Operation Smile launches mission to Ethiopia
Operation Smile Medical Mission to Take Place in Jimma and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, From November 30-December 8, 2006
Basic Life Support Course Held in Addis Ababa November 13-17
Trained More Than 100 Ethiopian Healthcare Professionals
November 21, 2006 (JIMMA/ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA) – An Operation Smile Medical Mission team will arrive in Jimma and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for simultaneous medical missions taking place November 30-December 8, 2006 to assist children born with facial deformities. Founded in 1982, Operation Smile, is a worldwide children’s medical charity dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children and young adults.
Who: Two Operation Smile International Mission Teams each comprised of 35-40 credentialed medical professionals from around the world to include:
Dr. Jill Gora, Pediatrician from New Jersey
Dr. Ben Hu, Anesthesiologist from California
Dr. Steve Naum, Plastic Surgeon from Michigan
Jodi Streiff, RN, Clinical Coordinator from Utah
Samson Tesfaye, Operation Smile Ethiopia Country Manager
When: November 30-December 8, 2006
Where: Jimma University Specialized Hospital, Jimma, Ethiopia
Black Lion Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
To prepare for this medical mission, Operation Smile, in collaboration with the Addis Ababa Health Bureau and Menelik II Clinical Nurses Training School, conducted a Basic Life Support (BLS) course from November 13-November 17, 2006 at the school’s Dormitory Hall. More than 100 healthcare professionals from public and private hospitals participated in the five-day training course. The BLS for Healthcare Providers Course is intended for participants who provide healthcare to patients in a wide variety of settings. These healthcare providers include doctors, nurses, paramedics, medical technicians, respiratory therapists, physical and occupational therapists, doctor’s assistants, registrars, interns, medical and nursing students in training, aides,medical and nursing assistants and other allied health personnel. The Course is a prerequisite for advanced courses in resuscitation, including Advanced Cardiovascular
Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Neonatal Life Support (ANLS), Advanced Medical Life Support (AMLS) and BLS Instructor Courses. The Course is comprised of 38 modules and teaches the skills of CPR and choking for victims of all ages, including ventilation with barrier devices, pocket masks, bag-valve-mask devices with supplemental oxygen, and the use of Automated External Defibrillators. To participate on an Operation Smile medical mission, nurses must be trained and certified in PALS and BLS, anesthesiologists are required to be certified in PALS and ACLS and pediatricians must be PALS certified.
Operation Smile’s 2006 mission to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is being sponsored by Ethiopiaid, a leading United Kingdom charity which works exclusively in Ethiopia. Operation Smile, Inc. is registered and licensed by Ethiopia’s Ministry of Justice and has collaborated with the Addis Ababa Health Bureau and the Ministry of Health. Operation Smile also works closely with the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington, D.C. and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The charity is honored to have the support of the President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Girma-Wolde Giorgis.
In 2005, an international team of Operation Smile medical and non-medical volunteers worked side by side with Ethiopian volunteers and provided free medical evaluations to 433 children and young adults and 184 patients received life-changing surgery to repair their cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities. Ethiopiaid also funded Operation Smile’s 2005 inaugural mission to the country.
Ethiopia will be one of the partner countries participating during Operation Smile’s 25th anniversary year. Operation Smile will commemorate its 25th Anniversary beginning November 2006 with a year-long, multi-faceted series of initiatives to include the following:
· Global Standards of Care – Operation Smile announces a plan to implement Global Standards of Care for all of its medical programs as a commitment to ensuring that every patient treated by Operation Smile will benefit from the same sophisticated equipment, procedures, and highly trained and credentialed medical staff, no matter where they receive care around the world.
· Comprehensive Care Centers — Operation Smile will open Comprehensive Care Centers in Colombia, Honduras, Morocco, China, India, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Each Center will provide surgical treatment and post-operative follow-up for thousands of additional patients, especially those in remote areas. The Centers will also help train medical volunteers, strengthen local development and fundraising activities and provide on-going administrative support for in-country activities.
· International Forums on Medical Diplomacy – As part of its ongoing effort to create a global humanitarian network to bring healing to the world’s children, Operation Smile will host international forums on medical diplomacy.
· World Journey of Smiles — The year-long anniversary celebration will culminate in November 2007, with the World Journey of Smiles, 40 simultaneous missions in 25 countries with a goal of treating an estimated 5,000 children living with facial deformities.
About Operation Smile (www.operationsmile.org)
Founded in 1982, Operation Smile, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, is a worldwide children’s medical charity dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children and young adults. Since its founding, Operation Smile has treated more than 100,000 children with facial deformities and provided education and training to physicians and other healthcare professionals around the world. In addition to contributing free medical treatment for children born with facial deformities, Operation Smile trains local medical professionals in its 25 partner countries and leaves behind crucial equipment to lay the groundwork for long-term self-sufficiency. Partner countries include: Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gaza Strip/West Bank, Honduras, India, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Venezuela, and Vietnam. Operation Smile has been distinguished by many prestigious awards, including the first $1 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to recognize outstanding contributions made to alleviate human suffering.
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Jennifer Devlin
3336 Hemlock Drive
Falls Church, VA 22042
703-876-1714
703-966-3241 (cell)
[email protected]
CONTACT:
– Jennifer Devlin, 703-876-1714
[email protected]
– Lisa Jones, 757-321-3252
[email protected]