19 April, 2005
AN URGENT APPEAL: Time is running out to prevent this new born from contracting the deadly HIV virus.
You can help save this child?s life by donating the baby formulae or financing the baby formulae. Please rush in your tax-deductible checks payable to Batey Relief Alliance at P.O. Box 300565, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11230. You may also donate expediently ONLINE.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, Batey Cojobal, January 28, 2005. On Thursday, November 20, 2004, a team from BRA Dominicana?s mobile health clinic visited the home of Nelly Santana to speak with her about BRA?s HIV/AIDS program, evaluate her living conditions, and take blood samples from her three children and former boyfriend. The BRA group included Dr. Jorge Vazquez, Katherine Buckel, a Peace Corps volunteer health educator/translator, Beth Krzyzkowski, photographer, and I.
Ms. Santana was diagnosed in December with HIV through the CONECTA-funded BRA HIV testing program at the mobile clinic. At the time, she was 39 weeks pregnant. We immediately referred her to the Centro de Atención Lotes y Servicios in Sabana Perdida, Santo Domingo, but was released and told to return a few days later to have a caesarian section. Ms. Santana failed to return because of financial constraints and advice from family members, and gave birth naturally in her community on December 15, 2005. The C-section would have reduced the risk for the new born to contract the HIV virus.
Ms. Santana lives in a tiny two-room shack in Batey los Guineos. The house has a 1-room kitchen facility/living area separated from a bedroom by a curtain. She lives with her mother, Seneda and her 4 children: Christian, age 8; Elizabeth, age 9; Jan Carlos, age 4; and Yunior, age 1 month. She reported living with two men in the past two years. The first, Deny De la Croix is the father of her oldest 3 children and lives in Batey Las Yayas. The second, Cambo (last name unknown) lives in Batey Hato San Pedro.
Dr. Vazquez took blood samples from the four children and Cambo. The three older children and the man tested negative, and the baby tested positive for HIV. Because the baby is so young, we have hope that the HIV antibodies given to the baby by his mother resulted in a false positive test. We were not able to locate Mr. De la Croix for testing.
Ms. Santana had fed the baby breast milk against advice from BRA doctors, but commenced feeding formula about 2 weeks after birth. The reality is that Ms. Santana has no money to purchase the formulae ? and the continuing breastfeeding to her child will likely result in his contraction of the virus. BRA Dominicana provided the baby with a week of formula, and has only one week?s supply remaining to offer Ms. Santana.
The HIV positive mother is forced to breastfeed her child because she has no money to buy baby formulae. BRA could only help with a two-week supply. We have until Wednesday, February 9th to re-supply the mother with baby formulae. You can help save this child?s life by donating the baby formulae or financing the baby formulae.
Because of extreme poverty, Ms. Santana was unable to afford transportation to undergo the C-section at the hospital and now is unable to buy formulae to feed her new born ? two incidents that could lead the child to contract the deadly HIV virus. In addition, the BRA program is under funded to help cover the costs of transportation and baby formulae for Nelly and the dozens of other mothers in the same predicament.
?I realize that there are financial complications with giving poor women in the bateyes free baby formula and ground transportation to receive basic treatment, but I am trying to keep the children’s interests in mind, and I see no alternative,? said Thomas Saxton.
The BRA HIV program currently serves 720 young people in the bateyes. They are given HIV/AIDS education and HIV testing free of charge at the mobile clinic. This year, BRA hopes to expand the network of young people in the program by a factor of 5 and to continue to test and educate 30% of this expanded group. Unfortunately, there is not sufficient funding to provide direct care or counseling to patients once they are diagnosed with HIV. They are given 2 free general medical consults to treat secondary illnesses at the clinic and one house visit. BRA does not employ any counselors or social workers trained to provide care to HIV positive patients, nor can it provide HIV/AIDS medications.
For more information on how you can help improve the BRA HIV program in the bateyes, please contact Ulrick Gaillard at bra@bkreative.net or (917) 627-5026.
Thank you in advance for your support.
We will keep you informed of our progress.
Sincerely yours,
Thomas Sexton
Volunteer Health Administrator
BRA Mobile Clinic
Batey Cojobal, Sabana Grande de Boya
Province of Monte Plata
