New York State Assemblywoman Judy Griffin (D-Rockville Centre) honored Dr. Thierry Duchatellier, chief of cardiology at Mercy Medical Center, as a Warrior for Wellness.
In addition to his work at the Rockville Centre-based hospital, Dr. Duchatellier also gives back to his native Haiti by going back every year to provide free medical services and medications.
Dr. Duchatellier has always been fascinated with the human heart. After a part-time staffer at Mercy was confirmed as the first coronavirus patient on Long Island, the doctor and his team worked overtime helping the infectious disease team and emergency room physicians manage and treat COVID-19 patients so they could ultimately recover.
Noting the enormous toll the pandemic was taking on his colleagues, friends, and co-workers, Dr. Duchatellier immediately jumped into action, procuring scarce supplies of personal protective equipment and offering words of support.
Growing up in Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, Dr. Duchatellier saw firsthand the devastating effects a broken healthcare system could have. Dr. Duchatellier and his wife of more than 20 years, Fatima, who now call Malverne home, now travel at least once a year with their daughter and son back to their birth home of Haiti to provide free medical services and distribute much-needed medications.
Their missions are supported by the Foundation for Hope and Health in Haiti, a Uniondale-based nonprofit charitable organization that Dr. Duchatellier founded with like-minded physicians in the aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. As the group’s chief medical officer, Dr. D spearheads the group’s efforts to provide healthcare and community support to the poorest and under-served areas of Haiti.
