About Us

Dr. Ted Higgins has had a heart for Haiti since 1981. During his fourth year of general surgery residency at Yale, he and his wife, Kim, spent a three-month rotation at Hospital Albert Schweitzer in DesChapelles, Haiti. They were touched by the Haitian people, their culture, and their needs. They were inspired by Dr. Larimer and Gwen Mellon who devoted their lives to transformative work in healthcare, local economies, and access to water.

Ted was taken aback by the lack of surgical access for patients in the country. Many patients traveled for days for a surgical consultation. He encountered firsthand what it means for three-quarters of the world's population to live without adequate access to surgical care access.

Through his church in Kansas City, Missouri, Ted began annual trips to the Dominican Republic where volunteer medical teams provided healthcare to sugar cane cutters and their families in the bateys. Ted began operating in a borrowed clinic in 1992, when the Good Samaritan Hospital in La Romana was a dream under construction. Ted trained many of the Dominican surgeons to perform both laparoscopic abdominal procedures as well as vascular access procedures for patients with end stage renal disease requiring dialysis access.

In 2010, following Haiti's massive earthquake, Ted returned multiple times with mission teams to help with surgical cases in the east region. Patients travelled from afar seeking care. This was the beginning of the teaching experience that quickly grew in response to the tremendous need for care. Throughout his quarterly week-long trips to Fonds-Parisien, Ted and his team operated on about 60 patients per week. He appreciated the excellent accommodations and support of Haitian Christian Mission (HCM) and saw the need for more surgical capacity. In 2015, the idea of expanding the surgical capabilities was discussed and the Higgins Brothers Surgicenter for Hope (HBSH) began to take shape.

In 2015, the construction began on Higgins Brothers Surgicenter for Hope. The dedication and official opening of the Surgicenter was in December, 2016. The Higgins Brothers name honors Ted's father, Edward, and uncle, Paul. Both surgeon brothers were inspired by their father and grandfather to carry on a busy surgical practice in upstate NY. Dr. Edward trained in ENT at Syracuse Upstate Medical Center, and Dr. Paul trained in general surgery at Johns Hopkins Mdical Center. They both served 4 years in World War ll as physicians - Edward in Europe and Paul in the Pacific.  Both embraced the international work of medicine. They shared a 36-year practice, and were role models for medical students, physicians, and the wider community  for their exemplary patient care and civic involvement.

Higgins Brothers Surgicenter for Hope

Growth and Expansion

After more than a year of construction, the Higgins Brothers Surgicenter for Hope was dedicated on December 10th, 2016. The celebration was broadcast live on national television in Haiti, with government ministries and local officials attending. 
 
The Surgicenter was designed to initially provide opportunities for surgical mission teams to serve. Later, Dr. Ted and his surgical colleagues teamed with surgical residents from the General Hospital in Port Au Prince. On their quarterly visits to Haiti, a teaching program was established for the chief surgical residents and operating room nurses  to work directly with the mission surgeons. 
 
In 2018, several of the fine surgical and anesthesia residents were completing their training. To prevent them from leaving Haiti and going elsewhere to practice surgery, Dr. Ted offered an opportunity to develop their practice at the Surgicenter. The facility was and continues to be the only 24/7 provider in the entire region of Haiti for medical, surgical, and obstetric care.
 
Since then, the facility  has expanded to cover trauma and emergency surgery, as well as general, vascular, obstetric, gynecological, urological, and dental surgeries. A medical staff of 76 doctors, nurses, technicians, and employees now manage and operate the facility. Over 500 surgical procedures were performed in 2023 with over 150 C-sections.
 
In January, 2020, the Higgins Brothers Surgicenter for Hope assumed management of the Christ for All Hospital previously managed by Haitian Christian Mission (HCM) ministry. This meant maintaining the various clinics, and providing hospital care for pediatric and medical patients. In order to manage the various clinics with over 15,000 patient visits yearly, the new Shawn Warren Crowley Medical Building was constructed to provide needed space and efficiency for the medical, pediatric, HIV, and dental clinics. The second floor is a dormitory space for on-call doctors and nursing staff who provide 24/7 coverage. All of the Surgicenter and clinic areas are powered by 252 solar panels and 12 large lithium batteries.
 

Plans for Higgins Brothers Surgicenter for Hope

Because of the gangs crisis that has gripped Haiti in recent years, road travel for our medical personnel living in the Port Au Prince region is simply too dangerous. To protect our staff, a 22-unit medical staff living facility was construted up the hill from the Surgicenter. This eliminates the dangerous road travel for our employees work, and creates a safe living environment near the Surgicenter.
 
Additionally, an incentive housing program was established for medical staff with families. The program provides a $40,000 payment for land and building a new house. Half of this amount is repaid with a salary deduction over a 5-7 year work commitment period at the Surgicenter.
 
In 2023, construction began on a new maternity center, the only site in the region that will perform complex deliveries and c-sections. The second floor will contain offices and the SAE Community Room for staff meals, teaching, and respite. Completion is expected by late 2024.

View our Annual Gratitude Reports

      

Give online via our secure donation portal.

Or donate via PayPal