Partnership will support solar power projects at Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais and St. Boniface Hospital, and result in over $100,000 in cost savings
August 9, 2022 – Beverly, MA — Build Health International (BHI) has received critical support from Granite City Electric and Electric Wire and Cable to advance two critical healthcare projects in Haiti. Purchasing materials at cost to support the development of solar plants at both the Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais (HUM), Haiti’s National Teaching Hospital, and St. Boniface Hospital, will result in a savings of close to $120,000, allowing BHI and partners on the ground to redeploy funding toward other essential project costs and speed completion.
“We work in settings with significant constraints on the availability and accessibility of critical resources, especially in Haiti,” said Omar Hernandez, Senior Director of Engineering and Construction at Build Health International. “Support like this from industry partners is critical to our ability to successfully complete highly-impactful healthcare projects on time and on budget for the communities we work with. We are very grateful to Granite City Electric and Encore Wire and Cable for their partnership to provide necessary materials and streamline the procurement and delivery process.”
“Granite City Electric is committed to supporting communities in New England, across the country, and around the world,” said Steve Hellefrom Granite City Electric. “We’re proud to partner with Build Health International, a dynamic, impactful, Massachusetts-based nonprofit to support the development of critical health infrastructure in Haiti. Reliable access to power is critical to the delivery of quality care, and we’re glad to play even a small part in making care more accessible to people in need around the world.”
The project at HUM, expected to be completed in February 2023, includes a 2,400 panel solar upgrade and expansion, which will improve the conversion rate of solar power to electricity from 10% to 71%, and is projected to reduce over 2,000 tons of carbon emissions from the hospital each year. These changes will contribute to a total energy cost savings of nearly $900,000 every year, to be redirected to patient care.
The project at St. Boniface, the largest referral hospital in Southern Haiti, is expected to be complete in September 2022. This includes the design, construction, and installation of a solar-powered medical oxygen PSA plant, designed to increase oxygen capacity at the hospital as well as deliver oxygen to other providers across Haiti’s Southern Peninsula. The project will afford a fuel savings potential of $150,000 each year and help to address widespread disparities in oxygen access.
Additional information about these projects and others in the BHI pipeline can be found here: https://buildhealthinternational.org/projects/
About Build Health International:
Build Health International (BHI) believes that every person has a right to quality healthcare. In 2010, following the Haitian Earthquake, BHI built the Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais (HUM), Haiti’s flagship teaching hospital. Since then, BHI has designed, built, and equipped over 200 dignified spaces in 28 countries for care in the world’s most vulnerable communities, enabling local clinicians to work at their full potential. Working closely with ministries of health, partner organizations, and local workforces, BHI promotes sustainable design, and empowers communities, and enables access to dignified and affordable healthcare in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities.
About Granite City Electric Supply: