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MedPLUS Connect Annual Report 2013
Letter from the Executive Director This past year was a year of great progress for MedPLUS Connect. In 2013 we shipped over 29,000 pounds of life saving medical supplies. We also continued our regional shipments, expanded our organization with new partnerships, and finished construction on the Lawra Nutrition Rehabilitation Center, which began treating its first patients. It was also a year filled with a unique set of struggles. Our containers were delayed due to bureaucracy issues within the Ministry of Health and our timelines had to be readjusted. However, we continue to hear how much the medical supplies we send and projects like the nutrition center benefit the communities that receive them. Since 2008, MedPLUS Connect has shipped more than $2 million worth of medical supplies and equipment to Ghana. In 2013, we sent two containers holding supplies valued at $273,285. Our first container was to Gwollu Hospital in the Upper West Region. After receiving the final packing list for the container, Dr. Bukari, the medical director of Gwollu, told us that approximately 70% of the annual budget for Gwollu Hospital is spent on purchasing medical supplies and our shipment of medical supplies will save his hospital “about 50 to 60 per cent of our annual budget." These savings can now be diverted towards expanding other needed health programs at the hospital. Our second container was a regional container for the Upper East Region that will benefit over 50 hospitals and health centers throughout the Upper East. Within the first month of opening, the nutrition center treated 14 malnourished children and helped them recover. We also began a partnership with Global Giving, an online fundraising source for nonprofits. This has allowed us to begin the process of establishing the first cervical cancer program in the Upper West Region of Ghana. With all that 2013 held for MedPLUS Connect, we are looking forward to this upcoming year.
2013 Staff
Anna Finestone, Executive Director Ackom Amuquandoh, In Country Director
2013 Board of Directors
Lauren Slive, Board President Habib Yakubu, Vice President
Emily Nix, Treasurer Harriet Slive, Secretary
Emma Lawrence Jack Lawrence Sonya Narla
Mission The mission of MedPLUS Connect is to connect underserved health systems in developing countries with recovered and donated medical supplies from U.S. hospitals and manufacturers. MedPLUS Connect empowers health personnel in developing countries to select medical supplies that are compatible with local resources and needs, and to fund shipments of these supplies in a sustainable, predictable and reliable manner.
Surgical packets being assembled for the Upper East Region container
Valuable Shipments “Delays in providing service associated with shortages or lack of medical supplies will be a thing of the past…Most importantly the health service will be able to build confidence among its clients with modern equipment and supplies that were not present in the facilities.” Dr. Bukari, the Medical Director of Gwollu Hospital, spoke the above quote after receiving the 40-‐foot container we shipped to the hospital in 2013. Gwollu is a former health center that was recently converted to a primary hospital and now serves as the principal provider of health care for the Sisala West District in the Upper West Region. In the container to Gwollu Hospital were 50 hospital mattresses, 11 examination lamps, and a pulse oximeter. Due to its recent transition from a health center to a hospital, Gwollu was severely lacking critical supplies and needed obsolete equipment replaced, especially in regards to OBGYN care. In response to this we were able to send an ultrasound machine, 5 OB delivery beds, 2 handheld fetal dopplers, and ultrasound gel. The ultrasound machine included in this container is the first in this area and will be critical in providing maternal services, promoting early diagnosis of difficult pregnancies, and preventing emergency situations. In addition to the equipment, we sent a large number of consumable supplies including respirator masks, syringes, catheters, IV start kits, scrub sets, and 197,100 examination gloves. Our second container in 2013 was a regional container for the Upper East Region. Regional containers are crucial in reaching more rural health centers and smaller hospitals that may not need an entire container but still have a shortage of vital supplies and equipment. Some of the equipment in this container included 16 exam tables, 12 wheelchairs, 11 hospital beds, 6 combination oto/ophthalmoscopes, 5 vital sign monitors, 2 oxygen concentrators, and 1 ultrasound machine. The Upper East currently has an extremely high demand for consumable supplies as well as digital thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, and stethoscopes, so we shipped 1,000 BP cuffs, 500 thermometers, and 125 stethoscopes. This container also held 5 pallets of mixed medical supplies, consisting of syringes, needles, catheters, surgical drapes and 109,604 gloves. These supplies and machines are currently being distributed to 5 hospitals and 46 health centers throughout the region. The ability to deliver these valuable supplies to such a high number of rural health centers is what makes regional shipments so worthwhile.
Supplies and equipment packed for Gwollu Hospital in Sisala West
In 2013, MedPLUS Connect sent:
29,698 Pounds of Medical Supplies containing:
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
IV Poles Walkers Nebulizers
Gwollu Hospital Upper East Region
306,704 Examination and Surgical Gloves 1,030 Blood Pressure Cuffs
530 Thermometers 155 Stethoscopes 11 Hospital Beds
50 Hospital Mattresses
Treating Malnutrition 2013 saw the completion of construction and the opening of the Lawra Nutrition Rehabilitation Center. With the aid of several donations and grants, MedPLUS Connect served as a resource for the construction of the building, purchasing the necessary supplies, and training of hospital staff. Now that the building of the center is complete, the hospital will provide the ongoing management and treatment. While the construction process was longer than anticipated, it has been immensely rewarding to see the plans for the nutrition center reach fulfillment and witness the treating of its first patients. Within its first month of opening, there were 14 children treated and 20 mothers were given nutrition education. The idea for the Lawra Nutrition Rehabilitation Center developed after several lengthy discussions between MedPLUS Connect and the medical director of the Lawra District Hospital after witnessing the high rates of malnutrition in the area. Ghana faces staggering child health and malnutrition challenges. This issue is particularly critical in rural areas, which lack fundamental maternal and child nutrition services. Ghana’s national malnutrition rate of 22.1% masks severe regional disparities, with 33% of northern children under five classified as underweight and 48% of northern children under five classified as stunted .The World Health Organization estimates that malnutrition accounts for approximately 54% of post-‐infancy childhood deaths in Ghana. Lawra, located in the Upper West Region, has a population of 23,000 children and an Infant Mortality Rate more than double that of the south. Dr. Abukari Abdueli, the former Medical Director of the Lawra District Hospital, cites malnutrition as the fundamental underlier of preventable childhood disease and death in Lawra. Therefore, the need for the Lawra Nutrition Rehabilitation Center was, and is, great. Since opening in October, the nutrition center has treated a total of 27 children in the area, recuperating many. A particularly moving story about one of these children involves James, an eighteen-‐month-‐old boy from Baapare-‐Babile in the Upper West Region. His parents are peasant farmers and James is their fourth child. James presented as severely undernourished and as suffering from edema, a key sign of the form of malnutrition known as kwashikor. He also suffered from a significant lack of appetite and had not attempted to start walking yet. After one week of receiving inpatient care and a therapeutic diet at the nutrition center, James’ appetite returned and after two weeks of treatment his edema was no longer present. After being discharged from the hospital, James continued to receive follow up treatment at the nutrition center and his mother received education on how to provide her children with a healthy diet based on local ingredients. On their last visit, James’ mother excitedly reported that he had started trying to walk. Every week the nutrition center helps children like James recover from malnutrition and gain a healthy new start and future.
The completed Lawra Nutrition Rehabilitation Center
New Horizons
At the end of 2013, MedPLUS Connect competed to become a new partner with the nonprofit fundraising site, Global Giving. We successfully raised $5,000 over a time period of one month and were granted a permanent fundraising page on Global Giving’s website. This has opened up new resources for our organization and allowed us to fundraise for a new project, establishing the first cervical cancer screening and treatment program in the Upper West Region. Although cervical cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death among women in Ghana, cervical care is not a service currently provided in the Upper West Region. Instead, women must travel up to 700km (435 miles) to receive treatment. The distance and cost of transportation to health centers offering treatment is a significant burden and an often insurmountable obstacle that directly impacts the morbidity and mortality of women suffering from cervical cancer in the Upper West. This is particularly upsetting because cervical cancer can be easily treated when found in early stages. However, without nearby screening options, this rarely happens for women in the Upper West. Our project will provide preventive and comprehensive cervical care for the entire Upper West Region. Select nurses at the five district hospitals in the region will be trained to conduct visual inspections to screen for potential cervical cancer cases. Confirmed cases will then begin treatment at the Wa Regional Hospital, under the care of Dr. Fofie, a skilled and dedicated OBGYN employed at the Wa Hospital. We’ve received our first fundraising disbursement and are in the process of purchasing the first pieces of equipment that will enable this program to become a reality.
Financial Summary Monetary Income Government contract $115,055.00 Individual donations $8,326.00 Event income $76.41 Indirect Public Support $94.71 Gifts and services in kind $60.00 Total Revenue and support $123,612.12 Monetary Expenses Program expenses $51,336.92 Administration* $19,104.64 Fundraising $58.14 In-‐kind expenses $1,205.94 Total expenses $71,705.64 Surplus: $51,906.48** *Administration costs include the Executive Director’s stipend, In Country Director reimbursement and payment, and website maintenance **The surplus is a result of receiving funds for 5 containers but only having been able to send 2 in this calendar year and a delay in receiving our disbursements from our Global Giving fundraising campaign
Program 71%
Administration 27%
Fundraising 0%
In Kind 2%
Expenses
Donations More than 50 donors provided MedPLUS Connect with crucial support during 2013. This support allowed us to send two life saving containers of medical equipment to Ghana, finish construction on the nutrition center, and especially to develop the cervical cancer screening and treatment program. Thank you to all who donated to improve the chances of survival and health in northern Ghana. Business Donations Buckeye Medical Supply Matthew Van of the Jolly Scholar ASUN Inc. Top Individual Contributions Susan Ashe Dr. Doug Finestone Philip Gennett and Lauren Slive Richard and Annie Hubbard Charles Lawrence Debra Lawrence Dr. and Mrs. Sudhir K. Narla
Rob and Lilly Nix Violet Nix William Nix Rees Midgley Patricia Pogue Dr. Glenn and Lois Rohrer Edward and Adrienne Schmitz Harriet Slive
Individual Donations Danielle Allen Reid and Sara Braswell Alice Gould Butts Emily Carpenter Anne Conley Thomas Edwards Barbara Fleming James Heide Rebecca Heide Ruth Heide Jaqueline Hummel Nancy Krauss Katherine Lank Christine LeViere Nicole LeViere
Nicholas LeViere Rika Mead Sherry Naegele Emily Nix Monique Pilardi Nikhil Singh Casey Slive Cristina Tello Robert Turpin Dr. and Mrs. Frank E. Vargo David Wakulchik Megan Ward Elaine Weinmann Judith Gaynor Weisblatt Tatyana Zinger
MedPLUS Connect www.medplusconnect.org
[email protected] +12527171404
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