by Jerry L. Van Marter, Presbyterian News Service, and Pat Cole,communications associate

Hôpital Sainte Croix (Holy Cross Hospital) in Leogane, Haiti, an (Episcopal) Diocesan ministry that for decades has been a major focus of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission in Haiti, received serious damage in the Jan. 12 earthquake.

Earlier reports indicated that the hospital had collapsed, but more recent information indicates that the building is still standing. However, a guesthouse and an apartment owned by the hospital were destroyed. Hospital officials believe that all hospital staff survived the earthquake.

Less than a mile away, a nursing school owned by the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti—the PC(USA) partner church in the island nation—is hosting thousands of survivors who are living in tents on the campus. The faculty and students are providing medical care, but they lack medicine.

Sky News, an international news broadcaster based in London, filed a video report about the situation in Leogane, which included an interview with Hilda Alcindor, the nursing school dean.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance reports that food and fuel supplies are limited and there is urgent need to bring in these most essential resources at this time. PDA’s Carlos Cardenas is on the ground in Haiti with the immediate response team of the Geneva-based ecumenical ACT Alliance, which includes the PC(USA). ACT has helped establish 15 sites for distribution of relief items. Food and clean water are top priorities.

It is estimated that 200,000 families—nearly one million people—are without homes and living out in the open air. Temporary shelter is a focus for this next week, PDA coordinator Randy Ackley said. PDA and its partners are seeking to bring in 20,000 tents to Port-au-Prince next week. There are between 3,000 and 4,000 tents currently on site in Haiti.

The greatest need continues to be money. PDA has committed at least $500,000 in a short- and long-term response to the Haiti tragedy. More than $200,000 has already been sent from donations received since the quake and from the One Great Hour of Sharing offering receipts.

Contributions can be made:

• Through local church channels
• Online at the PDA Web site
• By phone at (800) 872-3283, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (EST) weekdays
• By mail to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, P.O. Box 643700, Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700. Make a memo of the Haiti account #DR000064.

Another way to help, PDA suggests, is by assembling “Gift of the Heart” kits for shipment and distribution to Haiti. Congregations and individuals can assemble hygiene kits and baby kits. Instructions are on the PDA Web site.

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