SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic. – In an effort to address critical healthcare needs of thousands of people living in border communities on both sides of the island of Hispaniola—shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the Batey Relief Alliance, last month, led a strategic meeting bringing to the table top Haitian and Dominican healthcare officials and international stakeholders to discuss disease prevention, control and reduction.

HIV/AIDS was high on the list as the two countries combined account for more than 75% of HIV/AIDS cases in the Caribbean region and second highest to sub-Saharan Africa. “Although both Haiti and the Dominican Republic have made tremendous effort to address and reduce rates of infection, but the threat of the disease is still great among vulnerable people and communities,” said Ulrick Gaillard, CEO of the Batey Relief Alliance.

The Ministry of Health of Haiti, the Dominican Presidential Council on HIV/AIDS—COPRESIDA, the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and others, all, have pledged their support to the Batey Relief Alliance’s proposed healthcare and HIV/AIDS expansion into poverty-stricken, neglected and isolated border communities of Anse-a-Pitres and Pedernales.