In May 1987, the Association Haïtienne de Diabète (ADH) was created by Dr. René Charles and his wife, Marie-José, under the patronage of the Port-au-Prince Lion’s Club. It started with two locations, one at the dispensary of the Saint-François de Sales hospital, and the other in Cité Soleil, at the Center for Health Development (CDS). There was very high demand for these popular clinics that offered treatment and information about diabetes. Over one hundred people attended each session.
Due the high occurrence of hypertension among people with diabetes, ADH became FHADIMAC (Fondation Haïtienne de Diabète et de Maladies Cardio-Vasculaires or the Haitian Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease Foundation) in 1993 and opened its headquarters at 208 Lalue in Port-au-Prince. The Saint-François de Sales and Cité Soleil clinics were transferred to that location. FHADIMAC was now able to provide other services, such as daily educational workshops and the sale of prescription medication at reduced prices for Foundation members.
FHADIMAC grew from a community clinic driven by volunteer Haitian physicians who were motivated by their desire to change the fate of diabetics severely limited in their access to the information or medication required to manage their disease. It currently has more than 13,000 registered members, a staff of over 20 employees, and is financed primarily through membership support and the sale of discounted medicine.
In 2003 FHADIMAC conducted a major survey on the prevalence rate of diabetes and high blood pressure in Haiti (PREDIAH), the results of which are still used as the baseline for statistics on diabetes and high blood pressure in Haiti.
The devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010 left hundreds and thousands of diabetics and high blood pressure patients with little to no access to medication. Thousands of people would have died without FHADIMAC’s assistance.
FHADIMAC continues to be the only foundation in Haiti dedicated to providing basic vital medical care, education and awareness to people with diabetes and high blood pressure.