Medical VTT to Uganda Update
The Rotary Clubs of York Maine and Kampala Sesse Islands (Uganda) collaborated on a Global Grant (with involvement and support of seven clubs in D7780 and twenty clubs in D9211) that shipped two containers of medical equipment and supplies (cost of approximately $50,000, market value of nearly $500,000) and supported a VTT to travel to Uganda to assist the staff of Nsambya Hospital to develop their program, and a VTT from Nsambya who will travel to Maine for additional training on best practices in patient treatment and program management. .jpeg)
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The team from D7780 recently returned from their time in Uganda. The two weeks we were there consisted of long days, though the time truly flew by. Our team consisted of Team Leader Carolyn Johnson (Yarmouth), three doctors (an oncologist - Rotarian Rob Horowitz of York, a surgeon, and an internist), three nurses (oncology and hospice expertise), and a professor of radiology. Our goal was to work with the staff to support them in developing a cohesive, collaborative team approach to patient care. We offered programs each day in a variety of aspects of cancer treatment and worked alongside the medical staff to better understand the challenges they face, provide acknowledgement of their strengths, and offer practical suggestions to improve their approach to patient care.
The shared knowledge and technical skills that resulted from this VTT are quantifiable and will positively impact the quality of patient care. But the long-term, lasting impact of this grant is the change that results from the person to person connections that were made: two surgeons working side by side who developed a life-long friendship; young nurses that, through mentoring by veteran nurses, developed the confidence to participate as contributors to their medical team; and doctors who learned they have colleagues - though half way around the world - with whom they can consult and collaborate to improve patient care locally.
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Not enough praise could be shared about the wonderful Rotarians who hosted us - especially the Rotarian families who hosted us in their homes. We visited multiple club fellowships (every evening - and sometimes split into 2 or three groups so we could get to them all!) and felt so incredibly welcomed and appreciated. But what we found were active, engaged clubs with Rotarians who are not afraid to get involve in their projects. The sense of pride among the Rotarians to be building this Cancer Treatment Center is clearly a strength of this undertaking. The Ugandan Rotarians had raised all the funds locally to build the center (located on the campus of Nsambya Hospital), but reached out to us to help with basic equipment and the expertise of our medical professionals. The message we brought back is the overwhelming increase in incidences of cancer and the huge need to spread the message of screening and early detection. We hope to continue this relationship with the staff at Nsambya Hospital, but more importantly we hope to partner with our Rotarian colleagues to help spread the word among Ugandan people about prevention and screening. There will be a team of medical professionals coming from Uganda to our district to learn from medical facilities, cancer outreach programs, and hospice programs. We anticipate they will be with us for three weeks in late October. If your club would like to know more about this grant and the experiences of our team, contact Carolyn Johnson cfj2@mac.com or Rob Horowitz rwhorowitz@hotmail.com or check out the great article featured in the Portsmouth Herald by Rotarian Deb McDermott http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20160815/maine-rotarians-help-challenge-of-cancer-in-uganda