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Posts Tagged ‘Partners in Health’

GYF 2010 – Global Health

Friday, November 19th, 2010
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Last week in Atlanta, Georgia USA, 150 student delegates spent four days at PTPI’s ninth annual Global Youth Forum (GYF).  Global health was the topic this year.  Impressive speakers, hands-on volunteer experience and group discussions gave students tools to help deal with health-related issues, in their communities and in the world.  See below to find out what they did each day:

Day 1 – Wednesday, November 10

Delegates arrived throughout the day, met at the airport by PTPI staff.  Orientation kicked off at 4:00pm.  Prior to dinner, delegation groups had their first meeting an discussed “Making Global Health Connections.”  After dinner, it was time for the Opening Ceremony, which featured a presentation by Salina Bakshi, a GYF Alumnus and current medical student who shared what she has learned from her years spent volunteering in Africa in the field of maternal health.

Salina Bakshi

Day 2 – Thursday, November 11

Following breakfast and a bit of shopping at the PTPI store, it was time for more delegation group meetings. Dr. Jesse Rohde, founder, president and CEO of The Rohde Foundation, an organization dedicated to social justice, health care and hope in rural Africa, spoke to the students after lunch.  He stressed to students that despite their youth, their ideas matter and they can truly make a significant difference in the world.

In the afternoon, delegates watched a series of short videos covering issues such as Malaria, HIV/AIDS, Cholera and other waterborne illnesses, malnutrition, and maternal health and discussed them with their groups.  Dr. Joia Mukherjee was the presenter for the evening.  As Medical Director for Partners in Health, she is intimately familiar with a wide variety of global health concerns.  She challenged the delegates to consider whether or not healthcare is a basic human right.

Day 3 – Friday, November 12

Volunteering at MedShare

The delegates took to the streets of Atlanta on Day 3, heading to MedShare for a day of volunteering.  While there, they packed 450 boxes containing more than 5,000 lbs of medical supplies.  Read more about their work on MedShare’s blog.  The day also included a trip to The Varsity (the World’s Largest Drive-in Restaurant) and a lesson in the history of Atlanta on a city tour.  Delegation groups met in the evening before heading to bed.

Lunch at The Varsity

Day 4 – Saturday, November 13

Today each delegation group presented their Extreme Health Makeover Public Service Announcements, which were the culmination of all they had learned, addressing the way to take action in the future.  PTPI President and CEO Mary Jean Eisenhower held a Q&A after lunch which was immediately followed by the Ambassador Charles Hostler International Student Panel (ISP).  Made possible by generous contributions from Amb. Charles and Chinyeh Hostler, the ISP is an opportunity for all delegates to learn firsthand about a variety of cultures and customs.  Students asked questions of the international delegates, who represented Albania, Cambodia, Canada, Egypt, Malaysia and Poland.

International Student Panel

No GYF would be complete without the Open Mic session, a time for all delegates to stand in front of their peers and share whatever is on their minds.  Following the Closing, Southern Style, Dinner and Awards Ceremony, everyone took to the dance floor for the GYF Dance.  After Final Reflections, the students headed to their rooms to prepare for their departures home the next morning.

View more photos from the GYF on PTPI’s Facebook Page!

GYF delegates

Contributions to Partners In Health

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010
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Special thanks to these amazing donors who have come together to help show how PTPI members from all over the world – countries such as the U.S., Canada, France, Netherlands and Malaysia – are committed to reaching out and showing concern for humanitarian needs.  Together we’ve sent more than $21,000 to Partners In Health (PIH) for assistance with earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.

PTPI’s Sheboygan, Wisconsin Chapter
Marsha Scribner
Myriam Radia and Family
Leo Collins
Jeff Mason
Michael and Pam Zanders
Dr. and Mrs. Roger Haskett
Teresa Spotleson
Mirjam Hausmann
Dr. Duc Nguyen
Lebert Shultz
Rebecca Silva
Mr. Feng Kang
An Brunelle
Barbara Jur
PTPI’s Sofia, Bulgaria (The Doves) Student Chapter
Chantal DeSoto
Ching Pang Siu
Patricia Burnett
John and Yoshie Metcalf
Elly Washington
PTPI’s  Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Student Chapter
Frederick Eames
Employees of
Brown Smith Wallace, LLC
PTPI’s Oskaloosa, Iowa (Oskiowa) Community Chapter
PTPI Korea National Headquarters
PTPI’s Delray Beach, Florida Student Chapter

Let’s not forget the PTPI chapters who have dedicated their time and talents to an array of additional causes and organizations focused on assisting the people of Haiti:

Atlanta, Georgia (Metro Atlanta) Student Chapter
Belle Mead, New Jersey Student Chapter
Boulder, Colorado Student Chapter
Central Valley, California (Stockton) Student Chapter
East Brunswick, New Jersey (Synergy) Student Chapter
Park City, Utah Student Chapter
Yongin, South Korea Student Chapter

Update on Haiti from Partners In Health

Friday, February 12th, 2010
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Brandie Conforti, Director of Corporate Relations for Partners In Health (PIH), sent a recap of a recent conference call with PIH co-founder, Dr. Paul Farmer, PIH physician, Dr. Koji Nakashima and Chief Program Officer, Ted Constan.  Here are some of the highlights:

  • The country as a whole—from government entities to the individuals whose lives were devastated by the quake—will need what Paul described as “patient [enduring] accompaniment” as well as a huge injection of resources. Comparing the process of rebuilding in Haiti to that of a blood transfusion, Paul remarked we were going to need “a very large needle.”
  • Koji provided an update on the number of patients treated since the earthquake struck four weeks ago, estimating that 3,000 patients have been seen across the four existing PIH sites that received the highest number of earthquake related injuries. (These figures do not include the several thousands of patients treated at the University Hospital in Port au Prince.)  He added that one third of those 3,000 patients will need ongoing care and that PIH staff and volunteers have performed 500 surgeries with 200 people still hospitalized for inpatient care.
  • Ted spoke about what PIH needs from supporters now and in the future by outlining three major areas:

1. Maintaining and building strong partnerships with other organizations.  Over the past 20 years and particularly in the last month since the earthquake, PIH has learned a great deal about supporting services that are not directly medical, including bringing clean water to communities, supporting economic development through job creation, and providing access to education.

2. Haiti’s struggle—and triumphs—must stay in the news if we are to garner to the support and momentum needed to truly build back better.  Supporters can act as extensions of PIH’s Communications Team by ensuring that Haiti’s recovery continues to be a topic covered in local news.

3. Financial support will continue to be critical. PIH has always responded to the needs of our patients, and monetary support allows us to remain nimble as we determine how best to respond to those needs in the short, medium, and long term.

If you would like to listen to the conference call, you can download it here: http://act.pih.org/Donor-Update-Call-Recording-202.10.10.wav