Medicines for Humanity (MFH) has received a grant from the Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter International Inc., to help support our Quisqueya Mobile Clinic that provides critically-needed, life-saving health services in the Dominican Republic. This grant will help increase healthcare accessibility through mobile clinic outreach to 8,000 underserved residents of 23 batey communities outside of San Pedro de Macoris, east of Santo Domingo. Bateyes are informal villages developed around basic dormitory housing for sugar cane workers and their families.

As part of a collaborative project with our long-time in-country partner, The Daughters of Charity, a community of Catholic sisters serving the Quisqueya area, we provide community health services to low-resourced populations. The Quisqueya Mobile Clinic consists of a physician, nurse, pharmacy technician and driver who travel to the bateyes daily to provide clinical consultations and medications on site.

Recognizing the unique needs of communities disenfranchised from traditional healthcare, the Quisqueya Mobile Clinic offers tailored, high-impact care that responds dynamically to the bateyes community’s needs. The mobile health clinic provides prenatal and postnatal consultations, clinical consultations for children and adults, home visits and health education outreach by community health workers (CHWs). Together, these interventions have been proven to help reduce childhood deaths from preventable causes.

“Most people living in the bateyes are unable to reach government services and lack access to healthcare facilities, public sewer systems and reliable water sources – and it’s the children who suffer most,” said Kristen Fanfant, MFH Program Manager. “Child mortality rates (CMRs) in the bateyes are nearly double the country’s national average. Thanks to the support from the Baxter International Foundation and all of our partners, we’re able to expand access to health-care services for children and their families within these underserved communities.”

Today, the sugar industry in the DR is largely diminished, leading to high unemployment and household incomes well below the poverty line, as low as $2.00 per day. What’s more, the community’s infrastructure and services are extremely weak.

As a global medical products company with operations around the world, Baxter’s facility in the DR employs hundreds of individuals within the region. Baxter recognizes its responsibility to make a positive and lasting impact globally in local communities and embraces its goal of creating a healthier world of possibilities for all.

“We’re proud to embark on this partnership with MFH, as together we now have the opportunity to make a greater impact and increase community wellness,” said Verónica Arroyave, executive director of the Baxter International Foundation. “This is just one of the ways that we’re working to strengthen communities around the globe.”

About the Baxter International Foundation

Every day, Baxter strives to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those who depend on Baxter products and in the communities where employees live and work. The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter International, helps advance the company’s mission to save and sustain lives. Baxter partners with organizations around the world to increase access to healthcare for the underserved, to develop the next generation of innovators who will lead the way in advancing healthcare and to create a long-lasting impact in communities globally. Baxter is proud to support initiatives and organizations that make a positive, lasting impact in these critical areas. For more information, please click here.