Frequently
Asked Questions
1.
Question: Who is HHH?
Answer:
HHH, a non-sectarian IRS authorized 501-C-3 organization,
was incorporated in the State of New York in 2001. HHH was created
for the purpose of providing technical and clinical education and
training to medical, dental and nursing students and other healthcare
providers in developing countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin
America, as well as provide its international educational partners
with donations of medicine, medical and dental equipment and supplies
and academic linkages with U.S. based schools of higher medical,
dental and nursing education. HHH is committed to achieving sustainable
improvements in the levels of healthcare available to the poorest
of peoples living throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.
2.
Question: What makes HHH different from the many other charitable
organizations focusing on international healthcare?
Answer:
While HHH is a direct service provider, engaging in international
medical, dental and nursing mission trips to various countries in
Latin America, it does so only as part of a formal educational and
clinical demonstration/training effort. While HHH does actively
solicit donations of medicines and medical/dental equipment and
supplies, and ships these items as overseas freight to the Caribbean
and Latin America, it does so only to those sites where it has an
ongoing educational program in place. The supplies are utilized
as part of the educational and clinical training projects. HHH is
very scrupulous in ensuring that these donations are properly received,
disbursed and utilized by the recipient countries.
3.
Question: Are there any particular areas of focus for HHH and its
programs?
Answer:
Yes. HHH is particularly concerned about two targets: the medical,
dental and nursing education of the peoples of the Caribbean and
Latin America, as pertaining to the overall health of women and
children and those at high risk of poor health; and secondly, community
health education and advocacy, targeting the prevention of the spread
of communicable diseases. Within the category of women’s and
children’s health, not surprisingly there is a concentration
on maternal and newborn services. Community health projects stress
the control of the spread of tuberculosis(TB), HIV and AIDS. The
projects which HHH undertakes reflect these focal areas.
4.
Question: Does HHH have any formal partner(ship)s?
Answer:
Yes. HHH works closely with the Catholic Relief Services
(CRS), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Pan American
Development Foundation (PADF) of the Organization of American States
(OAS), AmeriCares, Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO), the College
of New Rochelle, the New York Medical College, the Mt. Sinai Medical
School (New York), North General Hospital of New York, the North
shore - Long Island Jewish Health System, MAGNet Missions (Ohio),
the Kettering College of Medical Arts (Ohio) and the School of Osteopathic
Medicine at Ohio University. HHH firmly believes in establishing
partnerships and will continue to seek out additional linkages.
5.
Questions: What does HHH mean when it speaks of “partnerships”?
Answer:
HHH works with medical, dental and nursing schools as well
as hospitals and health systems throughout Latin America and the
Caribbean. Once trusting and substantive relationships are developed
with such a Pan American organization, HHH then seeks to locate
an appropriate partnering organization within the continental United
States. Having done this, HHH develops various programs and projects
which facilitate the bilateral exchange of students, faculty, researchers
and other personnel, to the mutual benefit of both partners. Formal
affiliation agreements are developed and entered into, delineating
the responsibilities and privileges of both parties, and HHH continues
to serve as facilitator and liaison for these partnerships.
6.
Question: With an annual cash budget of approximately $500,000,
how can HHH hope to make a substantive difference?
Answer:
HHH operates on an extremely tight budget which is monitored very
carefully. The 2005 financials of HHH indicated that over 95% of
all the income went directly to services and programs, leaving less
than 5% for organizational overhead and operations. The vast majority
of HHH clinical and educational services and programs are provided
by volunteers who are committed to the mission and goals of HHH.
The operations of HHH are coordinated by its Executive Director
and staff in various “home offices” using telecommunication
and internet support and as a result, overhead is minimal. The Executive
Director provided her services in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003 on a
pro-bono basis and continues to serve with modest compensation.
Legal, medical, nursing and other health consultants provide pro-bono
support. Overseas freight is stored at a Newark based warehouse
facility which provides pro-bono space and Maersk Sealand carries
all of HHH’s cargo at “less than cost”. However,
HHH must address its needs for more staff and must locate funds
to support the reimbursement of critical program and support staff
if it is to sustain its activities in the future.
7.
Question: How does HHH raise funds?
Answer:
HHH executive staff devotes a great deal of time to fund
raising. In each of the years 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 over 100
grant applications were submitted to various foundations. In addition,
an annual mail solicitation takes place in December and an annual
fund raising Cocktail Party is held each September. These efforts
are extremely important ways to secure funds and as a result, these
efforts will continue. Additionally, HHH actively solicits donations
of pharmaceuticals from the major drug companies of the US as well
as seeks their financial support in the form of underwriting expenses
associated with educational conferences and medical and dental mission
trips. Finally, HHH relies upon the donations of medical and dental
equipment and supplies from hospitals, private practitioners and
healthcare systems around the country. These invaluable partners
collectively supplied HHH, and as a result numerous countries throughout
the developing world, with over $2.7 million in contributions of
medicine and medical and dental equipment and supplies in 2005.
8.
Question: Who are the major donors of grants to HHH?
Answer:
In 2002 the National SEIU Health Workers Union granted HHH $70,000
to fight TB in women and children in Haiti. In 2003 the New York
State Department of Health granted HHH $125,000 to continue this
effort, expanding it to the Dominican Republic. This grant was continued
at a $150,000 level in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Oscar Andres Cardinal
Rodriguez Maradiaga, the Archbishop of Honduras, reached out to
Catholic Bishops in the United States in 2002 and raised $90,000
to support the HHH projects in Honduras and the establishment of
the Pan American Health Care Network (June of 2003). Catholic Relief
Services (CRS) has entered into a multi-year contract with HHH for
the distribution of medicines and medical equipment and supplies
as well as the coordination of medical and dental brigades to Latin
America. Early in 2005 the PAHO provided HHH with a grant to support
its work in dental education, training dentists in Latin America
as to how they should treat HIV/AIDS patients. Foundations which
have contributed to HHH include the Rudin Family Foundation, the
Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, the Sunshine Lady Foundation,
the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, the McCaddin-McQuirk
Foundation, the Independence Community Foundation, John Hancock,
JPMorganChase, Mutual of America, the Catholic Communal Fund, the
Richmond County Savings Foundation, The Dolores and Russel Taylor
Foundation, the Pierre Fauchard Academy and the Daniel Lufkin Foundation.
9.
What are HHH’s immediate needs for 2006?
Answer:
HHH needs to raise approximately $250,000 from private
donors and organizations/corporations to match the grants of the
New York State Department of Health and Catholic Relief Services.
It also must raise additional funds to cover all of its programs
and projects, both domestic and international. These funds will
be used to:
| A.
Allow HHH to continue its program of overseas freight donations
of medical and dental equipment. |
| B.
Cover expenses associated with bilateral international exchanges
of medical and dental students and private attending faculty
from US and Latin American medical and dental schools. |
| C.
Enable HHH to continue its medical and dental mission trips. |
| D.
Underwrite the expenses associated with the Nursing Community
Health Advocate program in Honduras. |
| E.
Cover operating expenses of HHH. |
|
