Our Story

Lessons from Post-Earthquake Haiti




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Expanding Access to Care in Central Haiti

The Mirebalais Hospital

In 2009, Partners In Health (PIH) and the Ministry of Health of Haiti requested that Dr. David Walton help design and build a new 100-bed community hospital in Mirebalais, Haiti, a small city 60 kilometers north of Port-au-Prince. For this large project, David solicited help from Jim Ansara. Jim, who had retired after 30 years of running Shawmut Design & Construction, one of the largest design-build companies in the United States, was eager to work with David on this project. In mid-2009 they started the planning process.

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Hit by Devastation

Building Back, Better

Jim and David had nearly completed the design of the 100-bed community hospital when, in January 2010, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, destroying much of the country’s infrastructure, including more than 50 hospitals and clinics as well as the main referral hospital for the entire country. The Haitian Ministry of Health asked PIH to change their plans for Mirebalais hospital and build a 300-bed university teaching hospital, much larger in size, scope, and complexity than originally planned. Construction began in July of 2010, and the 240,000-square-foot complex was inaugurated in October of 2012 as Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais, a new national teaching hospital and the largest solar-powered hospital in the Caribbean.

Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais

The Concept for BHI was Conceived During this Project

Jim and David realized the need for designing, building, and maintaining health-care facilities extended far beyond Mirebalais – within Haiti and globally. BHI was formally founded in 2014 and, by 2020 has completed more than 150 projects in Haiti, Latin America, and Africa.

Photo By: Jessica Rinaldi

2014

February
Saint Boniface Hospital Maternal Health Center Breaks Ground

The Maternal Health Center at Saint Boniface Haiti Foundation Hospital was BHI’s first construction project after the success of Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais and was inaugurated in March 2015. The hospital tripled their capacity of beds for labor and delivery and has since been named one of three National Training Centers for Maternal, Neonatal & Child Health in Haiti.

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2016

July
Saint Boniface Hospital Campus Solar Panels Installed

BHI installed a 780-panel photovoltaic solar system to power the existing Saint Boniface Hospital, enabling the team to better serve their patients by establishing a reliable source of clean energy that reduces fuel costs, reduces CO2 production, and minimizes the risk associated with diesel generators.

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2017

September
Design and Procurement for ACEGID Nigeria

The African Center of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID) at Redeemer’s University in Ede, Nigeria seeks to become an international center of excellence in genomics-based research for health. For this project, BHI has leveraged its expertise in designing for and procuring specialized laboratory equipment in order to elevate the quality of specialized medical and health sciences education in resource-constrained places. BHI is also providing mechanical, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and civil engineering services for the project.

2015

April
West Africa Infrastructure Assessment

In response to the unprecedented Ebola crisis in West Africa, BHI partnered with Partners in Health to complete a comprehensive assessment of four district hospitals in Sierra Leone and Liberia in an effort to return these facilities to full operation. BHI designed plans and provided engineering and construction oversight for phased renovations of these hospitals.

2017

January
Fond des Blancs Hospital Master Planning

After the opening of the St. Boniface Surgical Center in 2016, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and BHI began discussions regarding a master planning project for the entire hospital and surrounding community. Since St. Boniface’s inception in the early 1980s, growth has been largely reactive to the surrounding area’s needs. Through the Master Planning Project, BHI is helping St. Boniface identify how to plan for future growth and evolution of services as well as manage growth while providing high quality patient services.

2017

December
Center for Global Health & Biosafety Level 3 Lab Design Begins

BHI partnered with Partners in Health on our first project in Peru: designing a new Centro de Atención de Tuberculosis, or Tuberculosis Center, and Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory in Carabayllo, Lima, Peru to form the Center for Global Health. BHI worked with architectural and structural teams in both Peru and in Boston to design this critically needed facility.

Today

Latin America & the Caribbean
  • 1. Mexico
  • 2. Bahamas
  • 3. Haiti
  • 4. Puerto Rico
  • 5. Peru
West Africa
  • 6. Sierra Leone
  • 7. Liberia
  • 8. Niger
  • 9. Nigeria
East Africa
  • 10. Ethiopia
  • 11. Uganda
  • 12. Kenya
  • 13. Rwanda
  • 14. Burundi
  • 15. Tanzania
  • 16. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Southern Africa
  • 17. Zambia
  • 18. Malawi
  • 19. Zimbabwe
  • 20. Lesotho
  • 21. Madagascar
Asia
  • 22. Bangladesh