President Bush greets Dr. Jean Pape.
At a special meeting held early last year at the White House, Dr. Jean Pape, professor of medicine at Weill Cornell and director of GHESKIO in Port-au-Prince, Haiti (Groupe Haitien d'Etudes du Sarcome de Kaposi et des Infections Opportunistes), highlighted the mounting AIDS crisis among the Haitian population as President George W. Bush announced details of his five-year, $15 billion plan to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean.
The goal of the meeting was to launch the Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). PEPFAR has been called a "work of mercy" targeting 14 highly afflicted countries: Botswana, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Guyana and Haiti.
In his speech, the president praised the efforts accomplished by Uganda and Haiti through the Cornell-GHESKIO program.
Prior to the launch, President Bush met privately with 10 citizens from the Unites States; Edith Grace Ssempala, Uganda's ambassador to the United States; and Dr. Pape. Among the President's staff who attended the meeting were Secretary of State Colin Powell, who recently visited the Cornell-GHESKIO site in Port-au-Prince on April 6; Health Secretary Tommy Thompson; National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice; and Advisor William Bolten. Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, a friend of Haiti and frequent visitor to GHESKIO was among the influential members of Congress in attendance.
According to a PEPFAR fact sheet, the plan's initiative is intended to "prevent 7 million new infections; treat 2 million HIV-infected people; and care for 10 million HIV-infected individuals and AIDS orphans." In addition, these 14 countries "have among the highest prevalences of HIV infection and account for nearly 20 million HIV-infected men, women, and children—almost 70 percent of the total in all of Africa and the Caribbean."
GHESKIO, which has strong ties to Weill Cornell, has been the leading medical facility in Haiti at the forefront of research, treatment and training in HIV/AIDS. Dr. Pape, an internationally recognized infectious disease expert and professor of medicine at Weill Cornell, is a 1975 alumnus of the Medical College. He, along with Dr. Warren Johnson, the B.H. Kean Professor of Tropical Medicine at Weill Cornell and chief of International Medicine and Infectious Diseases at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell, were instrumental in the founding and guidance of GHESKIO from its inception in 1982.
Dr. Pape comments on the AIDS crisis in Haiti as Secretary of State Colin Powell looks on.
GHESKIO was originally initiated as an organization with a modestly sized staff. Over the years, it has grown into an internationally renowned institution with a staff or more than 170 addressing a range of diseases. In 2002, GHESKIO established a new and expanded site, the Institute of Infectious Diseases and Reproductive Health.
During his visit to the GHESKIO site, Mr. Powell thanked Dr. Pape for all the work he was doing, adding, "through testing, through training, through education, through counseling, through the provision of antiretroviral drugs, you have a complete program here that means so much to the people of Haiti."
In addition, in a letter to Dr. Pape, Mr. Powell wrote, "Thank you for taking the time to show me the excellent work you and your courageous staff are doing in the fight against AIDS in Haiti. GHESKIO continues to be an example of what is possible with dedication and strong leadership, even under the most difficult circumstances. The U.S. Government is proud to be working with GHESKIO to extend critical treatment and other services throughout your country. I look forward to continuing strong collaboration with GHESKIO and the other outstanding Haitian institutions working toward this common goal."