Clinical Programs
Founded in 2013, Kay Mackenson Clinic addresses a critical gap in healthcare for Haitian children living with noncommunicable diseases. Our team provides comprehensive, long-term care for chronic conditions such as type 1 diabetes and heart disease.
Clinic Overview
The Kay Mackenson Clinic (KMC) was founded in January 2013 in Pierre Payen, Haiti, to address a critical gap in healthcare services for children with diabetes and other chronic diseases. KMC is a stand-alone outpatient facility that continues to serve as the country's leading pediatric chronic care center.
Patients are primarily referred from health centers in the Artibonite, Central Plateau, Port-au-Prince, and Northern Departments, though families travel from across Haiti to access KMC's specialized services.
KMC's care delivery model is built on a foundation of locally led, high-quality care. All routine medical services are provided by specialty-trained Haitian physicians and nurses, ensuring culturally grounded and sustainable service delivery.
External pediatric subspecialists contribute through targeted training, protocol development, and consultation as needed.
Care is designed to be comprehensive, patient- and family-centered, and continuous. Nurses are available 24 hours a day for follow-up and urgent calls, while a Haitian physician oversees all clinical care at all times.
An electronic medical record system supports consistent documentation, continuity of care, and secure communication with subspecialty consultants.
Children receive regular in-person visits at our outpatient clinic—typically monthly or quarterly—with phone follow-ups between visits.
Families receive cell phones if needed and have access to a 24-hour hotline for urgent questions.
Every child is routinely screened for diabetes complications.
Additional outreach efforts include:
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Raising awareness about childhood diabetes
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Training medical providers
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Supporting quality improvement, monitoring, and research
Diabetes Program
Kay Mackenson Clinic began treating a single child with diabetes in 2013 and has since grown to care for over 200 children and adolescents across Haiti.
Our comprehensive clinical care program equips patients and families with the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to effectively manage type 1 diabetes and live healthier lives.
Through the support of the International Diabetes Federation's Life for a Child program, we provide essential supplies including:
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Insulin
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Glucometers
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Glucose test strips
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Syringes
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Fast-acting glucose
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Glucagon for emergencies
Heart Program
Some children are born with heart conditions, while others develop them over time—for example rheumatic heart disease.
When heart problems become severe enough to affect heart function, surgery may be required.
Children may need artificial or prosthetic heart valves and often require lifelong blood thinners.
Kay Mackenson Clinic provides comprehensive follow-up care for children who have undergone heart surgery and ensures their blood is monitored regularly.
