Seeking Two OR Nurses for Project H.A.N.D.S Trip - November

Project H.A.N.D.S is seeking volunteers for a surgical trip in November 2013 in rural Guatemala. Applications are now being accepted.

Here is a little about the mission and about Project H.A.N.D.S.

Project H.A.N.D.S. is a group of people who want to do our part to help rebalance the scales. Our goal is to provide healthcare, education and support to those who, by chance of birth, have less fortunate lives than our own. We are a Canadian-based, registered non-profit organization working amongst the indigenous Maya in the rural regions of Guatemala. We have no religious affiliation.

What and When:
Project H.A.N.D.S is seeking 2 OR nurses to complete the November 6-17th 2013 team, the goal of the trip is to complete 50-60 general and gynecology surgeries.

Location:
The team will be working in Salud y Paz Clinic which is located in the small town of Camanchaj, about 30 minutes from Chichicastenango. The patients served are those who live in rural areas, most of them in extreme poverty, on less than $1 a day. Over half suffer from chronic malnutrition. Poor sanitation and lack of electricity and running water and open cooking fires are typical of their homes and lifestyles. Very large families are common and most births are unattended by medical personnel.

Here is the trip schedule:
Wednesday, November 6: Travel to Guatemala and drive 45 minutes to Antigua
Thursday, November 7: Free day to enjoy Antigua’s myriad historic sites, markets and restaurants

Friday, November 8: Drive 3 hours to Camanchaj, set up clinic, then drive to hotel in Chichicastenango
Saturday, November 9: Triage patients
Sunday, November 10 – Friday, November 15: Surgery
Saturday, November 16: Return to Antigua for overnight
Sunday, November 17: Travel home

The Team:
The team consists of a team leader, a medical director (anesthesiologist), 2 surgeons, a surgical assistant, 2 anesthesiologists, 5 OR nurses, 8 PAR/post-op ward nurses, a sterile processing technician, a sterile processing assistant, 2 Spanish interpreters, 1 administration and 3 kitchen crew.

The cost of the trip is estimated at: 
Airfare: CA$1100 (budgeted cost from Vancouver)

Participant contribution: CA$700 (covers accommodations for 10 nights, ground transportation and food). Not covered: food in Antigua (2 days), expenses of a personal nature, extra nights in Antigua, single supplement if desired.

For more information please click here: www.projecthands.org.

If you would like to be considered for a spot on the team please contact:
Debbie Jefkin-Elnekave
Project H.A.N.D.S Recruiting Officer
808-214-6053
debbie@projecthands.org

Thanks!!

ONAAT CREW

Summer Camp Opportunity, Nurse Volunteers

Here is an excellent opportunity for any nurses who may be interested in volunteering this summer. This is from their Health Services Coordinator, please read on:

Each year, Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) holds a summer camp for children age 6-17 who suffer from neuromuscular disease. We rely on volunteers in the community to help us make sure they have the best week of the summer! 

MDA Summer Camp really is the most important week of the year for our kiddos. For us, finding medical staff to help take care of them and keep them safe is the most important part, and the hardest to come by. 

The dates are June 8-15 at Camp Suwannee in Dowling Park, FL. 

Lauren
Health Care Services Coordinator
Jacksonville, FL
ldonoho@mdausa.org
http://www.facebook.com/MDAjacksonville

Please contact Lauren if you are interested!!


Thank you 

ONAAT CREW

Preventing Cervical Cancer in Kenya

I had the privilege of working in Kenya in January of 2013 with the non-profit organization Prevention International No Cervical Cancer (PINCC). It was my first time to Africa and my second trip with PINCC. We were a small group this time, 6 of us Americans –and our Kenyan colleagues numbered about 30 in total. I was with the PINCC group for two weeks – the first week was in the Kibera area of Nairobi, and the second week was in Kiambu area on the edge of Nairobi. The weeks were very different from each other in many aspects, and yet shared similar aspects too, like the wonderful Kenyan health care practitioners we worked with, and the gracious patients we helped to provide care for.

The health care practitioners we worked with had varied backgrounds and training –they included nurses; clinical officers; midwives; and obstetrician/gynecologists.  They were all, without exception, gracious and professional and a joy to work with. Their experience varied and in very short order we were able to see who needed particular focus on specific areas of instruction. That was the mission of this PINCC trip, to teach the local health care providers how to screen for cervical cancer and treat in the same step whenever possible. This model of teaching how to provide medical care, rather than providing it, is an example of sustainable health care work that has a big impact.
Kibera is an area within Nairobi that is infamous for its poverty and challenging living conditions. I have never experienced anything like it, and although difficult at times, walking through it and working within it will remain one of the most profound experiences of my life. The health care workers who staff the clinic in which we worked most often lived outside of the Kibera slum, and they took public transportation to the edge of the slum, and then walked in to the clinic on foot. This is because the “streets” (dirt paths) of Kibera are not wide enough for cars. There is no car traffic within Kibera.  
The clinic is part of an organization called Shining Hope for Communities or SHOFCO as we called it. It is a wonderful organization that offers healthcare, education and a sustaining community presence within Kibera. It provides a stable base from which to provide services and this is what we helped do! Some of our Kenyan colleagues had exposure to the concept of “see-and-treat” cervical cancer screening, or, visual inspection with acetic acid and cryotherapy, and some did not. Some had experience using speculums and some did not. Every day was different, which of course was wonderful, and so we began wherever the student needed us to begin. The work, therefore, included things like teaching the participants how to use a speculum and find the cervix; inspect the cervix for changes after the application of acetic acid; perform equipment checks on cryotherapy guns and performs the cryotherapy; do biopsies and do LEEPs (loop electrosurgical excision procedure).
Cervical cancer continues to be a leading cause of mortality in developing countries, as compared to more developed countries, where it is not among the leading reasons for female mortality.  The process-intensive screening that is done with pap tests, in more developed countries, is not suitable in developing/low resource areas. In contrast to the U.S., for example, where cervical cancer screening occurs nearly annually, many women in developing countries receive one screening in a lifetime. This is for many reasons, but geography; access to health care; lack of adequate local health system infrastructure – all of this plays a part in contributing to the increased morbidity and mortality of cervical cancer in developing countries. For these reasons, PINCC and other organizations, teach a method that screens and treats (if necessary) in one step. There is no specimen (Pap test) therefore there is no need for a laboratory or the personnel to interpret the specimen. The clinician doing the pelvic exam visualizes the cervix, and, using 5% acetic acid (vinegar) applied to the cervix, is able to determine if the cells of the cervix appear healthy, or, if there are pre-cancerous lesions. This method has been researched well and has been found to be as effective in finding pre-cancerous lesions as pap testing! And the best part is, it is inexpensive to perform, relatively easy to learn, and equipment and supplies needed are minimal.
Our Kenyan colleagues embraced this method of cervical cancer screening, and at the end of the week they were getting the exam themselves – often the first pelvic and cervical exam they had ever had. The most gratifying moments of these weeks included these exams that the students did on each other – they had clearly learned how to do a good pelvic and cervical exam and they trusted each other to do it well. Serving as their educator was an honor and a privilege.  I learned so much on this trip – particularly about how to teach. I have been a clinician for so long, it’s easy to reflexively perform a task, but it is much more difficult to sit back and teach – and allow the student to learn by doing. I also learned a little bit about the ways in which our cultures differ. It seems that our Kenyan colleagues are typically more soft spoken than we are, and a little bit less assertive in terms of learning needs. There was an emphasis on politeness in the Kenyan culture that I have not often experienced within the U.S. culture and I felt compelled to scrutinize myself to make sure I maintained polite manners!
The conditions in which we worked were difficult, e.g. there were a lot of patients, and they often had complex medical and social histories. Many women had been raped, and many were positive for HIV. Many were single and had had multiple pregnancies and miscarriages. All of this made for overwhelming encounters at times – but our students managed this with grace and ease. They work in such difficult conditions, the poverty is mind-numbing and they work within it all day without fancy equipment, running water or electricity. It is inspirational and I hope to remember these hard working clinicians when I catch myself complaining at my work at home.
One of the most memorable moments of this trip came at the end of the Kibera week. We had finished teaching and working in this very challenging environment and PINCC had certified and graduated a number of clinicians in this method. Being witness to their pleasure and satisfaction was awesome. We said our goodbyes and as we left, we went to a classroom of girls (the clinic is next to the Kibera School for Girls) and these young girls sang to us. They were all beautiful songs, but the last one was about self-realization and fulfillment.  When they were done there was not a dry eye amongst us! The fact that this kind of beauty, hope and joy can exist simultaneously alongside extreme poverty and desperate circumstances, gives me hope and sustenance to continue working to help my fellow human beings.
One Nurse At a Time made this trip possible for me and it was a gift I will always have. I hope to participate in a trip such as this on an annual basis – it will keep me fresh, flexible, and young at heart! It seems to me that this is a cycle of giving – ONAAT gives me the opportunity to do these trips, I give of my time and expertise, and the people I encounter give their grace and good will – and in this way, all of us contribute to an accomplishment that could not be achieved alone.    Anne Daly March 2013

Barco's Nightingale Scholarship Winner Jo Birdsong

Barco's Nightingale's scholarship winner Jo Birdsong is a registered nurse from the west coast. She was a lucky winner of our Nightingale's scholarship and is leaving to Haiti on a mission trip with the organization Project Helping Hands.

Jo has been in nursing for 30 + years and has enjoyed every bit of it and when she's not working, she has two sons and three grandchild who keep her busy! Jo is employed by Providence Little Company of Mary of Torrance, CA. There is spent 9 years working in their emergency department and was recently promoted to a Pre-Hospital Care Coordinator (if you are curious, a Pre-Hospital Care Coordinator is involved in all radio transmissions from the hospital to the paramedics out on the 9-1-1 calls. It's basically a liaison between paramedics, EMT's, fire departments, ER Radio Nurses and LA County EMS Agency).  Jo loves her job and her work!

Jo is not a new face to humanitarian mission trips. She has some experience under her belt and has participated in a total of 4 trips, all of which were to Haiti. The organization Jo is going with sends teams of volunteers to provide medical care and health education for people in all developing nations. The teams participate in treating and educating people in cities and towns, focusing on educating the local health care providers. This way their goal of seeing the health care providers become self sufficient is a reality.

If you are wondering how you can volunteer with Project Helping Hands please click here. There is a ton of info on their website and even some fascinating videos!

Jo Birdsong will be in Haiti February 3rd 2013 with Project Helping hands. Her mission was made possible by the scholarship she received from One Nurse At A Time and the generous support of Barco's Nightingales Foundation.

More will posted on her return!

Thanks-

ONAAT

So Simple

So, if you are not able to donate your hard earned money this year (totally understandable! It's been a tough year!) Then, may I suggest this awesome website that allows you to continue to donate, but you don't have to pay a dime!

iGive is a GREAT way to donate to our organization. iGive is a very simple browser app. It tells stores that you want a percentage of every purchase you make online donated to your cause or charity...AT NO COST TO YOU!
I just hooked my mom up with the app, unfortunately right after cyber Monday...and after she had already done a lot of her online shopping for Christmas and winter birthdays. But, the great thing was, that she was easily able to sign-up and she said "If a 65 year-old can figure it out, it must be simple!"
Here is our customized link to get you started:  http://www.iGive.com/OneNurseAtATime

Please consider joining up for this super easy app! :)

Thanks as always-

ONAAT CREW

Fundraising, a battle

This spring my church talked about a difficult topic. The topic was money. HUSH!  Don’t talk about that!  It’s like a forbidden word- it’s never a fun topic at home, you usually don’t have enough, when you do have a little extra, you worry you may lose it, basically money although you think it is, it’s just not pleasant! 

The pastor who gave the sermon about money- gave an amazing sermon- she discussed the issues people have around it, why it is difficult to talk about it, and how to support each other and the church without breaking the bank. My in-laws who NEVER attend church (only did that day because our daughter was being baptized) walked out at the end of the service, in amazement. They were moved to discussion and that’s a big deal for this family, because money is simply NOT discussed.

   

This last ONAAT meeting we had last week, we talked about money…extensively. How do we get more of it!? Who do we need to talk to? Where do we go? What do we need to learn? Fundraising has never been a word I particularly enjoy. In my opinion, it is not FUN. I mean, really, who thinks it is fun asking people for money? I definitely do not.

Well our organization depends upon it- We depend upon donations from family, friends, grants, and sales from our gift shop. If we don’t have money, we are not able to help nurses, help our community, and help people!

You might ask how do we fundraise for One Nurse At A Time?

Here they are:

-  Buy our logo items  - scrub tops, sweatshirts, hats, teddy bears…etc. http://www.companycasuals.com/OneNurseAtATime/start.jsp

-  Make a charitable donation http://onenurseatatime.org/donate/ways-to-give/

- Make us your charity you would like to donate to this winter http://onenurseatatime.org/donate/ways-to-give/

- Use iGive (totally easy and simple) http://www.igive.com/

- Buy one of our books  “Womankind” or “Nurses beyond Borders” $10 plus shipping- email onenurseatatime@gmail.com

These are our current methods. They make a dent and help us grow our organization. We can't thank all of you enough, with making this dent!

 

Thanks for your help. 

                                                                - ONAAT Crew