-Carib, a fabulous Haitian meal, special guest speakers, and a live and online auction.
 
Other festivities happening in Iowa with the nonprofit include a Documentary Film Screening + Q&A Panel Discussion event on September 17, 2022 at 1pm. For this collaboration in partnership with local theater FilmScene, CHI Haiti will show the new documentary How (Not) to Build a School in Haiti. Notable attendees on the Q&A panel discussion include one of CHI Haiti’s co-founders, Dr. Chris Buresh, CHI Board Chair, Dimy Doresca, and potentially the director of the film as well.
 
The CHI 360 gala is $100 per ticket, or $1000 for a table which includes 8 seats and special recognition at the event. The film screening is donation based on a Pay-What-You-Want sliding scale from $0.01-$1000 with a suggested donation of $10. Anyone is welcome to attend the gala or movie screening to learn more about CHI Haiti, support our continued work in Haiti, and celebrate this milestone.
 
CHI Haiti’s work includes an innovative model of providing medical care in rural areas of Haiti where clinics, which included both American volunteers and Haitian providers, are now completely Haitian-led. 2022 marks the 3rd year in which CHI Haiti has been unable to bring American teams to Haiti due to COVID and civil unrest in the country. Throughout the pandemic, CHI’s clinics have also been flexible where the CHI Haitian clinic team will either hold clinics at a set location or adapt to the mobile clinic model where Haitian doctors and medical providers visit the homes of patients. Their goal is to raise $60,000 at the event and use the funds to maintain current operations while supporting our transition to full Haitian-led clinics (HLCs) and programs. CHI Haiti anticipates holding at least four HLCs with support from the community. Each clinic costs at least $10,000, and expenses continue to rise as conditions on the ground become more and more unstable. The support of donors continues to allow CHI the ability to provide free medical care to those without access to essential medical care and medication in rural Haiti.
 
 
About Community Health Initiative, Haiti
Community Health Initiative, Haiti (CHI Haiti) works with local Haitian medical providers to reach the primary and public healthcare needs of our Haitian patients. CHI also collaborates with U.S. volunteers and our Haitian staff to combat malnutrition, provide clean water, promote safe environments, and deliver healthcare for the members of our partner communities in the Arcahaie area of Haiti.
 
For more information, visit www.chihaiti.org. 
 
###