This is episode number eleven, and today we speak with Patricia Cornet, a changemaker and healthcare committee member at capracare. Pat is passionate about delivering health-focused solutions to ensure access to innovative treatments for patients and advancing women's careers and the development of young girls. She has over fifteen years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and is the Co-Founder of Women of Color in Pharma. She’s an expert in external relations, designing roles that bridge perspectives between groups who don’t always come together to solve complex clinical practices and treatment access challenges. She’s an avid advocate and proponent of inclusivity in the workplace and society. In 2015, she co-founded an informal network to address gaps for women of color in the pharmaceutical industry. Pat is a mother, novice runner, and cellist and has been actively involved in non-profit activities focused on advancing women and young girls. Our conversation was impactful and encouraging, and I cannot wait for you to join in! Here we go! 

Support the show

______________________
Help us fund critical healthcare, emergency relief, education and development programs to residents in the Southern District of Haiti

To donate or learn more about capracare, visit us at capracare.org

If you'd like to be featured or simply want to say hello, email us at [email protected] or visit anactofcourage.org

This is episode number ten, and today we have the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Junior Brice, the Director of Mental Health at Partners in Health, a global non-profit organization focused on providing a preferential option for the poor in health care. In January 2022, in collaboration with capracare, Dr. Brice sent his staff to capracare Haiti to provide mental health training to capracare staff. In this episode, we discuss Haitian mental health related to the past 12 years of the ongoing crisis, earthquakes, hurricanes, illnesses such as cholera and covid 19, and civil unrest, among many other various efforts being done to support Haitians' mental health. He is an expert in global health, social marketing, norms, and social changes. He is an avid advocate for mental health stability, especially with those that are sick. His story is an eye-opener of the tremendous work being done in Haiti today. We are glad to call him our Partner and friend. Hope you enjoy our conversation, here we go!

For more information and episode details visit:  www.anactofcourage.org/episode09

Support the show

______________________
Help us fund critical healthcare, emergency relief, education and development programs to residents in the Southern District of Haiti

To donate or learn more about capracare, visit us at capracare.org

If you'd like to be featured or simply want to say hello, email us at [email protected] or visit anactofcourage.org

This is episode nine, and today I’m excited to present our special guest, David Mercaldo. David is a long-time capracare changemaker and former Youth Program Committee Member.  Outside of capracare, He is a tech-savvy educator with over fifteen years of classroom experience who is most ardent about closing the opportunity gap for underserved children. He is deeply in tune with the social-emotional needs of his students and relishes opportunities to promote literacy and leadership skills. During Covid-19, he began creating educational content for his students and friends with children using the handle: @learningwithMrMercaldo. He is passionate about improving the quality of education with his newly launched curriculum and consulting services company called Seeing in Color in the Classroom. In his spare time, he leads a publishing club at New Heights Middle School, where he mentors youth to write books, poetry, and magazine articles. David just published the book Garfield Goes to Haiti with one of his former students; in fact, he donated copies to capracare for the children in Haiti. His story and background are nothing short of courageous. Hope you enjoy our conversation. Here we go!

For more information and episode details visit:  www.anactofcourage.org/episode09

Support the show

______________________
Help us fund critical healthcare, emergency relief, education and development programs to residents in the Southern District of Haiti

To donate or learn more about capracare, visit us at capracare.org

If you'd like to be featured or simply want to say hello, email us at [email protected] or visit anactofcourage.org

This is episode number 8, and today I’m interviewing capracare’s Board member and Jean Pierre-Louis’s former undergraduate professor, Dr. Jean Grassman. She is an industrial hygienist and environmental health scientist with over 25 years of experience. Her specialty includes studying the sources, detection, and impact of chemical exposure in vulnerable populations with an emphasis on biological monitoring approaches. Today she teaches biology-based public health courses to undergraduates at Brooklyn College. At the Graduate School of Public Health, she teaches courses in occupational health, emerging environmental issues, and environmental auditing and remediation. Dr. Grassman has been instrumental in numerous projects that have been deployed by her in Haiti. Nothing short of courageous, she is a remarkable person and a pleasure to interview. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

For more information and episode details visit:  www.anactofcourage.org/episode08

Support the show

______________________
Help us fund critical healthcare, emergency relief, education and development programs to residents in the Southern District of Haiti

To donate or learn more about capracare, visit us at capracare.org

If you'd like to be featured or simply want to say hello, email us at [email protected] or visit anactofcourage.org

This is episode number 7 and today I’m honored to host capracare’s Board of Directors Chairman, Cordell Brown. Cordell was the first board member recruited by our CEO Jean Pierre-Louis. Cordell spent most of his career with Metlife in the strategic planning field; he was responsible for driving and implementing strategic planning policies and processes, monitoring performance against plans, and supporting significant initiatives that drove results. After retiring, he knew in his heart he wasn’t done. Instead of returning to corporate America, he ventured into a more meaningful role in the non-profit sector. Today, besides being our Chairman, he is also the Vice President for the non-profit organization Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, an organization focused on providing deep global expertise to make philanthropy more thoughtful, equitable, and effective. He was a joy to interview, and I hope you all enjoy his story as much as I did. Here we go… 

For more information and episode details visit:  www.anactofcourage.org/episode07

Support the show

______________________
Help us fund critical healthcare, emergency relief, education and development programs to residents in the Southern District of Haiti

To donate or learn more about capracare, visit us at capracare.org

If you'd like to be featured or simply want to say hello, email us at [email protected] or visit anactofcourage.org

Welcome to Season 2 of An Act of Courage! Hosted by Marielis Figueroa, this season we are bringing in more global health topics and partnerships! So what are you waiting for? Subscribe to our podcast; we cannot wait for you to join us.

This podcast is brought to you by capracare,a trusted community health resource in the Southern region of Haiti, providing over 400,000 service encounters since 2009.

Did you know that our organization mobilizes local volunteers and staff, healthcare and public health professionals, and members of the global humanitarian community to provide primary and preventative care, education, youth development, and emergency response to rural communities in Southern Haiti?

Head over to capracare.org to stay up to date with every act of courage. 

Support the show

______________________
Help us fund critical healthcare, emergency relief, education and development programs to residents in the Southern District of Haiti

To donate or learn more about capracare, visit us at capracare.org

If you'd like to be featured or simply want to say hello, email us at [email protected] or visit anactofcourage.org

Meet Dr. Cassandra Esperant. Dr. Esperant is a pharmacist that practices HIV prevention. She believes that educating the urban community will decrease the disparities in the HIV pandemic due to institutionalized racism. As a black woman she is passionate about decreasing the divide in the black communities by empowering them to take initiative to lessen the divide and take back control. Cassandra would like pharmacist to prescribe HIV prevention regimen per collaborative agreement to patients to increase access, and reduce HIV transmission. She loves advocacy, and her interest peaked for HIV because she remembers watching the Haitian community protest the CDC’s false accusations of Haitians being a cardinal cohort that causes HIV.  Her self-proclaimed purpose is to add value to all those she comes into contact with on a daily basis.   She believes that there is a need to increase access and awareness in the urban communities (particularly black homosexual men and black women) for HIV prevention. She is also on the healthcare committee for capracare where she assists in ordering the medications for the clinic on the ground from drug companies who offer subsidized prices for medical missions.

In this episode, we speak about Dr. Esperant’s passion to break the stigma around HIV and AIDS while serving the people of Haiti. She shares her thoughts on the lack of sexual education in Haiti and why that might contribute to the taboo nature of HIV and we learn how she is working with capracare to serve women in Haiti who may have cervical cancer.

Episode Highlights:

• Introduction (0:00)
• How Cassandra got connected with capracare (04:15)
• Growing up in the states as a Haitian American (05:09)
• What Cassandra wanted to be when she grew up (05:51)
• The CDC’s falsely claimed 4 H’s (07:49)
• How Cassandra feels about how young children were bullied and harassed just for being Haitian (10:40)
• Cassandra’s involvement with the Haitian American Pharmacists Association (12:33)
• Cassandra’s thoughts on sexual education (or the lack thereof) in Haiti (16:20)
• How Cassandra is working with capracare to eradicate cervical cancer in Haiti (19:15)
• Cassandra’s words on how to keep inspiration and hope in the midst of hardship in Haiti (21:34)
• Courage is… (24:39)
• Cassandra’s one act of courage (25:28)
• Ending remarks (27:28)

Support the show

______________________
Help us fund critical healthcare, emergency relief, education and development programs to residents in the Southern District of Haiti

To donate or learn more about capracare, visit us at capracare.org

If you'd like to be featured or simply want to say hello, email us at [email protected] or visit anactofcourage.org

Meet Rosemonde Pierre Louis. Rose is a highly recognized public sector leader known for driving social and economic change. Ms. Pierre-Louis is the Executive Director of the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at New York University. She is also the host of season two of the podcast Black Boys and Men: Changing The Narrative. From 2014-2016, Ms. Pierre-Louis served as Commissioner of the NYC Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence (OCDV). Ms. Pierre-Louis  also served as Manhattan Deputy Borough President from 2006-2013 and led several of the Office's key initiatives. Ms. Pierre-Louis, an attorney by profession, has served in leadership positions at several public interest law organizations and taught for six years as an adjunct professor at Fordham University School of Law. Rose is the Founder of the Haitian Roundtable and the Frederick Douglass Boulevard Alliance and serves on the Board of the New American Leaders Action Fund. Ms. Pierre-Louis is the recipient of numerous awards and most recently was recognized as the Public Servant of the Year by the Metropolitan Black Bar Association. Ms. Pierre-Louis received her undergraduate degree in political science from Tufts University and her juris doctorate from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. 

In this episode, we connect on the power of the immigrant story. Rose speaks about the importance of redefining the narrative about Haiti and Haitians. We discuss why Rose has dedicated her career in service of vulnerable populations in New York who lack access to the legal justice system and have experienced intimate partner violence. And finally, speak about how inspired Rose is by the work that capracare does and why she continues to support its important initiatives.

Episode Highlights:

• How Rose and JPL met (03:06)
• Rose’s upbringing and early days (06:50)
• What is the “Brain Drain”? (09:26)
• The importance of the immigrant story (13:29)
• Being the Executive Director of the McSilver Institute of Poverty Policy at NYU and the journey getting there (16:10)
• What made Rose so passionate about representing survivors of intimate partner violence (19:55)
• The Haitian Roundtable. What it is and what sparked the idea (24:00)
• How HRT redefines the narrative of Haiti and Haitians (33:05)
• How capracare continues to inspire Rose (38:40)
• Courage is… (42:43)
• Rose’s one act of courage (44:28)
• How to get in touch with Rose and get involved with HRT (49:13)

For more information and episode details visit:  www.anactofcourage.org/episode05

Support the show

______________________
Help us fund critical healthcare, emergency relief, education and development programs to residents in the Southern District of Haiti

To donate or learn more about capracare, visit us at capracare.org

If you'd like to be featured or simply want to say hello, email us at [email protected] or visit anactofcourage.org

Meet Skyler Badenoch, CEO of the organization Hope for Haiti. During this conversation, we bring you back to Skyler’s early days. The days when he was a serial intern, eager to learn anything and everything about the world. His first experiences within the world of public health was in West Africa where he found himself serving for the Peace Corps. He speaks of moments of riding through earthy puddles in torrential downpour, running around with children who teased him for his terrible native language skills, delivering polio vaccines, and living in close quarters with women who had little access to maternal healthcare. He grew his passion for service and international development by working for an organization called BuildOn, building schools in several countries around the world. This is where he met a mentor and leader that exuded what it means to be truly courageous. Now, as the CEO of Hope for Haiti, he continues to live into his values by serving the people of Haiti to live joyous and full lives. His countless stories will leave you thinking… “Have I had a ‘riding through puddles moment’ in my life”?

Episode Highlights:

• Skyler brings us back to the beginning (01:40)
• Skyler's time in the Peace Corps in West Africa (06:00)
• Skyler’s parents reactions to him joining the Peace Corps (15:42)
• Intense experiences while at the Peace Corps (16:45)
• Learning to speak the local language and how important it was to Skyler (17:50)
• Building schools with BuildOn (20:35)
• The reverse culture shock after coming back from West Africa (20:50)
• Skyler’s experiences working with BuildOn in Haiti (22:36)
• The BuildOn methodology (25:28)
• Moving into the role of CEO for Hope for Haiti (31:52)
• How Hope for Haiti has collaborated with other organizations to create impact (36:42)
• How Hope for Haiti measures outcomes for poverty and the resilience of people after natural disasters and instability (42:05)
• Hope for Haiti’s vision (48:30)
• Courage is… (50:38)
• Skyler’s one act of courage (57:09)
• How to get in contact with Skyler and learn about Hope for Haiti (01:02:41)

For more information and episode details visit:  www.anactofcourage.org/episode04

Support the show

______________________
Help us fund critical healthcare, emergency relief, education and development programs to residents in the Southern District of Haiti

To donate or learn more about capracare, visit us at capracare.org

If you'd like to be featured or simply want to say hello, email us at [email protected] or visit anactofcourage.org

Meet Jo Ann Heppermann! She is the Chair of the International Service Committee of the Prospect/Goshen Rotary Club in Kentucky. During this conversation, Jo Ann gives us a glimpse of how her life changed after one trip to Haiti with capracare and her experience with meeting a Haitian woman. This is her “Rotary Moment.”  After this trip, she became dedicated to serving the women of Haiti who suffer from cervical cancer. Did you know that cervical cancer is Haiti’s leading cause of death in women? In partnership with capracare, Jo Ann’s passion shines through brightly in this discussion of what true service looks like and how you can get involved as well. We appreciate her greatly.

Episode Highlights:

• How Jo Ann went from law to philanthropy and service (this story is a fun one!) (2:18)
• What Jo Ann’s rotary club does for the local community in Kentucky (9:58)
• What sparked her interest in international philanthropy (13:19)
• Jo Ann’s first time in Haiti with capracare (16:44)
• Why serving women with cervical cancer is so important to Jo Ann (29:01)
• What did Jo Ann’s trip to Haiti do for the future of women in Haiti (31:22)
• Courage is… (36:36)
  • Just never give up
• Jo Ann’s Act(s) of Courage (37:26)
• How to get in contact with Jo Ann and her Rotary club (42:03)

For more information and episode details visit:  www.anactofcourage.org/episode03

Support the show

______________________
Help us fund critical healthcare, emergency relief, education and development programs to residents in the Southern District of Haiti

To donate or learn more about capracare, visit us at capracare.org

If you'd like to be featured or simply want to say hello, email us at [email protected] or visit anactofcourage.org