Haitian Hero's Day February 4, 2011

As part of Black History Month, the Homestead Campus of Miami Dade College will host a program for Haitian Heroes’ Day also known as Ancestors’ Day (Jour des Aieux). Heroes’ day is an occasion for remembering the founders of Haiti and the individuals who sacrificed their lives during the struggle for independence in the early 19th century. The tributes held on Ancestors' Day in Haiti and in immigrant communities are testimony to the emphasis Haitian culture places on remembering the country's forefathers.
This year, the Homestead campus will recognize Dr. Barth Green, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery of the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Green is a world-renowned specialist in the surgical management of complex spinal cord injuries and disorders and a co-founder of “The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis,” the largest and most comprehensive spinal cord injury and paralysis research center in the world. Dr. Green is also a co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of Shake-A-Leg Miami, an adaptative watersport center which combines education with recreation. This innovative program annually serves over 12,000 children and adults with physical, developmental, and economic challenges.
Aside from these important initiatives here in the United States, Dr. Green co-founded Project Medishare for Haiti 16 years ago to help improve the health status of Haiti’s citizens. Before the disastrous earthquake on January 12, Project Medishare was serving over 85,000 Haitians in some of the poorest and most isolated areas of Haiti.
Immediately after the earthquake on January 12th, Dr. Green gathered a small group of doctors and traveled to Haiti in a private airplane, taking with them what they could in a short time in order to provide emergency medical care to victims of the earthquake. Initially working out of the United Nations facility at the airport in Port-au-Prince, Dr. Green and his team treated hundreds of critically injured and ill Haitians every day. The University of Miami/Project Medishare field hospital treated over 30,000 patients and performed over 1,500 emergency surgeries since the earthquake and served as the only referral center for all severe trauma in Haiti.
Dr. Green will give a short presentation on his missions to Haiti followed by a question and answer session.