MedPLUS Connect Volunteer Shares Her Experiences

Read below as a volunteer shares her experiences volunteering with MedPLUS Connect. If you are interested in getting involved, email us at medplusconnect@gmail.com.

Boxes of Supplies at MedWish International

For a few afternoons in November, I joined Emma Lawrence and the staff at MedWish International in Cleveland to pack dozens of boxes of medical supplies to send to a hospital in Walewale, Ghana. We spent several hours sorting through latex gloves, syringes, sutures, gauze, and dozens of other supplies to make sure we matched the wishlist drafted by Dr. Abdulai, the Medical Director of the hospital in Walewale.

Although the majority of the space in the shipping container was filled with large equipment such as hospital beds, wheelchairs, filing cabinets, bedside tables, a fridge, and an autoclave machine, the smaller hand-packaged boxes that we filled are equally valuable. The hundreds of sutures, gloves, and syringes that we packed will supply the entire Walewale district for several months.

All in all, my first experience with MedWish International was a blast. The entire staff was extremely kind and helpful and the afternoons flew by. I'm already looking forward to helping with the next shipment!!

Happy Holidays!

Sarah MedPLUS Connect, volunteer

Holiday Donations Have A Big Impact

The majority of MedPLUS Connect's work is based on a sustainable model in which the  Ghana health system pays MedPLUS Connect the full cost of shipping 40 foot containers of recovered and donated medical supplies and equipment. MedPLUs Connect is able to get the majority of the supplies donated with only a modest warehouse charge. However, some specific supplies (such as x-ray machines) are not readily available or may need extra work or electrical attention. Generous donations from supporters have allowed MedPLUS Connect to add value to shipments with solar powered lights, computers, and other medical equipment.

Recently, MedPLUS Connect has received some very generous donations to support our value added side projects! We are excited to report that we have raised close to $700 to refurbish a donated X-Ray Machine. We still have to raise $500 more, and then we will be able to send the X-Ray to the Lawra District Hospital. Currently, the hospital serves a patient base of over 42,000 people, and the nearest X-Ray is hours away on a dirt road. Sending this machine will drastically improve the quality of care the staff at the Lawra District Hospital is able to provide.

The District Commissioner of Lawra (similar to a U.S. Senator or Governor) recently sent MedPLUS an email.  Honorable Abu Samson wrote "I have just read about the good intentions you people have for Ghana, thus, the medical supplies and the solar light to rural clinics in some parts of northern Ghana of which Lawra is not an exception, we thank you in advance! we appreciate that and we are anciously waiting for your arrival. However, don't forget that Lawra hospital too has no X-ray machine."

Boxes of Supplies at MedWish International

We hope to be able to fulfill Lawra's request for an X-Ray machine this summer! To donate, please visit www.medplusconnect.com/donate - contributions of any amount aggregate to make an enormous impact. Thank you for your support!

-Lauren & Emma

A Global Path to Medical School

This week, I was pleasantly surprised by a phone call from Felix, a Ghanaian nurse who has become a close friend. I met Felix during my first trip to Lawra, Ghana over four years ago when he was working in the hospital's children's ward. Over the past four years, Felix has helped to oversee community projects as I led student service trips to Ghana, served as translator for interviews for my senior thesis, and been an enthusiastic sounding board for ideas about the expansion of MedPLUS Connect. We have spent many fun nights watching DVDs of Grey's Anatomy on my laptop, Felix marveling at the use of high-tech medical equipment that he had only read about in nursing school, and me doing my best to explain the ridiculously over-dramatized love lives of the characters.

Felix Giving Me a Lesson on Injections

As we chatted, Felix told me that he was hoping to go back to school in Ghana--to become a doctor. As I look back on my decision to pursue medicine and forward to my start of medical school this August, I am thrilled to think that Felix may be joining me in this journey. Thousands of miles away and on very different continents, Felix and I both have to deal with the stress of a competitive application process, a rigorous national exam, uncertainties about the overwhelming workload to come, and excitement about what it means to choose a career as a physician. At the same time, Felix faces challenges that I cannot even begin to comprehend--the prohibitive expense of things as fundamental to education as a laptop, the difficulty in obtaining education loans, and the responsibility of providing financially for an entire extended family.

While I am sure I will spend my four years of medical school stumbling through patient histories and basic medical exams, I am equally sure that Felix will perform these tasks with the poise, sure hands, and infectious enthusiasm that he brings to work everyday. Felix has dedicated his nursing career to working in the most undeserved areas of Ghana, and I know that he plans to apply utilize his future skills as a physician to treating this same communities. I wish him all the best!

Emma

Giving Thanks

I vividly remember the holidays during my childhood--the smell of warm pies, my Dad sneaking tastes of stuffing in the kitchen and the sounds of my family together. My family, like many families, has the tradition of taking turns saying what we are thankful for. This year, my gratefulness is focused on the work of other people. I am constantly inspired by the work and kindness of those surrounding me.

The work I did in Ghana with MedPLUS Connect introduced me to some of the most inspirational people I have ever met.  I remember one hazy night in Lawra, Ghana when I was standing outside of the small operating room at the Lawra District Hospital waiting to observe  an emergency surgery. I started talking to a nurse named Peter, and soon learned that he, like many of the hospital workers, had not been paid in several months. Although the hospital was short on funds, the administrators managed to provide a room and basic meals for the nurses, allowing them the option to continue working without pay. Peter's passion for medicine and dedication to helping others led him to devote his time each day. If that type of empathy and determination permeated more of the world today, I can only imagine how life would improve for millions of people.

It can be easy to get caught up in the hustle and stress of everyday life. During this time of thanks, we have an opportunity to pause. Thinking about people like Peter helps me keep some balance and perspective. Each of us has the ability and opportunity to make some difference, and none is too small. This holiday season, Peter's wish is the same as it is every day--to improve the quality of care he provides to his community. MedPLUS Connect has joined Peter in this wish, and together, we hope to raise the $1,200 needed to refurbish a donated portable x-ray machine and purchase a battery pack.

Currently, patients who need an x-ray have be transported for several hours on unpaved roads, costing them more money than an average person makes in a month. Among other things, having an x-ray machine will allow the Lawra District Hospital to treat patients suffering from motorbike and automobile crashes, work-related accidents and other emergencies.

To support the mission of MedPLUS Connect financially or through your time, please visit our website at www.medplusconnect.org or contact us directly at medplusconnect@gmail.com.

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Lauren Slive

President, MedPLUS Connect Board of Directors

Loading Tomorrow!

Starting at 10am tomorrow morning, close to 20,000 lbs of medical supplies and equipment will be loaded into semi-truck in Cleveland OH. The boxes of supplies, which have been carefully filled, labeled and inventoried by myself, some great volunteers, and the MedWish International staff, will make their way the thousands of miles to Ghana over the next few weeks. It is always exciting to watch the unloading process in Ghana (or be virtually connected through photos and video) and see those same boxes, in surprising good shape after the long journey, being unloaded in the dusty heat of rural Ghana.

Medical Supplies Arriving in Northern Ghana

Photos of the load day coming soon!

Emma

Project to Bring Solar Lights to Rural Clinics

Medical Supplies Arriving in Northern Ghana

I am so excited to announce that our partnership with One Million Lights has been expanded! Together, we made a commitment to bring 100 solar-powered lights to rural hospitals and clinics in Ghana this summer.

Spending time in Ghana, it continues to surprise me that something as simple as light can be the difference between a patient getting care or not. The majority of rural clinics operate without electricity and those with electricity struggle with frequent power outages. The lights we get from One Million Lights are waterproof, durable, solar charged...and quite stylish in neon colors :) All joking aside, each light allows a community health worker to deliver babies and provide care at night--meeting a fundamental need in disadvantaged communities.

Check out the link to the project page that describes our initiative: http://onemillionlights.org/2010/10/ghana/

Our goal is to raise $2,800 to fund 100 lights...you can make a donation of any size through the button on this page: http://onemillionlights.org/2010/11/active-projects/

We Have a Load Date!

After all the delays in the past few weeks, it is so exciting to have be moving forward in all the fun and hectic preparations for our next shipment! We have confirmed a load date...on November 18th, we will be packing a 40 foot container with medical supplies and equipment at the MedWish International warehouse in Cleveland, OH where a truck will be waiting to take the container to Baltimore for the first leg of its long journey.

Medical Supplies Near Loading Dock

After a great afternoon spent at the MedWish warehouse, I am thrilled about the supplies that will be included in the shipment. So far, we have 28 hospital beds and mattresses, an autoclave machine, a EKG machine, a centrifuge, and many many boxes of much-needed consumables!!

I'm looking forward to a busy week putting all the pieces and details in place to ensure a smooth (my adventures in Ghana have taught me that smooth can be relative term!) packing day and transport to Ghana. More details coming soon!

Emma

Great News...It's Time to Pack!!

The funds have been transferred from Ghana and we are ready to start packing our next shipment! The funds will cover the costs of transporting over 30,000 lbs of medical supplies to rural Ghana--one 40 ft container to the Walewale District Hospital and one 40 ft container to the Nandom District Hospital. Now the fun part...matching the hospital request lists against the inventory at MedWish International and starting to fill the shipments with medical supplies and equipment.

Rows of Supplies at MedWish International Warehouse

An update with the load date is coming soon. I would love the help of some Cleveland-area volunteers to pack the shipment!

Emma

Wechiau Library and Resource Center is Open!

Thanks to the great work of our Peace Corps volunteer partner, the Wechiau Library and Resource Center opened this week! The center has been enthusiastically received by community members, especially students who are enjoying exploring the educational resources on the RACHEL server. Some great photos below:

Community Members Watch Health Education Video

Student Uses RACHEL Server

Emma

Hurry Up and Wait!

At the end of my trip to Ghana this past summer, I met with the Chief Director at the Ministry of Health to get the invoice and memorandum signed for the next two shipments that MedPLUS Connect plans to send to Ghana. These documents lay out the responsibilities of both MedPLUS and the Ministry and include the list of each hospital's requested supplies and equipment.

Meeting with the MOH Chief Director

After the excitement of confirming these two new shipments and the craziness of returning to the USA and dealing with (what felt like) a hundred emails and updates, things have slowed down quite a bit as we wait for the Ministry to transfer the funds necessary to pack and ship the next two containers….definitely a case of hurry up and wait!

The past few weeks have been filled with a frustrating back and forth with the Ministry of Health accountant as we both deal with the difficulties of a significant time difference, poor phone connections, a slight language barrier, and the task of getting all the paperwork, bank account numbers, and transfer info all worked out. After a lot of delays, I learned the lesson that starting early is always better! Fingers crossed that the funds will be transferred within the next week and we will be able to move forward in packing the shipments!

Emma

MedPLUS Connect Project is Awarded a $500 Grant!

Thanks to the guidance and leadership of Jack Lawrence, our resident tech whiz, one of MedPLUS Connect's recent offshoot initiatives was awarded a $500 Do Something Grant! This project aims to bring computers and software to rural hospitals and clinics in an effort to increase administractive capacities and promote continued medical education.

Donated Computers Ready to be Networked

The grant, which MedPLUS Connect will use to purchase the electrical equipment that allows donated computers to function with Ghana's intermittent power supply, will go a long way toward ensuring the success of this critical technology. In the coming years, we hope these computers will continued to be used by hospital staff and community health personnel to update patient records, create health care presentations and annual reports, and keep up to date with medical resources.

Thank you Do Something!!

Emma

From Ghana to Baltimore

I've been back in the USA for almost two weeks now and have been busy beginning the states-side preparations for MedPLUS Connect's next two shipments of medical supplies and equipment. While stopping in Balitmore for a few days to visit friends in the area, I was fortunate to get to meet EVCOAfrica's founder who grew up in Ghana's Eastern Region but now lives in Maryland.

After dinner, he showed me around his basement work center where he checks and repairs donated computers before sending them to Ghana. After the computers arrive in Ghana, the EVCOAfrica team works to develop computer labs in village schools. Check them out at www.evcoafrica.org !!

Emma

Photos Added to the Past 2 Months of Posts

Check them out!!

MOH Meetings, and Goodbye to Ghana

From Kumasi, I headed down to Accra with Christy, and spent a relaxing day by the beach, working to prepare documents for my upcoming meetings with the Ministry of Health. Over the past two days, my meetings with the Ministry of Health were fantastic! First, I met with Chief Director of the MOH who reviewed and signed the Invoice and Memorandum documents for MedPLUS Connect’s next two shipments. We plan to send two 40 ft containers of recovered medical supplies and equipment to two underserved hospitals in northern Ghana: one to the Walewale District Hospital and one to Nandom District Hospital!

Ghana Ministry of Health

The Chief Director took me to meet with the Minister of Health, which was great because I got to skip the long line of people waiting. On the way to the Minsiter’s office, I tripped on the unraveling hem of my black pants (I guess wearing the same pair of dress pants for about 20 days in the past 2 months has taken its toll) and almost wiped out behind the Chief Director. Thinking that maybe he wouldn’t notice, my hopes were dashed by the chorus of waiting Ghanaians shouting “sorry, sorry.” I gave the Minister copies of the valuation documents that I prepared for our two previous shipments to Lawra and Wechiau, and updated him briefly about the upcoming shipments to Nandom and Walewale…definitely worth the 30 seconds of embarrassment!

I am back at my favorite hotel in Accra, finishing up some last minute errands, goodbye drinks and meetings before my flight leaves Ghana at 1am tomorrow. I feel like I have developed some incredible friendships in Ghana and am enthusiastic about the process that MedPLUS Connect has made in expanding our network of partners and planning shipments for the coming year. I am going to miss Ghana, transportation mishaps and all, and I look forward to my next trip!

Emma

"Vacation" in Kumasi

After making sure that Larbi got on a bus back to Accra, I spent an evening in Wa meeting with the Medical Director of a potential partner hospital. The hotel where I stay doubles as a conference center for local government and healthcare workshops, so I spend a fun night chatting with an Information Officer, doctor, and District Chief Executive who I had worked with in neighboring towns, and a current medical student from University of Michigan spending her summer doing research in Ghana…all who were passing through Wa for a variety of workshops…what a small, small world!

Overlooking Kumasi's Main Tro-Tro Station

The following morning, I took a bus down to Kumasi, which was an interesting experience considering they had run out of seats and I sat with other late-comers on plastic stools in the isle. The stools were surprising comfortable, and only really became an issue when someone in the back of the bus had to pee, which involved a bit of creativity and some gymnastics maneuvers. In Kumasi, I stayed with my wonderful host family and took a week off from MedPLUS work while I waited for the Ministry of Health official who I needed to meet with to return from a conference in Washington D.C.. I visited the orphanage where I volunteered during my first summer in Kumasi, helped other volunteers to plant trees, shadowed at KNUST (a local hospital), visited some old friends, and showed Christy (a teacher from Baltimore) around the city.

Emma

Ghanaian Bachelorette?!?

While Larbi and his colleague installed the RACHEL server and networked the computer lab, I spent the afternoon trying to get my internet modem to work in Wechiau. Walking around the grounds of the Wechiau Health Center carrying my cell phone and open laptop and searching for a place with phone and internet reception, I felt like that guy from the Verizon commercial…except the answer to his “can you hear me now?” question was unfortunately, always “no.”

On one of my last nights in Wechiau, Sinae and I walking to the health center, chatting about the cultural differences between the US and Ghana and the situations/conversations that we experience in Ghana that would be viewed as absolutely ridiculous in the US. With sitcom-like timing, we ended our conversation just minutes before we met the health center staff for an evening of “interesting” socializing. Sitting in a circle of plastic chairs in the shade of a huge tree, our conversation soon dissolved into a bizarre African version of a reality TV dating show….with each “eligible bachelor” standing in the center of the circle, professing his love for me, and explaining why he would be my ideal husband. It culminated into a show down between the HIV, TB and Malaria Officer and the Information Officer....each joined by their “campaign manager” who argued their desirable qualities, like their motorbikes, their HIV status, and the amount of fufu they could eat ☺.

Socializing at the Wechiau Health Center

Although the evening crossed so many lines of (my own American-produced perceptions of) appropriateness, it was all in good fun and I laughed so hard that I cried. At the end of the night, the director of the health center presented me with a traditional woven dress, which was beautiful and such a kind gesture. I had a wonderful time working in Wechiau, thanks to the hospitality and generosity of Sinae, the health staff, and the community as a whole—I hope to return to Wechiau soon in efforts to build a continuing partnership!

Emma

Partnering With EVCOAfrica

As I mentioned before, MedPLUS is partnering with a Ghanaian-based NGO called EVCOAfrica. The mission of EVCOAfrica is “To provide computer literacy to the children of rural Africa through donation of refurbished computers and accessories, organize computer workshops and speeches, and promote community involvement and development.” They are an incredible organization…check out their work at www.evcoafrica.org.

I met with EVCOAfrica’s chief technician while in Accra and he helped us to purchase transformers for the two freezers that we donated to the Lawra District Hospital and Wechiau Health Center, as well as an Uninterruptible Power Supply for the computers, which allow them to better deal with the power surges and power outages common in Ghana. Larbi, the chief technician, agreed to make the long journey to the north of Ghana to network our computer lab in Wechiau.

I met Larbi and his colleague in Wa, the capital of the Upper West Region, and the nearest place to Wechiau that receives buses from the south of Ghana. After a quick breakfast at my hotel, we headed to the tro-tro station to catch a car to Wechiau…a modified pick-up truck that had wooden benches and old tires for seats and was surrounded by a cage of steel bars covered by a tarp. Larbi was a great sport and we spent most of the ride laughing as we bounced along the dirt roads, rain water dripped down on us through the holes in the tarp. I guess you cannot complain when the 2 hour journey only costs about $1!

EVCOAfrica Installing the RACHEL Server

In Wechiau, Larbi and his colleague installed the RACHEL server and networked all of the computers. They worked from 10am (coming straight off a 12 hour overnight bus and 2 hour tro-tro ride) until 3am that morning, and were up again to finish the installation at 7am…all the while with enthusiasm and a great attitude!

Computer Lab and Medical Resource Center

The RACHEL server is a huge database of offline educational resources. This will allow health personnel and local community members the opportunity to access thousands of pages of Wikipedia articles, thousands of books (including hundreds of novels and children’s books written by African authors), video tutorials that teach math and science concepts at all levels, course readings from U.S. universities, interactive software to teach English and typing, a medical encyclopedia, and much much more. The RACHEL server is such an incredible idea and I am so excited that MedPLUS was able to partner with EVCOAfrica in bringing these resources to Wechiau!

Emma

Preparing The Computer Lab and Medical Resource Center in Wechiau

The day after my impromptu media debut was spent beginning to set up an educational computer lab and medical resource center on the grounds of the Wechiau Health Center. Five of the eleven computers that were donated by schools in the U.S. were designated for the resource center, and the other six will be distributed to health centers throughout the district and used for administrative purposes.

Watching Medical VHS Tapes

Donated Medical Books

The room that the health center prepared for the computers is perfect! Sinae and I set up tables and desks for the computers, a bookshelf for donated medical books and VHS tapes (a big thank you to the Cleveland Clinic Library!), and a couch for watching the medical VHS tapes. One of the most exciting parts of the computer lab and medical resource center is that we are partnering with EVCOAfrica to obtain a huge database of offline resources called a RACHEL server (more to come on this later). The director of the EVCOAfrica is currently in the U.S., so he mailed an updated copy of the server to their office in Accra. Thinking our ordeals with customs were finally finished, I was not too happy to get a call from the post office in Accra who wanted to charge us 125 Ghana cedis (about $100) of customs fees. My phone call with the manager of the post office was one of my most ridiculous bargaining experiences yet…

Post Office Manager: “you must pay $125’ Me: “That is too much.” Post Office Manager: “We have an official calculation. You must pay that much.” Me: "Sorry. I cannot. (insert some ramblings about donations and customs exemptions and the Ministry of Health)” Post Office Manager: “How much can you pay?” Me: “$50” Post Office Manager: …thinking I said $15...”$15 is too small. You must pay $20” Me: …pretending to be disappointed…”OK, we will pay $20”

Success!!! ☺

Emma

Lights, Camera, Action!

After the chaos of unpacking, Junior got a ride back to Kumasi with the trucking company, and Sinae and I settled in to a routine of cooking omelets, spending our days at the health center, and finishing the evenings with Planet Earth. Wechiau is small community consisting of a strip of paved road, which connects the health center, school, and daily market, and is surrounded by farmland. There is a hippo sanctuary in the area, so although remote, Wechiau does get visited by the occasional group of backpackers.

After the past few days of meetings and unpacking, my MedPLUS polos were filthy and I was ready to take a break from explaining paperwork and passing out business cards! Dressed in our dirtiest cloths and dripping with sweat, we spent the morning unpacking boxes of computers and electrical equipment. Part way through the morning, Sinae made a side comment that the health center director and administrator seemed to be dressed very fancy…something that both of us assumed was coincidence…until the TV cameras showed up 15 minutes later. I had NO idea that the district was bringing in media or a film crew (I had been informed that they told were booked elsewhere) so I was hot, dirty, and totally unprepared.

Presenting the Supplies to the District Chief Executive of Wechiau

Being Interviewed for GTV

I was interviewed on GTV (Ghana’s main news network) and for several local newspapers…fingers crossed that I didn’t make too much of a fool of myself! Regardless, it was very nice for Wechiau’s District Chief Executive (similar to a mayor) to come out to speak at the media event, and I hope this will bring some good publicity to MedPLUS Connect.

Emma

Distributing Medical Supplies Throughout The Wa West District

The shipment to Wechiau is particularly exciting because the supplies and equipment that MedPLUS sent will be distributed to health centers and CHPS compounds (small community health centers) all through the district. CHPS compounds are staffed by a community health worker, and aim to bring primary healthcare, including deliveries and malaria care, to within close distance of all rural communities. I am proud to contribute to Ghana Health Service’s commitment to bringing healthcare to underserved areas of Ghana and hope that MedPLUS’s contribution will help to reduce child and maternal mortality in these vulnerable communities!

Taking a Pick-up Truck of Supplies to a CHPS Compound

I accompanied the first pick-up truck load to a remote CHPS compound to deliver a hospital bed, gloves, and boxes of wound care supplies. We are fortunate to be partnering with One Million Lights (check out this great organization at http://www.onemillionlights.org/) and will be giving each CHPS compound, many of which operate with sporadic or nonexistent electricity, a solar lantern.

Solar Flashnight from Our Partner One Million Lights

Amidst the frustrations of customs, communication barriers, and inevitable delays, experiences like this remind me of the need that MedPLUS Connect aims to meet and reinforces my own commitment to medicine and public health.

Emma