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A Hospital-To-Hospital Partnership: Caring Without Borders
At Meridian Health, our commitment to improving the
health and well-being of patients goes far beyond the
borders of our own community. Our work with Ambo
Hospital in Ethiopia is just one example of our dedication.
In summer 2007, Barbara
Benwell, MSW, traveled with
two of her Meridian Health
colleagues — Laverne Muscio,
R.N., and Edward Liu, M.D.
— to a rural Ethiopian hospital
to meet doctors and nurses
caring for patients with HIV/
AIDS. She thought she was
prepared for what to expect
upon arriving at Ambo
Hospital, but she still had a hard time
believing what she saw.
Patients were crowded into dark, musty
rooms and lying on mattresses covered with
stains. There was little running water and
only a handful of working sinks. Meals were
cooked in large pots over an open pit. Some
hospital wings were so broken down and
unlivable that they were abandoned outright.
"It was incredible," says Benwell, a
social worker at Jersey Shore University
Medical Center. "In Ethiopia, the discrepancy
between the 'haves' and 'have-nots'
in this world just slaps you in the face."
But during the next week, Benwell and
the team would see another side of Ambo:
the quiet determination of a dedicated
hospital staff doing the best they can under
nearly impossible circumstances.
"Although the Ethiopians don't have
the wealth of resources we do in America,
they have the same hopes," Benwell says.
"And as human beings, it's our responsibility
to do what we can to try to ease
their burden."
Volunteering Time and Talents
Meridian's work in Ethiopia started back
in 2007, when Jersey Shore received a
competitive $160,000 grant from the
American International Health Alliance to
take part in the HIV/AIDS Twinning Center
Program. This volunteer-driven initiative
pairs American hospitals with overseas
facilities struggling to care for patients with HIV/AIDS. Jersey Shore was only
one of two U.S. hospitals to receive the
grant to address Ethiopia's needs.
Hospital, a 105-bed facility that serves
2.2 million people, to help their health
care providers improve the care they provide
to patients with HIV/AIDS. It was a
natural fit, as Jersey Shore has been leading
the way in HIV/AIDS care for years.
In 1985, the HIV and AIDS Ambulatory
Care Clinic opened at Jersey Shore, the
first of its kind in the state. The A-Team, as
the clinic is known, includes board certified
infectious disease physicians, registered
nurses, a physician assistant, HIV counselors,
social workers, and other support staff
who provide patients with comprehensive
clinical and emotional care.
Learning from Each Other
Representatives from Ambo Hospital visited
Jersey Shore in November 2007 to see how a modern HIV/AIDS clinic
operates in the United States.
Dr. Liu, an infectious disease
specialist at Jersey Shore, says
that while Ambo physicians have
access to HIV/AIDS drugs, their
choices are limited. Differences
in education also pose a problem. "Their
education is provided by the state and other
institutions," he says. "But they do not receive
regular refresher courses to update their
knowledge. Their education is very practical
but may not teach much theory about HIV
and medications."
The Meridian team has made three weeklong
trips to Ethiopia. Their work has included
training the clinical staff on HIV basics and
the use of antiretroviral drugs and medications
that treat common opportunistic infections.
The team also conducted a question-andanswer
session for Ambo's peer education
group, people with HIV who counsel others
newly diagnosed with HIV.
The Jersey Shore team is helping
Ambo Hospital develop an infection
prevention and control program. At
Ambo, infection control focuses
on minimizing the chances of
developing infection while in
the hospital.
"This can be as simple as
installing more sinks with soap,
using alcohol-based hand sanitizers, and
keeping sick patients with tuberculosis separate from other patients," Dr. Liu says.
"Sterilizing instruments, proper laundering,
and garbage disposal are also important.
These are basic things, but they go far in
helping to prevent infection."
Inspiration Reigns
Benwell was so moved by the sight of the
dirty mattresses that when she came home
she rallied local community groups and
raised $6,000 for new ones. During her second
visit to Ambo in March 2008, a delivery
truck with 105 new mattresses pulled up.
"It was a wonderful feeling," Benwell says.
"I just believe that we were put on this Earth
to take care of each other as best we can."
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