In 2004, two Kansas City doctors returned from a medical mission trip to Haiti, realizing that the effect of their visit ended when they left. Dr. Elizabeth Wickstrom and Dr. Stan Shaffer had a vision of providing ongoing services in rural, under served Haitian communities where high quality maternal and infant health care was absent.
Maison de Naissance, a modern, culturally appropriate maternal center, was established in 2004 in Torbeck, Haiti, and is sponsored by Global Birthing Home Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit public charity based in Leawood, KS. Since its establishment, Maison de Naissance has performed over 8,500 healthy deliveries, and conducted more than 390,000 total consultations.
Global Birthing Home Foundation operates in Haiti as a non-governmental organization, shares oversight of the birth center’s operations, and is responsible for fundraising for all programs and operations.
Your gift will help Maison de Naissance continue to deliver healthy babies to healthy mothers, where every day is Mother’s Day.
(Introductory video produced in 2007 with statistics to date as of publication.)
Our major affiliations and partners:
- The Episcopal Diocese of Haiti (Eglise Episcopale d’Haiti)
- Helping Children Worldwide
- Direct Relief International
- Hope for Haiti
- Midwives for Haiti
- Children’s Medical Mission of Haiti
- AmeriCares
- The E. Grey Dimond MD Program in International Medicine of the University of Missouri – Kansas City, School of Medicine
- The Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri
- The Haitian Episcopal Learning Partnerships (HELP) Foundation
- St. Luke’s Hospital, Kansas City, MO
Co-Founders of Maison de Naissance:
- Dr. Elizabeth Wickstrom and Dr. Stan Shaffer
Global Birthing Home Foundation Staff:
- Jim Grant, Executive Director, is a graduate of the University of Nebraska in Omaha with a BS in Economics, a minor in Decision Sciences, a business certificate in Systems Networking from MIT, a PMI certificate in project management, and twenty years of professional IT experience, including international consulting (two years with the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority) and US regional office management. He has been working for GBHF since 2008, and Executive Director since April 2011.
Governance:
- Elizabeth Wickstrom, MD, FACOG, President, is a co-founder of Maison de Naissance, and a Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist with 30+ years of experience. She divides her time between her family, her medical practice, her church, and the Global Birthing Home Foundation.
- Abbey Masonbrink, MD, MPH, Co-Vice-President, is a pediatrician and Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine. Abbey is a recently returned Kansas City native, and her personal goal is improving health disparities in vulnerable populations. She joined the board in 2016.
- Guy Montes, Co-Vice-President, is a native Haitian from Port-au-Prince, son of the well-known and influential Episcopal priest Father Gesner Montes. Guy moved to the USA in 1998 to attend the University of Kansas, graduated with a degree in Flute Performance, and went on to earn an MBA Essentials certificate. He joined the board of directors in 2015 and is a founding member of two music groups, Cucharada and Mundo Nouvo.
- Janice Taylor, Treasurer, is retired from a 40 year career in IT management. She is a 2014 graduate from Rockhurst University with a BA in Nonprofit Leadership, with an emphasis on fundraising/development. Founder of the annual Kansas City Haiti Symposium and actively involved with supporting Haiti ministries since 2004. Janice joined the board in 2016.
- Margaret F. McCann, PhD, Secretary, is a Reproductive Health Epidemiologist. She is recently retired from being the Deputy Editor of the journal EPIDEMIOLOGY. Her work in Haiti has included volunteering at Hôpital Albert Schweitzer in the Artibonite region of Haiti. She joined the Foundation board in 2015.
- Jen Ballard, MD, FACOG, our newest board member, is a Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist
- Fr. Frantz Casseus, PhD, is an Episcopal Priest (Canon to the Ordinary in the Diocese of Haiti), and a Consulting Psychologist with more than 35 years in private and institutional practices in family therapy and behavioral modification. He is currently Clinical Instructor at Mars and Kline Psychiatric Center of Port-au-Prince. He has been involved with the Foundation since 2013.
- Jamie Haeuser has a master’s in Health Care Administration and a BA in History. She is a principal at Haeuser Health Strategies, and a faculty member at the American College of Healthcare Executives. Jamie is the chair of the development committee.
- Lydia Dickey is a very successful Haitian American business entrepreneur, with a passion for helping those in her home country.