GHEP and World Missions Possible Team Up for Relief Trip to Sierra Leone

Aug. 16, 2012 - PRLog -- GHEP’s Dr. Thomas Flowers and Dr. Jason Gukhool will lead the World Missions Possible medical team in Sierra Leone to provide training in pediatric resuscitation and life support (abridged ACLS), advanced trauma care (abridged ATLS), CPR, sterilization / infection control and burn care, vision screening, eye care & free eyeglasses and EMS in region-initial capacity building.

Medical services and training to be provided at the medical school in Freetown, Koidu Government Hospital and Kono Amputee Clinic.

Team members and specialties are as follows:

- Medical Director:  Dr. Thomas Flowers (trauma & eye)
- Dr. Jason Gukhool (ultrasound training, cardiac)
- Joanne Fisher, RN (wound care, sterilization & infection control)
- Roxane Richter, EMT (vision screening & eye clinic)
- Brad Starkey, FP-C (trauma, pediatric burns & EMS systems)
- Dr.Sidikie Anthony Bangura (general surgeon)

The World Missions Possible medical team will have an array of medical equipment with them including several high-tech mobile ultrasounds, defibrillators, vascular dopplers, autorefractors and phoropters (eye), E.K.G., vital signs monitors & 75 different medications.

For patients with critical / acute disease or illness, WMP will provide or pay for US expert consults, surgical intervention, long-term hospital care, national insurance and / or medications on a case-by-case basis.

This care is urgently needed in response to an 11-year civil war (1991 to 2002) that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about 1/3 of the population).

Rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) used machetes to mutilate thousands of men, women and children in an apparent attempt to terrify people into supporting the rebels. Some have explained that the chopping off of arms was to stop people from voting (the use of fingerprints as voter identification is widespread). RUF rebels amputated the hands, arms, and legs of tens of thousands of Sierra Leoneans. The RUF indicated that the reason for these actions was that amputees could no longer mine diamonds, which might be used to support government troops. The election slogan at that time was that the people 'had power in their hands', so the RUF would hack the hands off to prevent voting.  

The WMP team will be addressing the following problems identified in the amputee communities, including a Cholera epidemic, endemic typhoid, malaria and parasitic diseases, poorly fitting or absent prostheses, widespread hunger, debilitating chronic pain, no eye care and mental health problems.

ABOUT WORLD MISSIONS POSSIBLE

Since 2001 World Missions Possible has been providing outreach to 16 developing  nations with people in need around the world in countries as varied as Bulgaria, Burundi, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ghana, India, Nicaragua, Mexico, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland Togo, Uganda, USA, Viet Nam and Zambia.

The organization has been recognized as "Best in America" by the Independent Charities of America.  Operating as an annually audited 501(c)3 organization, World Missions Possible averages 3% administrative costs and are a proud member of Combined Federal Campaign "Charities Under 5% Overhead".

More information is available at: http://www.worldmissionspossible.org