Hospice Nurse in Ethiopia

Emily Sorman just returned from Ethiopia where she worked as a hospice nurse.  Here is her story.

I was working with an organization that provides home visit for hospice patients with HIV and Cancer. In total, they serve 25 patients, but I was not able to see all of them while I was their.  I worked with three local nurses, as well as two missionary nurses who are spending a year there working with the program.

One of the things I enjoyed most was seeing patients who live in one room with no running water and who cook food over fire was really eye-opening for me. They were all so kind despite their difficult circumstances. Every patient I saw was HIV positive, and most of their children were too. Hearing their stories and being able to provide them care was extremely rewarding.

One of the hardest things to see was that pretty much all of the patients were hungry and did not have enough money to buy food. They are provided food once a month, but it is not enough to feed their families. Another volunteer and I bought food for as many patients as we could, but knowing that once we are gone they would go hungry again was heart breaking.

I was surprised to discover that these patients had very little medical records. The nurses communicated their history verbally, and documentation was incomplete. I was able to write sample care plans, and in collaboration with the missionary nurses, we taught the local nurses how to write their own care plans and use them to improve the health of the patients. I thought that I would be just doing hands-on care with the patients, but I was actually able to use my nursing knowledge to improve their health delivery system, which will hopefully improve the outcomes of all of their patients in the future.

I never considered myself a materialistic person, and always thought I could be happy with very little. Once I was faced with hardly ever having running water or the food I am used to having, I realized how fortunate I am to have these simple luxuries at home. Many of our patients have to walk long distances to fill up heavy jugs with water to bring it back to their homes. This is a way of life for them, and they never complain. I feel very humbled to have met such wonderful people.

Ethiopians are very warm and like to greet each other with hugs and kisses. People talk to strangers as if they are friends. Many people yelled "forengi" at me walking in the street, which means foreigner. It is not meant to be offensive, they are usually fascinated with seeing someone from an outside place.

One of our patients had a two month old baby who was malnourished. The mother's breast milk had dried up, and she had to use formula which they could not afford. Some of the volunteers were able to buy formula, but the baby's respiratory status was compromised. She seemed to us to be in respiratory distress. We finally got her to a doctor, who said she simply had small nasal passages and will grow out of it. In the United States, she would at least have some sort of diagnostic test performed to determine the cause, but the care provided there is not what we are used to.

Another memorable experience was a visit to an elderly woman who was not even our patient. She asked us for food as we were walking by, so we went and bought her food and hygiene supplies. She invited us in her home. We made her lunch and drank coffee together, which is an important tradition for Ethiopians. She was alone and had very little of her basic needs yet, but she was cheerful. She sang us songs and thanked God everything she has.

This mission has made me more culturally aware, more grateful, more patient, and all around a better nurse. If I see a system that is not working, I know I can use my skills and knowledge to help change it.

One Nurse at a Time has supported me in both my mission to Peru last year and, along with the funding from Barco's Nightingales Foundation, this year's trip to Ethiopia. Without One Nurse, I probably wouldn't have made the leap to do international volunteer nursing. They have not only helped me financially, but Sue was able help give me advice on how to help patients while I was there.Being able to talk to someone with so much experience in this field is invaluable. My goal is to do one trip every year. I believe I've been able to touch many lives already, and I am hopeful I can continue to do so in the future.

Nurses for Edna: A Medical Mission to Hargesia, Somaliland

In August 2013, Wanda Chestnut, Kim Law and Kerra Plesko, three members of the Nurses for Edna team, left for Hargesia, Somaliland.  Due to a death in the family the last nurse, Sarah David, joined them two weeks later.

 Each member of the team had expressed a passion to improve women’s health around the world. For almost a year they had planned and worked.  They held fund raisers to augment the already generous grant awarded by Barco’s Nightingale Foundation for this mission. They sought free medical equipment and found ways to cover shipping costs and logistics. They sent out hundreds of appeals to friends and family to raise awareness of the plight of the Somaliland women. They did all this in an effort to make a difference in a country still struggling to recover from years of civil war. They traveled with little personal luggage so they might fill their baggage allowances with donations of medical equipment.  The trip took more than 24 hours; they arrived exhausted, but eager to begin work.

The Hospital director, Edna Adan requested they teach a First Aid course while they were in Hargesia. What they didn’t realize was how large the group would be – over 150 nurses, lab techs and public health students. Nor did they realize that some of their teaching would need to be done using pantomime and interpreters! 

Although each member of the team expressed that the teaching experience was both frustrating and somewhat overwhelming, they also expressed that one of the best things about the trip was the positive feedback that they got from their students. They can feel proud that they were instrumental in teaching more than 150 students the necessary skills needed to provide basic First Aid Care for the people of Somaliland.

“My happiest moment is a culmination of positive feedback from my students and from the university. Both have expressed gratitude for and positivity towards my teaching and indicated they would happily  have me teach again. Having never taught in a classroom setting before, and having experienced numerous frustrations throughout the course, the end response was very gratifying,” Kim Law.

Besides teaching and working at the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital the nurses also worked and taught in the

community at the Abdi Idan MCH Clinic. This free, government funded clinic provides multiple services including antenatal and postpartum care, low risk deliveries, a nutrition clinic, a pediatric health and immunization clinic, and lab services in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Hargesia.

While they were not able to spend as much time as they had hoped providing women’s health clinical care at the hospital, the nurses did both work, and provide supervision to student nurses, on the wards. Three of the nurses identified their biggest challenge, and saddest moments, came while resuscitating a newborn infant with no doctor to guide them.

“We tried to get one of the nursing students to go find a doctor, but she didn’t understand what we wanted. Finally, the nurse anesthetist came in and we were able to partially stabilize the baby and get it breathing. But, it was just a situation where no one in the room knew what to do and we couldn’t find anyone to help us, Kerra Plesko.

It was during incidents like this one, and other long neonatal resuscitations that the nurses felt pummeled with a moral and ethical dilemma.

 “My absolute worst experience here is the ethical dilemma I am now constantly thinking about. We've done a few, long neonatal resuscitations, and have been able to revive the babies, only to have them die a few days later. If they had lived they would have been severely disabled. Is it ethically responsible to do long resuscitations in resource poor countries where the risk for long term disability is high?” Kim Law

However, the nurses also expressed being positively impacted by their time in Somaliland, They came home with a greater appreciation for everything available to them at work and at home: medications, supplies and equipment.

“I now really appreciate being prepared at every delivery, having the necessary equipment ready, or

even having it at all, and having qualified trained people who know the importance of quick resuscitation and being efficient with what we are doing.  I appreciated it before, but I had never seen babies die from the lack of those things. I know we live in a rush- rush society and I do believe that we need time for slowdowns often, but I also value responding to a task quickly, and Africa has shown me how valuable that can be,” Kerra Plesko

They also came home with a greater appreciation for their knowledgeable, supportive team members at their respective work places.  Larger still, they returned with a sense of respect for the people of Somaliland and a reminder of the importance of humility.

“The people of Hargesia are so poor and despite being poor they are humble people. This experience reminded me to remain humble in all situations and circumstances,” Wanda Chestnut.

The nursing team also described moments of happiness along a difficult medical mission. Moments of showing support for each other; of early morning work -out sessions on the roof to decrease their stress; and spontaneous dancing in their rooms after working all day to the point of exhaustion. But, the most gratifying memories they report are of times they saw their hard work actually bringing change in the nursing practice at the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital:

“My happiest moment was when I went downstairs one morning after breakfast and saw the nurses and midwives put two babies in the Embrace warmers! It was a proud moment. Not only did they do it correctly, but they actually remembered to use them! It’s hard to tell when you get through to some of the nurses, but at that moment, I knew that our in-services and teachings had some sort of impact because the neonates were in Embrace,”  Sarah David

The  nurses report feeling proud of some of the small, yet significant, changes they brought to the Edna Edan Maternity Hospital such as putting together an emergency resuscitation kit for the med/surg ward. They are particularly proud of the part they played  in the prevention of neonatal hyperthermia.

“When we first arrived at the hospital, neonatal resuscitation were being done on an old cart with a heating pad. The babies would get extremely cold (like 34 C cold). They had two radiant warmers shoved into corners so we decided to check them out. One of them didn't work but the other one was in beautiful shape. It took several weeks to get everyone to leave the warmer on and plugged in at all times. But eventually, with perseverance and a little duct tape, we made it happen.”Kim Law.

Although the mission to Hargesia was challenging, each nurse expressed how very grateful they are to have had this experience. Each feels this experience both gave them a fuller appreciation of their nursing careers at home, as well as helped to prepare them for future medical missions. Each member of the Nurses for Edna team: Sarah David, Wanda Chestnut, Kim Law, and Kerra Plesko plan to continue to volunteer in the global arena. One nurse at a time they will change the world!

 The nurses of the Nurses for Edna team want to thank One Nurse At A Time as well as the Barcos Nightingale’s Foundation for their generous support of this medical mission.

Sue Pharney's trip to Kenya

Thank you to One Nurse At A Time, and Barcos' Nightingales,  for helping support me on my medical mission to Kenya. Below is a brief account of my trip, and a few photos.

The team from Project Helping Hands, twenty six of us, all met together and assembled in Nairobi Kenya. We than drove seven hours to Oyugis where we hold medical clinics for the next 8 days. Oyugis is one of the areas in Kenya that has been hit the hardest by HIV and thus has hundreds of orphaned children and thousands of people in need of medical assistance. Everyday the team would walk three miles through the country side to get to the medical clinic site and would be greeted by a couple hundred people waiting in line to be seen. In total the team saw over two thousand people on this medical mission.

The team was able to help patients get HIV and TB testing and treat several for malaria and dengue fever. My personal nursing knowledge was greatly enhanced on this trip. I was able to help treat and diagnosis diseases I had learned about in nursing school but never seen. We also tried to provide as much health education as possible and make sure the medical treatments we were prescribing were sustainable after we left Kenya. I personally was reminded of the importance of health education and preventive care. One of the saddest cases I saw was a seven month baby seen for severe malnutrition and acute diarrhea. The baby weighed less than five kilograms and was severely dehydrated and lethargic. We paid for the baby to be admitted at the local hospital where she was treated for rota virus. When we left the baby was still hospitalized and was being tested for HIV as the mother was HIV positive and had breast fed the baby. Preventative care in the form of immunizations and nutrition good have prevented this from happening. Education on oral rehydration with diarrhea and not breast feeding when HIV positive could have also prevented the baby from becoming so sick. This case showed me how blessed we are in the states with our medical system even at a time when our medical system is under much scrutiny.

One of my favorite memories of my time in Kenya was our daily walk home. Everyday

around five o'clock after clinic was finished we would walk the three miles back to our hotel. Without fail we would be greeted by a hundred "jambo" and smiling faces and cheering children. It was not uncommon for little kids to come running up to us grab our hands and walk us home. I was touched by the Kenyan spirit and by the love and appreciation they had for us. I was over whelmed by the thanks they gave and the gratitude they had for a simple toothbrush or even just holding the hand of a "mzungu".

Thank you again to everyone who helped support me and make my medical mission to Kenya possible.

Sincerely,

Susie Pharney 

Kim Law in Hargeisa Somaliland

Recently the Nurses for Edna team traveled to the Abdi Idan MCH Clinic in one of the poorest neighborhoods’ in Hargeisa, Somaliland. This  free, government funded clinic provides multiple services including antenatal and postpartum care, low risk deliveries, nutrition clinic, pediatric health and immunization clinic, and a lab services. In a recent report from nurse, Kim Law, she describes her experience:

        “After a thirty minute drive down what one would generously call a very bumpy road, or realistically call a 4x4 trail, we arrived.  The clinic is next to what looks like a military or police building, but it's hard to be sure. In between the two buildings is a heaping pile of garbage. There is no waste disposal system in Hargeisa, so garbage lines the streets; it is a common site to see 'urban goats; chewing on discarded plastic.

     On arrival, we were given a quick tour; there was already a lineup at the pharmacy for the nutrition program. Next we settled into the antenatal clinic. The antenatal clinic is staffed by one community midwife, and two community midwife students. Patients were given an antenatal record that they are expected to bring with them to every clinic. At her first visit, the woman is weighed, her height is measured and her obstetrical history is taken. Many of the women guess at their age and the years their children were born.

I noticed a trend that many of the women's first children were born at home, but their more recent deliveries where at an MCH clinic or hospital. Hopefully this is an ongoing trend.

        If available, the women are offered an on the spot HIV, Syphilis, and Hep B testing, but supplies are scarce. On the day we were there, there were only Syphilis tests available, and we ran out of those before the day was over.  After the finger prick, the woman's blood pressure is checked, and then she is assisted onto the examining bed. Her fundal height is measure, the fetus is palpated with Leopold's maneuver, to determine its position, and then the fetal heart is assessed with a fetoscope.

       Joining us on this trip was Dr. Mary Margaret O'Neil, and OB/GYN from California. I had never used a fetoscope before nor done very few antenal exams before 25 weeks gestation, so, she was instrumental in not only teaching the midwifery students, but teaching me as well.

I spent a lot of time helping the students learn how to accurately measure blood pressures, their technique significantly improved over the course of several hours. We instructed them on how to improve their Leopold's maneuver, and the importance of determining fetal position to make it easier and faster to locate the fetal heart. The students very quickly improved their technique for measuring fundal height.

     Another aspect we were able to reinforce, was caring and compassion. For example, helping the woman sit up and get off the examination table, not
leaving her to fend for herself.

     Muuna, the Community Midwife who runs the clinic was so patient with us, letting us teach the students. We definitely made the clinic run late, but the extra time was worth the knowledge we were able to share.”

Thank you everyone for your help and support in making my dream a reality. ~ Kim Law, RN.BSN

Nurses for Edna Team update

Three amazing nurse of the  Nurses for Edna team, Wanda Chestnut, Kim Law and Kerra Plesko departed on August 25, 2013 on their first medical mission to Hargeisa, Somaliland. Due to a death in the family the fourth team member, Sarah David will not arrive until September 9th.
This inaugural mission launched ONE NURSE’s partnership with one of the world’s most respected providers of maternity and midwifery services in developing countries – The Edna Adan Maternity Hospital.
The trip began with more than a few challenges for at least one nurse. When Kim Law’s flight was canceled

and she learned that all other flights to Dulles were full. So, she flew to Calgary, then Newark, then  Baltimore, where United Airlines paid  for her to be driven the final  32kmsby taxi to Dulles.
 Once there she woke up her cohorts, they did a mad scramble to finish sorting out all the medical supplies and luggage, then headed to the airport for their early morning flight to Ethiopia. “No sleep in the near future,’ Kim quipped, ‘Good thing I'm a nurse and I'm used to running on little to no sleep. Nothing is standing in my way!”
 It’s this sort of attitudinal mix - part grit; part humor, that will get the nurses through the next month as they

work under very different conditions than those they are accustomed, in a country very different from their own. Their excitement, trepidation, and their gratitude as they begin this medical mission adventure are best stated in their own words:

“With two sleeps to go before I start my long trip to Somaliland, I’ve been asked how I feel about the upcoming adventure. I’m feeling everything, and surprisingly sometimes I don’t think about it at all...When I’m feeling everything I feel excited. Excited to start the adventure, to finally meet my new cohorts. To meet Edna and the people of Somaliland. I feel hopeful, hopeful; that we can help, even if it’s just in a small way… I feel nervous... Theoretically I know what to expect, but all nurses know that theory rarely matches reality,”~ Kim Law

As the days approach for us to leave I am feeling a little overwhelmed with all I still have to do a work…I am honestly not excited about the 2.5 hour ride to and from the airport, it’s a long way on bad roads. The good thing is I will have company going. I am very excited to see Edna and the other people I met I on my previous trip. ~ Wanda Chestnut

“ I’ve always had a dream of nursing in South Africa and together with One Nurse At  A Time and amazing sponsors like Barco’s Nightingales Foundation, that dream is coming true! Thank you so much!” ~ Kerra Plesko

 Nurses for Edna will work with local medical staff and teach current nursing practice, techniques and standards of care. This joint effort by One Nurse At A Time, Barco’s Nightingales Foundation, and numerous individuals’ donors,  is forged in the common values of integrity, commitment to the well-being of others, an innovative spirit, and a passion for inspiring to the hearts of others.

Check back frequently for updates on this amazing team’s work in Hargeisa, Somaliland!

About One Nurse At A Time
One Nurse At A Time, operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was founded by nurses in 2007. They are passionate about giving back to the local and global community through volunteer and humanitarian medical pursuits. Their goals are to support nurses by lowering the entry barriers to volunteer locally and globally, and to increase public awareness of the role and contribution nurses make at home and abroad. For more information, please contact Nancy Leigh Harless, Communications Liaison, at 319.372.1339, email nancy@onenurseatatime.org; or Sue Averill, President 206.527.4862

About Barco’s Nightingales Foundation
Barco’s Nightingales Foundation, operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was founded by Michael and Frida Donner on behalf of Barco Uniforms. The Foundation serves to advance the nursing profession and honor those women and men who devote their lives to serving others through nursing. The Foundation is the Donner family’s way of paying tribute and saluting the many generations of nurses for their tremendous contribution in making the world a better place. Its objective is to support the vitality and courageous heart of nursing, while also dedicating itself to honoring the spirit of those women and men who choose nursing by focusing its philanthropic efforts on helping to mend the lives of children and their families.  For more information, please contact Barco’s Nightingales Foundation headquarters at 310.719.2108, follow us on Facebook or email info@barcosnightingales.org.

nursetogether.com article on Nurses for Edna

http://www.nursetogether.com/nurses-edna-african-community

In the fall of 2012, seven nurses and advanced practice nurses from different parts of the United States as well as Canada, reached out to One Nurse At A Time (One Nurse), an organization that educates, enables and empowers volunteer nurses to deliver healthcare to people in medically under-served communities around the world. Each had questions about volunteering in women’s health care. All wanted to volunteer in the global arena. Sue Averill, Co-Founder and President of One Nurse, met with the nurses and found that several of them had read the book, "Half the Sky", by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, while others had seen the PBS documentary by the same name. Because of it, they were all inspired to help improve women’s health around the world. They began to ask, "How I can make a difference – large or small? How can nurses affect a community, or address an issue, one person at a time?"

Located in the Horn of Africa, Somaliland is an unrecognized, self-declared state. Women of the country struggle to receive equal rights and healthcare services due to gender inequalities, weakened infrastructure, lack of education, poor literacy rates, and limited access to the services that do exist. The work being done by a nurse/midwife, Edna Adan, in Hegesia, Somaliland, particularly resonated with this group of nurses. The idea for Nurses for Edna was born and the group began planning a medical mission to Hargesia where these nurses would volunteer in the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital.

After retiring as a senior United Nations diplomat where she'd campaigned for women's and children's health, Edna Adan could have chosen to have a comfortable life in London or Paris or New York. That's what most people would have done, but not Edna. A comfortable, sedate, retired life was as far from her dream as imaginable. Instead, Edna cashed in her pension, sold her Mercedes and her jewelry to build a hospital in her home town of Hargesia, Somaliland. Her mission was to provide safe deliveries for women who were far too often dying in childbirth.

The region had some of the worst maternal infant mortality rates in the world. Edna wanted to change that. She asked for land in the heart of the city. The government offered her only a trash heap that had been the appointed location for executions during the recent civil war, but Edna readily accepted the land. Over the next decade, while living in the hospital as it was slowly being built, Edna watched her dream come true. The Edna Adan Maternity Hospital officially opened on March 9, 2002.

Last year, thanks to the hospital’s own doctors, and with support from visiting surgeons from the USA, Australia and UK, 1,057 babies were delivered, including 166 C-sections. In addition, over 700 major and minor operations were completed. For this great work to continue, Edna states that the Hospital’s most pressing need is for professionals to help support new doctors and nurses in training.

Nurses for Edna wrote up a proposal and submitted it to the board of One Nurse. The board voted unanimously to support the nurses organizationally, including financially. One Nurse then forwarded their proposal to Barco’s Nightingale’s Foundation, another non-profit organization that serves to advance the nursing profession and honor nurses who devote their lives to serving the community. Barco’s Nightingales Foundation agreed to sponsor four nurses for the initial Nurses for Edna medical mission, which will occur in August and September of this year. “This collaboration with Barco’s Nightingales Foundation transforms the positive impact of individual nurses multifold. Together we are able to serve as the launch pad to attend to healthcare needs of one of the most medically under-served populations in the world: the women of Somaliland,” said Sue Averill, President, One Nurse.

Edna has expressed that her greatest present need is for teaching. She has asked this medical mission team to teach courses in Basic First Aid and General Physical Assessment this year, as well as share nursing practice and skills on the hospital floors while supervising student nurses.

For their first medical mission The Nurses for Edna team plans to hold educational seminars for midwifery students at the hospital, as well as equip staff and students with critical resources including DVDs, books, writing utensils, stethoscopes, and other general nursing supplies. Collaborating with hospital founder Edna Adan, the nurses participating in the trip will identify the needs of the hospital and the women it serves, and establish goals and a plan to achieve them.

After learning about the issues women and girls face across the globe, Nurses for Edna is joining the movement to empower and uplift women and prove that everyone can make a difference. Nurses for Edna hopes to empower the community's local nurses and build a lasting relationship with the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital, as well as create a pathway for future volunteer nurses to offer their skills in Hargesia.

Those nurses participating in the first mission include:

• Wanda Chestnut, RN, DHSc, HIV/AID Specialist from Glen Dale, MD. Wanda has over 15 years of experience in HIV/AIDS work. During those years, she has focused on the HIV/AIDS population, both in the United States and Africa.
   
• Sarah David, RN, BSN, Emergency Nurse from New York City, NY. Before becoming a Travel Nurse, Sarah worked in the Emergency Department in the Bronx, NY. This challenging work atmosphere taught her to multi-task, prioritize and think critically on her feet.
   
• Kimberly Law, BSN, RN(C) Perinatal Nurse Specialist from Penticton, British Columbia. Kim is a registered nurse with certified practice in reproductive health and perinatal specialty training. In 2012, she traveled to Liverpool, UK to obtain a professional certificate in Emergency Obstetrical Care and Newborn Care as well as her Diploma in Tropical Nursing.
   
• Kerra Plesko, a certified perinatal nurse in a Maternity unit in Prince George, B.C., Canada, where she is responsible for antepartum, L&D and postpartum care.

The team will meet in Washington DC and depart from Dulles airport August 25, 2013.

“I’m hopeful that the success of Nurses for Edna will inspire other nurses to join with us, sharing their passion, skills and knowledge to benefit those most in need at home and around the globe,” said Sue Averill, President, One Nurse At A Time. “I do believe we can change the world, one nurse at a time.”

About One Nurse At A Time

One Nurse At A Time, operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was founded by nurses in 2007. They are passionate about giving back to the local and global community through volunteer and humanitarian medical pursuits. Their goals are to support nurses by lowering the entry barriers to volunteer locally and globally, and to increase public awareness of the role and contribution nurses make at home and abroad. For more information, please contact Nancy Leigh Harless, Communications Liaison, at 319.372.1339, email nancy@onenurseatatime.org; or Sue Averill, President 206.527.4862

About Barco’s Nightingales Foundation

Barco’s Nightingales Foundation, operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was founded by Michael and Frida Donner on behalf of Barco Uniforms. The Foundation serves to advance the nursing profession and honor nurses who devote their lives to serving the community. The Foundation is the Donner family’s way of paying tribute and saluting the many generations of nurses for their tremendous contribution in making the world a better place. Its objective is to support the vitality and courageous heart of nursing, while also dedicating itself to honoring the spirit of those women and men who choose nursing by focusing its philanthropic efforts on helping to mend the lives of children and their families.  For more information, please contact Barco’s Nightingales Foundation headquarters at 310.719.2108, follow us on Facebook or email info@barcosnightingales.org.

Nurses and nursing students, if you are interested in sharing your nursing knowledge and experiences with our audience by becoming a NurseTogether contributing author, please click here.  If you would like to comment on the article please see below.

- See more at: http://www.nursetogether.com/nurses-edna-african-community#sthash.vTJsnzcS.dpuf

Fund raising for Nurses for Edna

One Nurse At A Time is sending a team of nurses to Hargeisa, Somaliland on their first medical mission to The Edna Adan Maternity Hospital. The nursing team, NURSES for EDNA, is working hard to fund-raise for the much needed equipment and supplies for the hospital. Most recently, nurse, Kimberly Law, organized a successful and fun event at The Barley Mill Brew Pub in Penticton, BC on June 29. Music, good food, and door prizes brought in a good turn out and raised a significant amount of money for Nurses for Edna.  Huge kudos for Kim for all her hard work.

The nurses travel costs for this mission have been funded  by The Barco’s Nightingales Foundation  and through generous  individual donations. Now the Nurses for Edna fund raising efforts will go toward the much needed equipment and supplies as well as “seed money” for their next  medical mission.  One nurse At A Time, this team of amazing, strong women is making a difference in the world.

If you would like to help, please donate at http://onenurseatatime.org/donate/donate/

Tanzania with Missions for Humanity, Wendy Libowitz, RN, MS, CPNP-PC

Wendy Libowitz has been a registered nurse since 1995 and a pediatric nurse practitioner since 1998.  Nursing is a second career for Wendy.  She worked with adolescents in a community program management capacity before becoming a nurse.  Wendy’s work experience has included acute care, home health, and school nursing.  She currently works in a nursing consultation capacity for a private company.  She has volunteered as a nurse in Honduras and Tanzania.  She also volunteers for several organizations within her community.
Wendy holds a BA in Judaic Studies, BS in Nursing, and MS in Nursing all from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.  She is interested in pursuing a Master of Public Health degree next and aspires to move more into a public health nursing role in the future.
Wendy’s other passions include her family and pets, outdoor activities, and travel.
Today, thanks to generous donations from Barco's Nightingales, Wendy left for a 2 week medical mission trip to Tanzania with Missions for Humanity.  We can't wait to hear all about it when she returns.

Nurses for Edna has a new addition - Kerra Plesko.

Canadian nurse, Kerra Plesko, RN joins the team, Nurses for Edna traveling to Hargeisa, Somaliland in August. She replaces nurse, Beth Langlais who is unable to participate in the mission this year due to personal circumstances.

Kerra grew up in a small town in Northern British Columbia. She graduated from the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George, British Columbia in 2007.

A certified perinatal nurse, Kerra is currently working as a RN in a Maternity unit in Prince George where she is responsible for antepartum, Labor &Delivery and postpartum care. Kerra also serves as a preceptor for new nurses.  

Kerra is a  seasoned traveler having spent time in Thailand and south Korea as well as most of North America and has traveled “All over Europe.” This will be the first, of what she hopes are many, medical missions for Kerra. She has a passion for travelling and is ecstatic to combine her love of travel with her passion towards women's healthcare.

“I’m looking forward to getting out and seeing what medicine is like across the world, said Kerra. ‘I know what it’s like in Canada; I know what it’s like in the States, but I don’t know how it is across the world and I so think it’s important to see  how things are done in different areas. If you can either pull from their strengths, or learn from their weaknesses. I’m excited to see how another culture does L & D and I really excited to see how a different culture handles the same thing we do. I am excited to teach them what I know and learn from them what they know.”

“ I’ve always had a dream of nursing in South Africa and together with One Nurse At  A Time and amazing sponsors like Barco’s Nightingales Foundation, that dream is coming true! Thank you so much!”

NURSES for EDNA -- Kim Law

Kimberly Law graduated from University of Northern British Columbia in 2009 and began her nursing career at Penticton Regional Hospital in the areas of obstetrics and pediatrics. In the fall of 2012 she completed her Nursing Specialty in Perinatal Nursing through the British Columbia Institute of Technology, as well as certificates in Contraception Management and Sexually Transmitted Infections Management. These certificates allowed Kimberly to obtain certified practice in reproductive health. She utilizes the advanced practice in providing reproductive health care at the Kelowna Women’s Services Clinic as and Options for Sexual Health. She is currently in training for the Penticton Regional Hospital’s Sexual Assault Response Team. There seems to be a women’s health theme running through most everything I do, eh?” Kimberly noted.

She became an active volunteer while in nursing school. She took an active part in the Community Health Initiative by Northern University and College Students (CHINUCS), a student run organization that developed outreach programs for marginalized populations in Prince George. Kimberly also travelled with International Student Volunteers to Thailand, and worked in an animal rehabilitation and community education center.

 In 2012 Kimberly traveled to Liverpool, United Kingdom to obtain a professional certificate in Emergency Obstetrical Care and Newborn Care, as well as her Diploma in Tropical Nursing, taking a step towards her long standing goal of contributing to global healthcare.

When asked to speak about her upcoming medical mission, Nurses for Edna, in Somaliland Kimberly said, “I appreciate the support from both Barcos Nightingales Foundation and One Nurse At A Ttime. I see this first trip to Somaliland as one of personal growth. I want this project to be long term. I’m passionate about women’s health and global health. The way I see it, what we need to do first, is see what they are doing there and what they need done.  I believe you can’t do short term solutions for long term goals and I see this medical mission of Nurses for Edna to be a long term project,”

The first Nurses for Edna is being assisted by the generous support of Barcos Nightingale’s Foundation as well as many others.

Barco’s Nightingales Foundation, operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was founded by Michael and Frida Donner on behalf of Barco Uniforms. The Foundation serves to advance the nursing profession and honor those women and men who devote their lives to serving others through nursing. The Foundation supports the vitality and courageous heart of nursing, while dedicating itself to honoring the spirit of those women and men who choose nursing by focusing its philanthropic efforts on helping to mend lives. For information, follow us on Facebook, contact Barco’s Nightingales Foundation headquarters at 310.719.2108 or email info@barcosnightingales.org

Nurses for Edna

Within just a few weeks last Fall, seven nurses, from different parts of the States, as well as Canada, reached out to One Nurse At A Time. Each had questions about women's healthcare volunteer work. All wanted to volunteer in the global arena. Sue Averill, President, One Nurse At A Time, met with those nurses who live in the Seattle area, and arranged a Google Hangout later to include the entire group.

Several of the nurses had read the Book, Half the Sky; some had seen the documentary by the same name. They were all inspired, particularly by the work being done by a nurse/midwife, Edna Adan in Hegesia, Somaliland. The idea of Nurses for Edna was born.

Located in the Horn of Africa, Somaliland is an unrecognized, self-declared state. Women of the country struggle to receive equal rights and healthcare services due to gender inequalities, weakened infrastructure, lack of education, poor literacy rates, and limited access. After learning about the issues women and girls face across the globe, Nurses for Edna is joining the movement to empower and uplift women and prove that you can make a difference.

Nurses for Edna hopes to build a lasting relationship, and empower the nurses of the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital, as well as create a pathway for future nurses to volunteer. Those participating in the first mission include Wanda Chestnut, Sarah David, Beth Langlais, Kimberly Law, and Nancy Harless, Playing a supporting role during the first medical mission are nurses Lynn Calkins, and Fiona Smith, who both plan to go on future missions.  

Edna has expressed the greatest need is teaching. Nurses for Edna will teach courses in Basic First Aid and General Physical Assessment, as well as share nursing practice and skills on the hospital floors while supervising student nurses.

“I’m hopeful that the success of Nurses for Edna will inspire other nurses to join with us, sharing their passion, skills and knowledge to benefit those most in need at home and around the globe,” said Sue Averill, President. “I do believe we can change the world, One Nurse At A Time.”

The August 2013 medical mission for Nurses for Edna is being supported through your donations which can be made via our website www.onenurseatatime.org. ; and, through the generous support of the Barcos Nightingale’s Foundation.

Barco’s Nightingales Foundation, operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was founded by Michael and Frida Donner on behalf of Barco Uniforms. The Foundation serves to advance the nursing profession and honor those women and men who devote their lives to serving others through nursing. The Foundation supports the vitality and courageous heart of nursing, while dedicating itself to honoring the spirit of those women and men who choose nursing by focusing its philanthropic efforts on helping to mend lives. For information, follow us on Facebook, contact Barco’s Nightingales Foundation headquarters at 310.719.2108 or email info@barcosnightingales.org.

Jo in Ecuador

 I  am Josephine Sullivan, an Operating Room nurse from Louisville,KY. This was my third surgical mission
with Healing the Children to Ecuador. The mission was made possible because of a scholarship from One Nurse At a Time and Barcos Nightingales.  You need to know that Ecuador is important to me because ,when I was seven,we had an exchange student,Pauline,from Quito live with us.I remember telling her that ”Someday I’ll go to your country. “It was good to be back in Ecuador and I have started  planning  my return. I now have friends there that are glad to see me, what fun.

   Our team consisted of four surgeons, four Anesthesiologists, two pediatricians, one nurse anesthestist, two nurse practitioner, two ENT Residents,two OR nurses, one nurse administrator, one OR tech. one first assistant and three other young people,who performed a variety of duties.Most of the team was from Louisville,a very agreeable and competent  group.
   We worked at two hospitals in four operating rooms. Manta had plastics and  ENT. Portoviejo had pediatric general surgery and orthopedics. My work was done in Portoviejo that included 6 orthopedic cases and 40 general surgeries that included mostly  hernia repairs and undecended testicles. The most rewarding was to return to a facility that I had worked in the previous trip to find I was remembered and welcomed by the staff and translators.  The young pediatric surgeon told me I looked like an angel and invited me to visit his office and meet his partners.He also took his young son and me to the park where iguanas live in trees.The hardest thing to endure was the mode of sterilization used in the facility.

The first unexpected event happened on the day of patient evaluations. They actually listened to me when I shared what had finally worked for us before. We seemed  organized and professional.It was heart warming.
The next unexpected event occurred after the second day of surgery.My Brigade leader,who I had never worked with before said “You really know your job.”I responded “I told you that.” To which she responded “But you’re really good.”I was speachless.She is not always generous with compliments. Having done the same job for 30 years,I am confident,but it sure is nice to hear.
   The Ecuadorian people are a very gracious and giving people. The major religion in the area is Catholic and being raised Catholic this was familiar and comfortable. Parental relationships are similar as the main focus of parents is on the well being of their children.Children are the same all over the world, curious and trusting or leery,depending on the day.I am fortunate,children don’t usually see me as a threat.
   What I have learned about myself is that ,I am no longer fast,but I am steady  for as long  as you 
need me to be steady.

   I was fortunate enough to have a week in Ecuador after our work was done.I stayed with a friend and was graciously welcomed by her family.We visited her cousin in San Lorenzo.a small village on the coast.We sat on the porch and greeted everyone that passed,we walked in the forest and we walked on the beach.I love beaches.When her nephew learned I was a nurse,he thought I should visit a child in the next village with a rare skin condition.Did I mention my friend is related to everybody.
   The condition is Ictiosis,genetic and uncurable. Medicines and creams for him are expensive.His father is a fisherman and he has a brother and a sister.His eyes are also in need of surgical attention.The next day I visited the Eye Institute in Portoviejo where they agreed to do his surgery and provide eye drops at no cost.He is six. Hopefully by the time he starts school he will be able to see out of both eyes at the same time.
   The creams and ointments for treatment are much less expensive in Kentucky,even  to ship. My family has agreed to help provide those for him.So if we can make a difference ONAAT, then we  start one child at a time.
   We also visited another hospital for a potential future surgical mission.It was a very new two OR department and a very gracious medical dirrector.I am very hopeful about the possibilities.

One Nurse At A Time And Barco’s Nightingales Foundation Collaborate To Reduce Maternal and Infant Mortality Rates In Somaliland

One Nurse At A Time and Barco’s Nightingales Foundation announced a collaborative effort to send a team of nurses to the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital in Hargeisa, Somaliland, to work with local medical staff and teach current nursing practice, techniques and standards of care.  This joint effort by One Nurse At A Time and Barco’s Nightingales Foundation is forged in the common values of integrity, commitment to the well-being of others, an innovative spirit, and a passion for inspiring to the hearts of others.

“This collaboration with Barco’s Nightingales Foundation transforms the positive impact of individual nurses multifold.  Together we are able to serve as the launch pad to attend to healthcare needs of one of the most medically under-served populations in the world:  the women of Somaliland,” said Sue Averill RN, cofounder of One Nurse At A Time.  “I’m hopeful that the success of Nurses for Edna will inspire other nurses to join with us, sharing their passion, skills and knowledge to benefit those most in need at home and around the globe.  I do believe we can change the world, One Nurse At A Time.”

Located in the Horn of Africa, Somaliland is an unrecognized, self-declared state. Women of the country struggle to receive equal rights and healthcare services due to gender inequalities, weakened infrastructure, lack of education, poor literacy rates, and limited access. These factors have impacted health services and as a result, maternal and infant mortality rates are among the highest in the world.

The Nurses for Edna hope to build a lasting relationship with the hospital, empower the nurses of the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital, and create a pathway for future nurses to volunteer with the support of One Nurse At A Time. Nurses participating in the trip include Wanda Chestnut, RN, DHSc, HIV/AID Specialist from Glen Dale, MD; Sarah David, RN, BSN, Emergency Nurse from New York City, NY; Beth Langlais RN, BSN, MN, Maternal Child Health from Seattle Washington; and Kimberly Law, BSN, RN(C) Perinatal Nurse Specialist from Penticton, British Columbia.

During the trip, the Nurses for Edna team will hold educational seminars for the midwifery students at the hospital, as well as equip staff and students with critical resources including DVDs, books, writing utensils, stethoscopes, and other general nursing supplies. Collaborating with hospital founder Edna Adan, the nurses participating on the trip will identify the needs of the hospital and the women it serves, and establish goals and a plan to achieve them.