People do not become migrants because they have a nice life. They usually flee poverty, persecution, a totalitarian regime, poverty or war. However, even in a developed country, it is very difficult for them to live a secure life. After all, everything around is foreign and complicated. No one understands an immigrant better than someone who has faced all of the challenges of life in a foreign country. In this article, we will tell you about Jean Robert Macenat, a talented doctor from the Caribbean who moved to America many years ago and achieved great success, becoming a respected medical professional. But he hasn’t forgotten his roots and is eager to assist Spanish-speaking residents of the Bronx in receiving the qualified medical care they are limited to. Read more at i-bronx.
Why did Jean Robert Masenat leave his native country?
Jean was born and raised in Haiti. Human frivolity has caused this Afro-Caribbean country to lose precious natural resources and become one of the poorest in America. As a result of poor management, 98% of the forests in this area were destroyed. Naturally, there were repercussions for such barbarism. The significant loss of forest resources in tropical climates has resulted in catastrophic flooding. In 2010, Haiti faced another major disaster: a devastating earthquake that killed 300,000 people.
The situation in the country is no better in political and economic terms. Dictatorships, coups, economic crises, etc. As a result of total disorder, 80% of the Haitian population lives in poverty.
You can also read more about the cholera epidemic in New York here.
It is hardly unexpected that young people are attempting to flee a hopeless country and seek a better life elsewhere. So did Jean Robert Macenat.
Jean’s path to becoming a doctor
First, Jean Robert Macenat traveled to Mexico. As a bright and capable young man, he decided to study at the medical faculty of the Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla. In addition to his knowledge of medicine, Jean excelled at learning several languages. Therefore, he is fluent in Spanish, Creole, English, Haitian and French. After graduating from university, Macenat did not want to stay in Mexico, despite being offered a position in a local hospital. Instead, the man’s long-held goal was New York.
In the Bronx, Jean Robert Macenat entered residency at Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center. He successfully completed his studies and continues to work at this institution. There, he worked from 1999 to 2005 at the Tiffany Clinic. After several years of practice, Jean Robert Macenat retired entirely to private practice. In 2005, he opened his own clinic, Concourse Village Primary Care, located at 769 Concourse Village West Bronx, NY.
For more than 19 years, the former immigrant, who is now a US citizen, has worked and helped others maintain their health.
The main mission of the doctor from Haiti
Regardless of how long Jean has lived in America, he remains in close contact with those he understands well. Those who end up in a foreign country with a sense of loneliness and confusion, limited rights and a lot of questions.
While still working at Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center, Jean Robert Macenat spent his spare time giving personal medical advice to the Latin American Spanish-speaking population. After all, these are typically low-income families with limited access to quality healthcare. Jean pays special attention to lectures and the knowledge base. He thinks it is preferable to prevent diseases than treat them. As a result, he frequently delivers educational sessions to Spanish-speaking residents of the Bronx on a variety of topics.
“Being from the Caribbean, I consider myself a member of the Hispanic and Caribbean communities. The majority of my patients are from the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean, particularly Jamaica. Many of them oppose traditional medicine in favor of plant-based treatment. If you have to pay for access to medications, they would rather do something else than visit a doctor. So I want to help them. It is not about working for money. I’m moved to see that as a doctor, you can change and improve people’s lives,” says Jean Robert Macenat.
This is his perspective on his vocation. Jean might have had a successful career at one of the major medical centers in New York. He had all of the necessary qualifications: knowledge, experience and good recommendations. However, he chose a different path: he established a small but independent clinic that serves individuals who need support and help the most.
Read an article about a new medical facility for people with mental illnesses here.