What About Haiti? & Conversations on Healthcare

A few minutes before 5pm on January 12, 2010, a massive earthquake rocked the small, island country of Haiti. Over the next few weeks, upwards of 50 more aftershocks raged through the already immense amounts of devastation. Almost 400,000 buildings, homes, businesses, governmental offices, were destroyed and the estimated death toll ranges from nearly 50,000 to 400,000 people.

The 60 second quake, wreaked complete havoc over the country.

But the question remains, did it have to happen this way? Earthquakes are not rare occurrences, but what is unique about this one, is the amount of damage, death and destruction that occurred. More than that, 3 years on, many parts of the Haiti still remain in shambles. Over 300,000 people still remain in tent cities, while $13 billion of international aid has been pumped into the country.

How could all of this have happened? Where has all of the money gone and why has this struggle begun to fall from the public eye. The question remains, what about Haiti?

The guest today is Bev Bell. Bev is an associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and the founder of the non-profit, Other World’s. She has been a community organizer in Haiti and is the author of the book Fault Lines: Views Across Haiti’s Divide.

5:30am
Conversations on Health Care is a radio show about the opportunities for reform and innovation in the health care system. In addition to health care headlines, the centerpiece of each show is a feature story and conversation with an innovator in the delivery of care from around the globe.
Co-hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter each bring four decades of experience in overcoming the barriers that block access to care in their work at community health centers. Their conversations with creative thinkers and doers from all parts of the field will enlighten and inspire all who believe that Health Care is a Right, Not a Privilege.

This week Mark and Margaret speak with surgeon and entrepreneur Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong who is Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s new CEO Council on Health and Innovation, which features CEO’s from some of the largest corporations in the country. Dr. Soon-Shiong discusses the Council’s efforts to construct an information superhighway for healthcare that is poised to revolutionize care delivery, payment models, evidence-based treatments and outcomes in health care


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