Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Wish List
BUNDLES:
These are examples of bundles of equipment that can be purchased with each donation tier ($25, $50, $75, $100). All actual purchases will be up to the discretion of Medicine of Humanity and its volunteers, unless you specify a particular item in writing (email/blog comment/letter accompanying check)
$25:
1) Newborn Bundle: 15 bulb suctions or 25 baby hats
2) Fetal Monitoring Bundle: box of 12 bottles of ultrasound gel for the doppler
3) Healthcare Worker Protection: box of protective gowns
4) Surgical Bundle: box of sterile gloves
5) Antibiotics: Approximately 25 doses of antibiotics
$50:
1) Newborn Bundle: box of baby hats and 3 digital thermometers or 50 bulb suctions
2) Fetal Monitoring Bundle: 3 replacement doppler batteries or 2 boxes of gel
3) Baggage Fees: help us to fly an overweight bag full of supplies
4) Surgical Bundle: 2 boxes of sterile gloves
5) Healthcare Worker Protection: 3 needle drivers or 5 boxes of googles
$75:
1) Newborn Care: box of newborn receiving blankets
2) Fetal Monitoring: 1/4th towards purchase of a new doppler
3) Healthcare Worker Protection: case of non-sterile gloves
4) Antibiotics: Approximately 75 doses
$100:
1) Newborn Care: Resque Vac unit (portable suction)
2) Surgical: Box of O Vicryl suture or a case of sterile gloves
3) Baggage Fees: pays for an additional piece of checked baggage full of supplies
4) Fetal Monitoring: 4 boxes of ultrasound gel or 5 doppler batteries
5) Antibiotics: Approximately 100 doses
Specialty Items:
1) New Doppler: $360
2) Waterproof Doppler: $550
***to be updated, check back for new items in demand****
Donations over $100 be used for purchasing more than one bundle of equipment or put towards a higher cost piece of equipment
Fundraising Explanation
In February 2009 I spent two and a half weeks as a volunteer obstetric nurse at a teaching hospital in Western Uganda (Mbarara Referral Hospital) with a team of nurses and doctors from UCLA working along with the organization Medicine for Humanity.
The experience was exceptionally inspirational and educational while at the same time overwhelmingly difficult and shocking. The hospital cannot afford basic supplies, and therefore, patients must bring their own surgical gloves and purchase their own antibiotics. Patients are also expected to bring their own linens, including receiving blankets for newborns, and sheets to sleep on after delivery. If a patient cannot afford these supplies there are rarely free or donated options. Otherwise healthy women may die because they are unable to afford the antibiotics needed to treat a postpartum infection. On an systemic level, emergency cesarean deliveries are delayed for hours, even days due to a lack of sterile surgical gloves, or because the surgical drapes, gowns, and lap pads need to be laundered and dried under the sun. After attempting a full resuscitation on an apenic baby I was told not to “waste” oxygen. I later learned that the entire hospital has an oxygen shortage.
Kari Waddell and I (Lisa Miller) are planning to return to Mbarara in September (10th-27th) and we would like to bring supplies that will be useful in acute situations (antibiotics, sterile gloves, sutures) as well as sustainable interventions (doppler, portable suction, ultrasound gel and batteries).
This is where you all come in!
Please check out our Wish List (on the right side bar) and if you feel inclined, you can donate money towards supplies directly from this blog. The "bundles" on the Wish List are packages of items that total to make an even amount of money for simple no-brainer donations. Please choose a bundle and email me or Kari (lisamillertime@gmail.com , Kari5656@gmail.com) with your donation preferences or write a comment on the blog. If there is a specific item you would like to donate towards (rather than a bundle) we can also make that happen...just let us know.
Checks are the preferred method of payment for donations. Medicine for Humanity can accept credit card or paypal payments, however, some of the donation is lost in processing costs.
Please send donations directly to Medicine for Humanity:
Medicine for Humanity
22866 Beckledge Terrace
Malibu, CA 90265
Or, if you would like to use a credit card/paypal account, click on the link:
Medicine for Humanity is a small organization, and therefore these donations will not get lost in operational costs or confusing bureaucracy. 100% of the donations received will go directly towards getting these supplies to the patients in Mbarara... no overhead costs, no admin fees, no airfare costs. All of it will go straight towards directly helping the patients.
Medicine for Humanity is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization.
All donations are tax-deductable and a receipt will be provided with the tax ID number.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
