Health

The Health sector of our organization consists of a year-round dental program serving the needs of the thousands of children of the parish. This large scale public dental program meets the needs of the community in a critical area that has been largely overlooked in Haiti. Working from a fully equipped stationary dental office and a mobile dental clinic, a licensed Haitian dentist, a dentist in training, volunteer dental assistants and the nurse provide not only basic dental services, but more importantly, preventive dental care consisting of fluoride treatment and tooth sealant. This program helps prevent children in the parish from getting the same tooth decay that their parents have almost all experienced. The mobile dental clinic allows our dentists and support staff to travel to Catholic and government schools throughout the parish to both treat patients immediately where possible and to determine which children's dental needs are serious enough to warrant referral back to the stationary dental office. Thousands of Haitian children receive the services every year. Founded by three high school students from Saint Cecilia Academy in Nashville in 2013, Be Happy Haiti raises the funds used to provide the dental equipment and supplies as well as to pay the salaries of the dentist and other staff that deliver the services year round. Be Happy Haiti is making a significant contribution to the long-term health of many thousands of Haiti’s children.