Yanick Abellard
|
in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, became a registered nurse, then obtained the equivalent of a master's degree in
social anthropology. After presenting a thesis on
health care access in Haiti, she worked for the health department there. She
came to this country with
her husband when he came for his medical residency. They planned to return, but political turmoil interfered. In 1991, she received a master's degree in international health education from New York University.
Today, Ms. Abellard sends new arrivals to English-as-aSecond-Language classes. She knew no English herself when she arrived here,
"I was hired by St. Mary's Hospital in Brooklyn, New York," she says. "I couldn't speak English, but I could give medication."
Jobs for non-English speakers include dishwashing, landscaping
or driving taxis for men and certified nursing assistant or hotel maid for women. Some work two jobs.
"You wouldn't believe what hard workers Haitians are,"
That could apply to her as well Along with teaching good health habits, she works to keep the center's doors open, Money comes from sources such as the Freimann Fund, a donoradvised fund held by Palm Healthcare Foundation in collaboration with Allegany Franciscan Ministries and from donations
Poverty, along with |
|
violence and political persecution, is what drives men, women and children to risk their lives at sea. Haiti's economy is the poorest in the hemisphere. Today, about 50,000 Haitians live in Palm Beach County, most in Delray Beach. The real number may be twice that. People here illegally don't appear in the census,
Legal or not, they have needs that impact the larger community, Most have no understanding of preventive care such as flu shots and mammograms, or of good nutrition or diabetes care. "Also, the health care system does not do enough to help Haitian refugees who don't speak English."
Ms. Abellard sends people to the Caridad Clinic in Boynton Beach or the Palm Beach County Health Department's center on 45th Street in West Palm Beach.
"Ms. Abellard's center," as grateful people describe it, is at 2300 Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard.
"I help them with my heart," she says, "because I love what I do." |
BEHIND THE CHECK
is an occasional article
about programs funded
by Palm Healthcare
Foundation. For
information, visit palmhealthcare.org
or call 833-6333 |
|
They come to her
because they have
terrible headaches, the result of soaring blood pressure, and no health insurance. They come to her because they don't speak English, have no job or don't 'understand the American health system.
They come because they have nowhere else to turn.
And she goes to them, speaking in Creole at the 3D-some Haitian churches in Palm Beach County, and to their homes, assuring them she is there to help, regardless of their legal status.
Since 1994, Yanick Abellard has been the executive director of the Intercultural Family Health Education Center in West Palm Beach. That's a necessary mouthful because she and her colleagues do
it all.
"Everyone has a story to tell," she says. "Most come to this country to work, often leaving families at home They miss their children terribly."
Ms. Abellard grew up |
|
