School of Respiratory Technicians

Program Manager Dr Rodrigue Thomas Charles

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​Up to a recent past, remarkable solo practitioners across the world cared for their patients with
precision, dedication, dignity, and outstanding clinical results. While these practitioners still exist in a
few corners of our globe, the model of care has evolved.

 

Today, complex case management requires collaborative practice involving multiple specialties. The Intensive Care Unit has become the central hub where these multidisciplinary teams deliver advanced modern treatment.

Among the essential treating professionals, one figure stands out: the respiratory therapist. These
specialists operate and manage complex respiratory appliances, carry out respiratory treatment plans,
and often play a critical role in life sustaining ability of the healthcare center.

 

In Haiti, as in many developing countries, this expertise has been largely absent. The COVID-19 pandemic brought this deficiency into sharp focus. Despite the availability of proper respiratory equipment and ventilators, many lives could not be saved simply due to the lack of properly trained technicians to operate them.

True to its mission, the AMHE Foundation, having been made aware of this urgent gap, concluded that
the most impactful contribution would be to develop a countrywide comprehensive training program for respiratory therapists in Haiti. These professionals will be the missing link essential in caring for patients with compromised pulmonary functions in any disease states including medical conditions such as cardiac diseases, and traumatic injuries.

Luckily, AMHE counts among its members an outstanding professional whose experience was uniquely suited to this mission. Dr Rodrigue Thomas Charles, a Board certified specialist in Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine had played a foundational role in creating the first New York State academic Respiratory Therapy program at the Hudson Valley Community College in the 1970s, during his long tenure at Albany Memorial Hospital. So, first step was to call upon him to implement such a program.

Dr. Charles brought not only a deep experience and expertise in the discipline, but also a fervor equal
only to his clear understanding of the Haitian regulatory environments and of the standards set by
international respiratory therapy organizations. He established partnerships with the American
Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) and with the International Council for Respiratory Care
(ICRC) to assist in developing a curriculum and guiding the program’s implementation.

 

Among his effort, Haiti had been admitted as member of the above named international council and is expected soon to become a member of other appropriate associations.

With the blessing of the AMHE Foundation leadership Dr. Charles has assembled a dedicated and
highly qualified working group, including:

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• Dr. Jean Lionel Jerome MD, MPH, RRT with specialized training in Respiratory Therapy.

• Dr. Raymonde Jean MD, Pulmonologist and Intensivist.

• Mrs Gina Louis RRT certified Respiratory Therapist currently practicing in Ottawa Canada.

• Mrs Lydia Forde RRT certified Respiratory Therapist currently practicing in the United States.

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The current plan is to base the school at the newly opened AMHE-GRAHN Health Center in Genipailler
in Département du Nord, Haiti, alongside with other higher specialized institution in the same locality.

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A vigorous fundraising campaign conducted by Dr Charles has begun in earnest and so far had borne
fruits, testifying to the eagerness of the larger public to back up such an initiative. We warmly invite
you to join the supporting community of this essential program.

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