International Medical Health

Organization (IMHO)

In This Issue

IMHO Launches Major Drive to Establish NICU at Jaffna

Hospital

Volunteer Opportunity in Ethiopia: December 10-22,

2011

KAMHA Receives 2 Awards for Mental Health Efforts

Support for Somalia Famine Relief

Highlights of 8th Semi-Annual Meeting in Baltimore

Upcoming IMHO Events

Quick Links: Recent Reports

Gondar University Hospital Surgical Textbook Appeal

Rebuilding Haiti: Serving the Health and Education

Needs in Petit-Goave

Introduction to the Sanford Health World Clinics

Program

Pediatric Services in Jaffna and Need for a NICU Unit

Rebuilding Livelihoods in Sri

Lanka: An Appeal

Profiles of War-Affected Families in Sri Lanka

Education and

Empowerment of Deaf Youth in Ethiopia

2011 Annual Souvenir

Program

Report on the Needs of Resettled Persons and

Others in Sri Lanka

Status of Vavuniya General

Issue: #28 October 2011

IMHO Launches Major Drive to Establish a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital

Each year the Jaffna Teaching Hospital in Sri Lanka records about 10,000 deliveries, and in the recent past the number has increased tremendously due to free movement of people from Vanni and other areas. Out of these deliveries, about 20% of the babies need some medical attention after birth. These babies are currently admitted to the Special Care Baby Unit at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital. The main problems at the Special Care Baby Unit at present are all related to overcrowding and lack of space. During the year 2010 there were a total of 1,311 babies admitted to the baby unit and 55% of the babies were preterm. More than half of these preterm babies had surfactant deficient respiratory distress. The Jaffna Teaching Hospital does not have surfactant, nor are there facilities to ventilate babies in the baby unit. Considering the deaths during the neonatal period, 105 babies died in 2010 mainly due to lack of neonatal intensive care. The deaths were particularly high due to sepsis, especially when the total number of babies was high. This also reflects the lack of space and increased risk of cross infection. The babies who need ventilation are admitted to the Adult Intensive Care Unit. In the year 2010 there were about 30 babies admitted to the ICU from the Special Care Baby Unit, and 50% of the babies died due to lack of neonatal intensive care. With the advancement of medical sciences in much of the world, Northern Sri Lanka is lagging behind. There is a clear need to improve the neonatal services in Jaffna by establishing a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Lack of space, proper facilities, equipment, and trained doctors and nurses are the main challenges, which IMHO seeks to address with this major project. This new initiative will consist of three necessary phases, each costing

Report on the Needs of Resettled Persons and

Others in Sri Lanka

Status of Vavuniya General Hospital

Health Needs across

Eastern Sri Lanka

In Service of Humanity: Global Outreach of IMHO

2011 Update on Completed

IMHO Efforts

Overview of AMAF (Australia)

Maternal-Fetal Nutrition:

Laying the Groundwork for a Lifetime of Health

Overview of Parkinson's

Disease

Point Pedro Base Hospital: National Health Excellence

Award 2010

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With the advancement of medical sciences in much of the world, Northern Sri Lanka is lagging behind. There is a clear need to improve the neonatal services in Jaffna by establishing a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Lack of space, proper facilities, equipment, and trained doctors and nurses are the main challenges, which IMHO seeks to address with this major project. This new initiative will consist of three necessary phases, each costing roughly $70,000--1) the renovation and addition of building space to house the NICU, 2) the provisioning of vital medical equipment needed to meet the high demand and provide a higher quality of care, and 3) further equipment provisions. You can view the presentation given by Dr. Gita Sathiadas (who is leading this effort) at our 8th Semi-Annual Meeting in Baltimore last weekend, which highlights the current state of pediatric care in the Northern Province and the need for developing a NICU at the hospital, by clicking here: "Pediatric Services and Need for NICU at Jaffna Hospital"

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY Working with Deaf Youth in Ethiopia: : December 10-22, 2011

WHEN: 10-22 December 2011 WHERE: Addis Ababa & Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

WHO: Students, Persons fluent in Sign Language, Deaf Persons, Medical Doctors, or anyone with a big heart!

HOW MUCH: $1,195 all-inclusive (excluding airfare & visa Ethiopian deaf children suffer discrimination in education, healthcare, job skills training and opportunities, and everyday communication and activities. For this reason, we at IMHO are developing an Ethiopian Deaf Youth Empowerment Program in which we will partner with local organizations already engaged in serving this vulnerable community. During this trip we intend to learn from their experiences and efforts in greater detail, in order to put together the highest quality and most comprehensive program possible as we move forward. Our hope is that the end result will be the development of a thoughtful and thorough program of life skills training, Ethiopian Sign Language (ESL) training, job training, and educational support for children in Bahir Dar (where there are currently NO services available to the deaf community). In addition to the volunteer component, these trips will provide an opportunity to see local development projects in action. Volunteers will meet with local NGOs and make field visits to various projects designed to make a difference in communities in need. Finally, volunteers will have time for periodic sightseeing and leisure, providing an opportunity to see some of the many fascinating sights that Ethiopia has to offer. All of this will give volunteers an opportunity to experience South Indian culture and engage in what will hopefully amount to a powerful cross-cultural exchange and learning experience. You can find all the trip details, including TRIP FLYER, DETAILED TRIP APPEAL, and VOLUNTEER APPLICATION/LEGAL WAIVER on our website by clicking HERE.

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the many fascinating sights that Ethiopia has to offer. All of this will give volunteers an opportunity to experience South Indian culture and engage in what will hopefully amount to a powerful cross-cultural exchange and learning experience. You can find all the trip details, including TRIP FLYER, DETAILED TRIP APPEAL, and VOLUNTEER APPLICATION/LEGAL WAIVER on our website by clicking HERE.

Kalmunai Mental Health Unit Honored with 2 Awards by Asian Federation of Psychiatric Associations

Congratulations to the dedicated and pioneering staff of the Kalmunai Mental Health Unit for receiving the 2011 Award of Excellence in Leadership by the Asian Federation of Psychiatric Associations 3rd World Congress in Melbourne, Australia! In addition to this great honor, Dr. Judy Jeyakumar, director of the unit, received the 2011 Young Asian Psychiatrist award for his incredible commitment, ambition, and seemingly endless energy in improving mental health care services for his patients and for persons in need throughout the country. The Kalmunai Psychiatric Unit, despite bearing the brunt of war and many natural disasters (including the 2004 tsunami and repeated flooding) has achieved numerous firsts toward improving the mental health of the people of the Kalmunai region. Dr. Judy Jeyakumar has spearheaded change and invented numerous methods in coping with the reality of neglect in mental health, mobilizing both government and nongovernmental organizations recourses to help the mentally ill in around the Kalmunai Base Hospital's psychiatric unit. The unit itself consists of an acute in-patient unit, rehabilitation unit, gender-based unit, specialized unit for mothers and babies, female geriatric and female adolescent unit--altogether thirty beds under one umbrella. In honor of the selfless work of Dr. Judy and his team, the Asian Federation of Psychiatric Associations 3rd World Congress presented Dr. Judy with these awards on August 2, 2011 in Melbourne, Australia. The Asian Federation of Psychiatric Associations was founded on September 11, 2005 and launched in February 2007 in Lahore, Pakistan with the aim of improving psychiatry in Asia. Many of the lower income countries of Asia are still suffering from neglect of mental health teaching, practical training, services and lack of research. There are problems of resources in trying to change archaic practices and instill the seeds of a humane approach to care for the mentally ill both in health care services and in communities in Asia.

Support for Somalia Famine Relief

Facing yet another crisis after decades of conflict and the lack of a functioning central government, the people of Somalia have faced a horrific famine in 2011, which has displaced hundreds of thousands and left millions vulnerable. IMHO responded by giving $5,000 to Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) to provide emergency relief and medical care to victims of this disaster.

8th Semi-Annual Meeting Highlights Efforts in Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Haiti, and more

IMHO held its 8th Semi-Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland on Sunday, October 2nd. Building on the success and momentum of the past 8 years, our team was happy to present our most recent efforts and our plans for moving forward. Speaking on behalf of IMHO were IMHO USA President Dr. Kanaga Sena, IMHO International President Dr. S. Raguraj, and IMHO Lanka Director Jegan Thambiaiyah. Other speakers at the event included Tania Desgrottes, Administrative Director of the Dr. Henri Gerard Desgranges Foundation (HAITI); Dr. Gitanjali Sathiadas, Consultant Pediatrician at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital (SRI LANKA); Dr. Elizabeth Finigan, VA Family Physician & IMHO Ethiopia Project Lead; and James Slack, VP of Sanford Health World Clinics Program. The event also included a great Q&A session and excellent audience participation, video documentary on the need for establishing a NICU Unit at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital in Sri Lanka, a saree auction that raised $5,000(!), and lunch. All presentations are available under the Presentations section of this website (CLICK HERE), and a complete photo gallery is available on our Picture Gallery section under the "Baltimore Meeting 2011" tab (CLICK HERE). Make sure to join us next time!

Upcoming IMHO Events

Ohio Family Farm Adventure

WHEN: Sunday, October 9th, 2011 from 12:30-4:00pm WHERE: Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad,

127 S. Mechanic Street, Lebanon, Ohio 45036 RSVP: Jennilee (jennilee@premiercpa.com; OR 614.659.9999,

513.448.1184, or 937.242.6605) Please join us for an afternoon of fun for the whole family at the Lebanon Mason Monroe (LM&M) Railroad on a train ride through Warren County in Southwestern, Ohio to Schappacher Farm in Mason, Ohio. Walk through a real working farm, pet the animals, find your way through a corn maze, and select a pie pumpkin for your very own! Homemade snacks are for sale (cash only) at the Schappacher Farm Barn. For more information, please visit: http://www.lebanonrr.com/pumpkin.html The full experience takes 2 hours & 45 minutes, including: - Depart from Lebanon Station - 45 minute ride to Schappacher Farm - 75 minute layover at Schappacher Farm - 45 minute return trip to Lebanon Station This

Schappacher Farm in Mason, Ohio. Walk through a real working farm, pet the animals, find your way through a corn maze, and select a pie pumpkin for your very own! Homemade snacks are for sale (cash only) at the Schappacher Farm Barn. For more information, please visit: http://www.lebanonrr.com/pumpkin.html The full experience takes 2 hours & 45 minutes, including: - Depart from Lebanon Station - 45 minute ride to Schappacher Farm - 75 minute layover at Schappacher Farm - 45 minute return trip to Lebanon Station This event is being offered at no cost through a generous sponsor; however, all attendees are requested to make a contribution to IMHO. We need your support to help those in need in Sri Lanka and elsewhere, so your generosity and compassion is very much appreciated! An RSVP is necessary, as seats are limited and walk-ons will not be allowed.

***Focus on Rebuilding: West Virginia Fundraiser*** WHEN: Saturday, November 12th; time TBA

WHERE: India Center, 800 Green Road, Charleston, WV 25309 WHAT: For those in West Virginia, please join us as we learn about the reality for those struggling to put the pieces of their lives back together in the war-affected areas of Sri

Lanka. Share your ideas and enthusiasm with IMHO as we strive to serve these people in their hour of need. More details TBA shortly.

***Online Shopping Campaign*** WHEN: Now! This is an ongoing campaign taking place online.

WHERE: Go to http://cafegive.com/?cause=IMHO WHAT: Now you can make purchases from your favorite online stores and earn money for

IMHO! Simply login to cafegive.com and shop your favorite stores...Target, Barnes & Noble, Expedia, Macy's, Home Depot, iTunes, and hundreds more. A percentage of all your

purchases will go back to IMHO. Just use the following link and start shopping today!:http://www.cafegive.com/?cause=IMHO

***SAVE THE DATE: 9th Annual IMHO Convention*** WHEN: Friday, April 27th and Saturday, April 28th, 2012

WHERE: TBD, Toronto, ON, Canada All volunteers, donors, supporters, and team members of the IMHO family of organizations (including IMHO USA, IMHO Canada, IMHO Lanka, and IMHO European Union) are invited to attend our annual convention! We are busy making arrangements now, so the details are forthcoming. But please mark your calendars now and plan on joining us in Toronto in April 2012! We will be joined by visiting guests from Sri Lanka, as well as other experts and professionals who are involved in development work in communities in need. A full update on IMHO's efforts and plans moving forward will be shared.

***IMHO Canada Greeting Card Sales*** IMHO Canada is pleased to offer greeting cards designed by Sri Lankan youth whereby all profits will benefit youth in Sri Lanka. Each pack of colorfully designed cards comes with 10 cards and envelopes for just $5! Or you can order 5 packs for just $20. To order, simply email the IMHO Programs Coordinator at programs@imhocanada.org and give the details of your order. The cards can either be picked up at the IMHO Canada office or can be mailed to you. If you are picking the cards up at the IMHO Canada office, simply bring a cheque or cash as payment. If you prefer to have the cards mailed to you, please make a donation online HERE and make sure to include $5 extra for shipping. In either case, please coordinate in advance with the IMHO Canada Programs Coordinator by email or phone.

Be the During this crucial time in Sri Lanka and around the world, as we face monumental challenges in providing better access to quality medical and health care for those most at-risk populations, we

Difference. Save a Life with just $1/day! DONATE TODAY!

need YOUR HELP now more than ever. With just $1/day (or $30/month) you can help save and improve lives in Sri Lanka and elsewhere. Please consider making a donation to IMHO today. You can donate online via PayPal as a one-time or recurring donation (the amount & frequency of which are up to you). You can also donate via mail by sending a check made out to "IMHO" to the following address:

IMHO Treasurer PO Box 61265 Staten Island, New York 10306 U.S.A.

All donations are tax-deductible (tax ID code #59-3779465)

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