Miami Dolphins/Sun Life Stadium, Project Medishare in partnership with the University of Miami Miller School and the University of Miami Global Institute announce the reconnecting of three children displaced by the earthquake that devastated the country of Haiti in 2010.
On Tuesday, June 21, there will be two communications facilities established, one at Sun Life Stadium and the other at Hospital Bernard Mevs in Port-au-Prince, which will bring together three children and their respective families that were separated when the children were Medevaced from Haiti.
Project Medishare for Haiti is a non-profit organization founded in 1994 by Drs. Barth Green and Arthur Fournier from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. It is an organization on a quest to achieve quality healthcare and development resources as part of its overall and continued relief efforts, building capacity and creating sustainability for the country of Haiti.
The children, along with their chaperones, will be picked up at 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday morning by Miami Dolphins staff from the New Life Family Shelter located at 3620 NW 1st Ave, Miami, FL 33127-3104. They are scheduled to arrive at Sun Life Stadium (Gate C, Blue Heron) at 10 a.m. and will be accompanied by Catherine Murphy of Project Medishare; Dr. Enrique Ginzberg, MD Professor of Surgery, Division of Trauma, and Surgical Critical Care, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, International Medical Director Project Medishare; and Dr. Chad Perlyn, MD, Miami Children’s Hospital.
The children that will be able to connect with their families include Peterson Exais (age 10), Belix Julian (age 10), and Junior Tunis (age 17). All three children arrived in Miami on January 26, 2010 shortly after the earthquake. Peterson has had to endure 16 surgeries for a serious head trauma and a missing ear. Julian underwent three surgeries for head injuries. Tunis has had three surgeries for an injury to his leg.
During the healing process and through their series of operations the children have attended school in Miami and are currently residing at the New Life Family Shelter, a division of Catholic Charities. Each child will have one half hour to communicate directly with their families in Haiti, who they have not seen since January of 2010. The telepresence system is used on a daily basis and provides telemedicine between the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, and Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare, Haiti’s only trauma and critical care hospital.
“We are proud to be a part of this on-going initiative to support Project Medishare/University of Miami Global Institute, the families abroad, and most certainly these three children who have been separated from their families for over a year,” said Adam Grossman, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for the Miami Dolphins.
About Sun Life Financial
Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization that provides a diverse range of protection and wealth accumulation products and services to individuals and corporate customers. Chartered in 1865, Sun Life Financial and its partners today have operations in key markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China and Bermuda. As of December 31, 2008, the Sun Life Financial group of companies had total assets under management of US $313.3 billion.
Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE), and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under ticker symbol SLF. Visit Sun Life Financial’s website at http://www.sunlife.com/us/.
About Sun Life Stadium
Sun Life Stadium, located in Miami Gardens, Florida, is a world-class sports and entertainment facility that hosts a wide variety of events, including Miami Dolphins football, Florida Marlins baseball, the FedEx Orange Bowl, University of Miami football, international soccer, the 2010 NFL Pro Bowl, and Super Bowl XLIV. The stadium has also been home to two World Series, four NFL Super Bowls, four BCS national championships, and numerous big-name concerts, including those of The Police and Madonna. Owned by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross, the Sun Life Stadium is the premier Stadium of the Americas. For more information, please visit www.SunLifeStadium.com.
About Project Medishare
Project Medishare for Haiti, Inc., a 501©3 non-profit registered in the State of Florida, was founded in 1994 by Drs Barth Green and Arthur Fournier from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. It is an organization dedicated to sharing its human and technical resources with its Haitian partners in the quest to achieve quality healthcare and development services for all. This mission is accomplished in several ways: a continuing commitment to rural communities by establishing and funding sustainable programs; training of Haitian physicians, nurses and allied health professionals’; and providing technology, supplies and equipment to our clinic in Thomonde and other affiliated programs throughout Haiti.
About the University of Miami Global Institute
The Global Institute for Community Health & Development aims to mobilize global collaborations in the pursuit of health and prosperity for all human beings. Led by the Miller School of Medicine and supported by schools throughout the University of Miami, the institute seeks to generate new knowledge and apply interdisciplinary solutions to impact the most challenging health and development dilemmas. The Global Institute will undertake community-driven health and development programs with a focus on under-served communities in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, helping to establish a new paradigm in the 21st century for universities in the United States and internationally, and to act as agents of global benefit.
For more information on the Project Medishare in partnership with University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and the University of Miami Global Institute, visit www.ProjectMedishare.org