FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Sarah Sceery, ssceery@buildhealthinternationaldotorg.wpcomstaging.com

Boston, MA— August 17, 2021—In the wake of yet another devastating natural disaster in Haiti, Shawmut Design and Construction and Build Health International have come together to support relief, recovery, and rebuilding efforts.

Following the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on Saturday, August 14th, and left much of the infrastructure across the country’s southern peninsula damaged, Shawmut Design and Construction, a leading construction management firm, donated $25,000 to support Build Health International’s immediate relief efforts. Build Health International (BHI) is a global health infrastructure nonprofit based in Beverly, MA that has been designing, constructing, and maintaining high-quality health infrastructure in Haiti, and around the world, for over a decade.

Though the full scale of the damage is unknown, it is expected to be nearly as significant as the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010, the event that inspired the creation of Build Health International. After retiring as the company’s CEO, Shawmut Design and Construction’s founder Jim Ansara co-founded Build Health International to deliver sustainable, high-quality health infrastructure in low resource regions around the world.

Since BHI’s early days, Shawmut Design and Construction has supported the organization’s mission by providing in-kind donations, volunteers, and industry expertise on projects around the world. This latest partnership comes at a critical time for Haiti.

“We are so saddened by the destruction this catastrophic earthquake has brought to Haiti, a country that has already seen so much devastation. We are humbled to contribute to Build Health International’s efforts to provide urgent healthcare infrastructure relief and repairs to hospitals across the country’s southern peninsula,” said Les Hiscoe, CEO of Shawmut Design and Construction. “At the core of Shawmut’s philanthropic efforts is the example set by Jim Ansara’s long and storied history of selfless charitable work and humanitarianism. We are proud to support BHI in the effort to help stabilize the region so badly upended by this tragic natural disaster.”

On the ground in Haiti, Build Health International has already mobilized its Haitian team of engineers, electricians, and technicians. US-based logistics specialists are also being sent to clinics and hospitals across Haiti’s southern peninsula, where they will further assess damage, evaluate safety, and coordinate immediate repairs to ensure that patients can receive treatment as quickly as possible. BHI is working alongside local Massachusetts partners to facilitate the shipment of medical supplies, deploy surgeons, and set up a temporary trauma and surgical center at St. Boniface Hospital, centrally located on Haiti’s southern peninsula. Fortunately, the hospital, which was built by BHI and is operated by Health Equity International, was relatively unscathed and is accepting patients.  

 Over the last 11 years, BHI has built over 60 projects in Haiti to strengthen health infrastructure across the country, including the St. Boniface Hospital, the largest referral hospital on Haiti’s southern peninsula, as well as the National Teaching Hospital in Mirebalais. Despite the widespread damage caused by the earthquake, those buildings are standing strong, proving that sturdy and sustainable construction is possible in Haiti. Thanks to organizations like Shawmut, Build Health International is committed to ensuring a reliable and immediate rebuild of critical health facilities across southern Haiti.

To learn more about these efforts or to partner with Build Health International please visit: www.buildhealthinternational.org 

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 Hopital Universitaire de Mirebalais (HUM), Haiti’s flagship teaching hospital. Since then, BHI has designed, built, and equipped over 200 dignified spaces in 26 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 Shawmut Design and Construction:

Shawmut Design and Construction is a $1.5 billion national construction management firm with a reputation for completing extremely complex and logistically challenging projects for the most high-profile clients in the industry. As an ESOP (employee-owned) company, Shawmut has created a culture of ownership, proactive solution-making, and forward thinking. Eighty percent of its business comes from repeat clients, proving there is a strong focus on building lasting partnerships.  Shawmut’s unique business model allows project teams to better service clients by focusing their specialized expertise within one of the following areas: Academic, Tenant Interiors, Cultural & Historic, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Hotel, Luxury Homes, Restaurant, Retail, and Sports Venues. Shawmut has offices located in Boston, Providence, New York, Miami, Chicago, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. For more information, please visit www.shawmut.com.

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