She also matches the skills of the volunteers with the needs of the hospital and acts as a liaison between the American volunteers, the hospital, the Haitian community, and the Episcopal Church of Haiti. Haiti, an island in the Carribean, is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. The hospital has 120 beds and physicians see an average of 150 patients a day on an outpatient basis. H pital Sainte Croix also oversees and manages the Community Medical Center in nearby Darbonne, which trains health care workers from all over Haiti, and supervises 115 health care workers in the L ogane commune. These health care workers serve in very remote areas, often providing the only health care available to the population.
Tropical diseases are prevalent, along with malnutrition.
Fortunately, Hopital Sainte Croix over the years has attracted many physicians and surgeons who volunteer time every year, providing rural health clinics and specialized operations that otherwise would not be possible. The hospital is also blessed with general volunteers willing to do painting, carpentry, or general maintenance work. Living with her grandparents in Haiti at an early age, Victoria saw mission service modeled, and she developed a special connection with, and concern for, the Haitian people. She has been a volunteer with American Baptists in Haiti several times and before this position was involved in ministry with Haitian refugees in the San Francisco Bay area. Victoria says that despite their poverty and oppressive conditions, the Haitian people have impressed her with their hospitality, resilience, and charming personalities.