The Sound of a Wooden Bell....Can you Hear us Now?

A Haitian proverb says:

"No one hears the cry of the poor or the sound of a wooden bell."

Haitian Hearts protested when OSF-SFMC was slow to do the heart surgery on a sick Haitian baby boy. After he arrested at home, we asked OSF, why? And when we went to the Catholic Diocese of Peoria to report this incident, we were told by the Vicar General to "let me know if this ever happens again."

Can you hear us now?

Haitian Hearts protested and notified the OSF Pediatric Resource Center when a young Haitian Heart's patient's pre operative work up was cancelled. She was put on the schedule immediately after we notified them of medical abandonment by Children's Hospital of Illinois.

Can you hear us now?

OSF-SFMC told the Journal Star that Haitian Hearts would not change at the end of 2001. We knew better. OSF cut all funding of Haitian Hearts six months later.

Can you hear us now?

Haitian Hearts picketed OSF when the Executive Director of Children's Hospital of Illinois called the American Consulate in PAP and asked the Consulate to deny any visas for children coming to OSF for heart surgery. The Consulate official in Haiti became tearful as she told me this story in Haiti. She knew that this would cost Haitian kids their lives. And it has.

Can you hear us now?

Haitian Hearts picketed OSF when Willie Fortune was denied any care at OSF when full charges were offered to OSF to pay for a new pacemaker after his old pacemaker failed. OSF's CEO Keith Steffen stood behind 88 year old Sr. Canisia while both looked out her administration office window at us. Mr. Steffen smiled as Willie and I stood on the sidewalk. Sister Canisia did not see Mr. Steffen's antics behind her, but Willie did.

Can you hear us now?

Keith Steffen told me that fear amongst empoloyees at OSF is a good thing.

Can you hear us now?

Jackson Jean-Baptiste and Maxime Petion both became ill in Haiti. Both were OSF patients and Haitian Hearts patients. Both needed repeat heart surgery to stay alive. OSF refused to care for either of them and they both died extremely painful deaths. Both are buried outside of Peoria.

Can you hear us now?

Heurese was denied repeat surgery at OSF too. She had heart surgery elsewhere and was denied a post operative outpatient echocardiogram at OSF. And last year OSF's attorney contacted the non immigrant visa section of American Consulate in Port-au-Prince requesting private information on Heurese. For what reason?

Can you hear us now?

And Jenny e mailed me from Haiti last night. She had heart surgery at OSF in 1999. She was on the fourth floor of a building in Port-au-Prince during the earthquake. She escaped with no physical injury. However, she states that she is not good and has lost all of her medication that Haitian Hearts provides her. She needs repeat heart surgery but OSF is denying her any care. Is this not insane?

Can you hear us now?

And Bishop Jenky assumed control of the Haitian Hearts program to cover for OSF's public relations nightmare. However, Bishop Jenky's fear of OSF's money was obvious when he told me that OSF was a "1.6 billion dollar industry" and refused a Catholic Tribunal Court against OSF stating, "I won't rule against OSF."

OSF and The Catholic Diocese of Peoria, can you hear the Haitian people now?

(Maxime Petion photo above, one month before his death.)