Volunteers Provide Care to Very End

As the first rotation of Project HOPE volunteers were completing their time in Haiti and Colombia, we found out our partners the Navy were not quite finished with us yet.

Marilyn, Michael, and I went ashore today while the rest of the team packed for the journey tomorrow.

The patient flow went as normal. The only outstanding case of the day was 59-year-old Roman Dario Hernandez, who had a chronic ulcer that had grown to engulf his entire right shin.

Working calmly, Michael cleaned and redressed the area. He then prescribed Muprocin antibiotic ointment. When the tube of ointment runs out, Michael instructed Señor Hernandez to coat the ulcer regularly with honey and apply clean bandages. “You use honey because its sugar content is so high that nothing can live in it,” Michael explained.

After dinner we assembled in the Flag Mess for a special dessert with Commodore Negus and other officers. A huge vanilla cake with thick icing and fresh strawberry filling graced the conference room table. Team members Marty and Manish cut and served the cake.

Team members chatted with the officers and the other volunteers with whom we had served. A relaxed air settled over the room. “This is more intimate than the normal dessert. We got to talk to the officers more,” remarked Manish.

Usually departing civilian volunteers are formally recognized as an item of business at the 1930 confirmation brief, in front of dozens of the Navy brass. As the event drew to a close, Commodore Negus spoke of his appreciation for all the Continuing Promise volunteers. “Nothing is easy on a CP mission. The underlying purpose is you go to help folks, and you can’t do that but by giving of yourself... You’ve given your time, muscle, brain, and sweat to help the least among us. And on behalf of the Continuing Promise team, of which you will always be a part, I deeply thank you,” said the Commodore.

He then presented each of us with a Continuing Promise certificate bearing the fourteen flags of the host nations and mission partner nations. This evening was a crowning touch to our time here on the Iwo Jima. We’ve been privileged to have such wonderful shipmates.

Story and photos by HOPE volunteer and PAO, Eric Campbell

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Last Day in Colombia Yields Substantial Results

The last day of full-scale medical operations for the Project HOPE team in Colombia is much the same as any other day here. It was a solid stretch of work in the tropical heat to bring HOPE’s skill to those who need it most.

Skin conditions stood out today as the medical issue du jour. Sometimes a pattern can develop at the med sites where a noticeable number of patients arrive in a single day with a minor problem such as foot pain or headaches. There’s no common environmental explanation for these occurrences; they’re simply a matter of chance.

Nurse Practitioner Matya Cooksey saw an infant with inflammation around his forehead and right eye from insect bites. Such afflictions are all too common in a country with such diverse insect life. The pharmacy was out of hydrocortizone creme, so Matya prescribed Benadryl syrup.

Our other Nurse Practitioner onsite Sandy McCormack counseled an elderly patient on how to improve her general quality of life. Sandy advised the lady to avoid caffeine to help lower her blood pressure. She also suggested wearing shoes with arch support to alleviate pains in the patient’s legs.

“Today we saw general aches and pains, and gave second opinions,” Sandy said. “So we can let them (the patients) know that the Colombian doctors are doing their jobs.”

Team doctor Manish Oza’s final patient of the day was a trim woman in her early sixties who had been in a motorcycle accident two days before. The crash had given the patient severe arthritis in both shoulders. When asked to raise her arms above her head, she burst into tears from the pain before she had even lifted her elbows above the level of her shoulders.

Unfortunately, the woman’s injury will require an X-ray, which we do not have at Med Site 1. Manish, frowning deeply at his inability to help, prescribed an analgesic and referred her to the local hospital.

The day finished with an impromptu concert by a Colombian band in the school’s courtyard. The frenetic, trumpet-fueled tunes did not inspire one to dance so much as to watch the musicians, and let the sheer energy of the music burn away the day’s stress.

The team will depart the USS Iwo Jima soon. We have all enjoyed working in Colombia and Haiti. We are proud to have been a part of Project HOPE and Continuing Promise 2010.

Story and photos by HOPE volunteer and PAO, Eric Campbell

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Volunteers Diversify to Meet Needs in Coveñas

Project HOPE team member Marilyn Ringstaff is a Certified Nurse Midwife. Her role as part of the team is to handle all types of medical issues related to pregnancy and women’s well-being. In Coveñas, she continues the Women’s Health duties she had in Haiti, with a few key changes.

One of the biggest challenges in Haiti was that the Women’s Health department, one of six areas of medicine addressed at the med sites, was lacking all the modern equipment to perform full examinations for pregnant women. Doctors had to use the most accurate methods available to them, sometimes leaving the diagnosis in doubt.

Here, the site still lacks state-of-the-art equipment. However, Colombian patients frequently arrive with intact medical records, even ultrasound results.

“It makes a big difference... A lot of appointments are just consults now,” said Marilyn.

Another obstacle in Haiti was the population’s lack of access to basic birth control measures, notably condoms. This dearth of medical protection permits not only many unprepared-for pregnancies, but also the spread of a host of sexually transmitted diseases.

In contrast, Coveñas citizens have much better access to condoms and birth control. IUDs are available at local clinics for women who wish to postpone pregnancy. For those who want no more children, sterilization is a common practice.

“They call it ‘being disconnected.’ Took me a while to figure out what they were talking about,” Marilyn said with a laugh.

Because of these amenities, the Women’s Health station which functioned in Haiti has been incorporated into the more general Medical station for Colombia. Marilyn still sees many mothers, infants, and mothers-to-be, but her recent charges have included patients from strapping men with headaches to elderly ladies looking for advice on osteoporosis.
“Osteoporosis has no symptoms,” Marilyn counseled one patient. “But many people who have osteoporosis also have arthritis, which is probably what you’re feeling.”

The changes in procedure from country to country often present challenges for the Project HOPE team. But they are challenges that we will continue to overcome.

Story and photos by HOPE volunteer and PAO, Eric Campbell

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Surgical Patients Thankful

After extensive patient screening, 54 Colombians were chosen to take onboard the the USS Iwo Jima for surgery. Today, in the ship’s ward, I had the pleasure of speaking with one of them.

Leonore del Risco is an elderly resident of Coveñas. Her husband, José Antonio Carta, is scheduled to have a long-existing hernia removed tomorrow. “It’s amazing that everyone is taking care of us (so well). We did not expect everyone to be so friendly and attentive,” said Señora del Risco, speaking through Navy LS2(AW) Liseth Perez.

Señora del Risco lives with José Antonio and their 19-year-old granddaughter. The couple’s five children have long since moved away. To stave off the poverty that afflicts many Colombians, Señora del Risco works as a postal carrier, delivering letters on foot in blistering heat. Even so, she makes below the Colombian minimum wage. Where the expected salary is 500 pesos a week, she receives 350.

Still, she reasons, it’s better than nothing. She also looks to her four sons and daughter for support. Her eldest son, a security guard in Cartagena, is the main breadwinner. “I thank God that at least I have a job, and a meal on the table every day,” Señora del Risco said.

Her thanks seemed deeply heartfelt. Indeed, the unemployment rate for Colombians is 11.8 percent. She was also grateful to live in Coveñas, which she described as a “jewel.” The town has been spared the violence that persists in some regions. The weather is also temperate, meaning less risk of the floods that have taken lives elsewhere in the country.

The USS Iwo Jima continues to perform life-altering procedures for people just like Señor Carta and Señora del Risco. Stories like theirs remind us of the realities of life far away from the prosperity we Americans enjoy.

This evening at the landing zone, the boat crew made the first dry LCU landing. Team members were able to triumphantly step aboard the transport without wetting their feet. This is an historic moment for everyone who waded ashore day after day in Haiti.

Project HOPE volunteer Matya Cooksey reported that the activities at on shore clinic today went as expected. Site officials found a way to improve efficiency by thwarting “swooners.” Some townsfolk pretend faintness or seizures to gain entrance to the site faster. “If you swoon, you can go to the local hospital, or you can get back in line,” said Matya.

These cases show that when care is limited, some will take unusual measures to receive medical care. One more obstacle has been dealt with in our mission to help the people of Colombia.

Story and photos by HOPE volunteer and PAO, Eric Campbell

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Volunteers Stay Busy in Colombia

Today was our first day of seeing patients in Coveñas, Colombia. To mark the occasion, Colombian officials hosted opening ceremonies, where several distinguished guests spoke. Meanwhile, the Project HOPE team worked hard to set the bar high for themselves on the first day. The venue for the opening ceremonies was a large stage, blocking nearly the entire street in front of the school that had been selected for the site. Speakers stood twelve feet high to either side of the platform. The backdrop was a huge banner that read “Promesa Continua 2010,” showing a Marine helping a smiling mother and child.

The event commenced with moving renditions of the Colombian and American national anthems. Commodore Negus and Captain Tanner took their seats beside two Colombian colonels, the mayors of the nearby towns, and Ken Yamashita, director of the relief group USAID. The mayor of Coveñas, Arnaldo Julio Ramos, expressed his gratitude for Continuing Promise’s efforts and extended a warm welcome on behalf of his constituents.

Commodore Negus spoke next, presenting a detailed greeting in Spanish, but the body of his speech in English.

“(Our) commitment (is) as strong as the magnificent ship that has brought us to your shores and as powerful as the spirit of the people we have come to serve,” the Commodore said.

Mr. Yamashita brought the ceremony to a close, expounding upon his desire for increased political and economic opportunities for all Colombians.

Afterwards, the international pop singer Fonseca delivered a special concert from the stage.

The music and the cheers of the crowd filtered into the school buildings, providing an invigorating rhythm for the work inside.
“I get to speak with patients! I love it!” said HOPE team member Matya Cooksey. All of the team’s physicians had to rely on Creole translators in Haiti. Now, Matya, Melissa, and Michael converse freely with their patients in Spanish.


Team nurse Susan Eilermann conquered the language barrier in a different way. She used straightforward sign language to communicate to her charges how to properly use an inhaler.

Some patients arrived at the clinic with newborns for well-checks, a basic procedure to confirm that the baby is healthy. Others with problems such as malnutrition and parasites. There will be no shortage of Colombians needing HOPE’s aid.

By the end of the day we had treated at least 500 patients. Not bad for our first day. We’ve glimpsed how smoothly our system can run, and we’ll be pushing ourselves to improve it at every turn. ¡Vaminos!

Story and photos by HOPE volunteer and PAO, Eric Campbell

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Volunteers Prepare for Patients in Colombia

The Colombian coast was a line of green on the horizon, sandwiched between two plates of steel-gray clouds and water. A smattering of islands punctuated the water to our port side. As I gazed toward the lights of Covenas onshore, a huge S of lightning snaked across the morning sky. Drops of rain began to speckle the deck.

These weather conditions waylaid the morning’s helicopter launch, but not for long. The choppers bore the Continuing Promise advance team to scout the conditions for the new Med Site 1 in Covenas. Project HOPE team member Dr. Michael Polifka was part of this team.

Michael reported that the daily procedure would be much the same as it had been for Haiti. There will be buses to take us from the helicopter- and boat landing zones (HLZ and BLZ, respectively) to the site each morning. The site itself is a walled school compound like the Lycée in Porte de Paix.

The Continuing Promise mission will be far more publicized to the local population than it was in Haiti. The school walls are already adorned with a banner reading “Promesa Continua 2010.”

Michael and others on the advance team spent the day organizing the site, allocating classrooms for the pharmacy, optometry clinic, etc. They made such progress that surgeons were able to begin screening patients to board the Iwo Jima. Michael even examined one patient himself, a 19-year-old man who underwent a chest x-ray and was diagnosed with a hernia.

At the nightly confirmation brief, military officials warned us not to be complacent based on what we’d seen in Haiti. Colombia will offer a widely different set of conditions.

“There are mosquitoes, bats, rabid dogs, and poisonous snakes,” said Captain Tanner. “Can’t forget about the snakes.”

After the team meeting, Michael and Dr. Manish Oza discussed tomorrow, when more HOPE volunteers will go to Med Site 1.

“It will be what it will be,” said Michael.

Manish nodded resolutely. “We’ll find out tomorrow.”


Story and photos by HOPE volunteer and PAO, Eric Campbell

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Meet the Project HOPE Volunteers in Haiti and Colombia

As Project HOPE volunteers continue their mission in Indonesia aboard the USNS Mercy, another group of volunteers is partnering with the U.S. Navy to provide health care and education to people on the opposite side of the world, in eight counties in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Participating in Continuing Promise 2010, HOPE volunteers are currently working aboard the USS Iwo Jima and ashore in Haiti and Colombia during their one-month mission. Three more rotations of HOPE volunteers will serve Continuing Promise 2010 alongside their Navy counterparts as the ship continues through Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama and Suriname.

Since partnering with the U.S. Navy in early 2005 to provide tsunami relief, Project HOPE has participated in 18 humanitarian assistance and health education missions with nearly 1,000 HOPE volunteers. These missions have provided care to more than 400,000 people, offered health education to more than 100,000 and delivered $33 million in donated medicines and medical supplies.

Currently in Haiti and Colombia:

Vanessa Bernard is a first time HOPE volunteer, serving as a translator in Haiti and Colombia and aboard the USS Iwo Jima.

Marty Cacioppo is a first time volunteer serving as Project HOPE’s Operations Officer onboard the USS Iwo Jima, and ashore in Haiti and Colombia.

Eric Campbell, from Clarke County, Virginia is a recent graduate from Guilford College with a degree in French. A writer and photographer, Eric is volunteering as the Public Affairs Officer during his first mission with Project HOPE to Haiti and Colombia.


Matya Cooksey, a California native, works as a Nurse Practitioner in community health. Matya has travelled around the world and is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish. A first-time volunteer for HOPE, Matya will be serving as a Family Nurse Practitioner in Haiti and Colombia.


Susan Eilermann, a Nurse from Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee works in pediatric urgent care, neonatal intensive care unit, pediatric allergy and immunology. While onboard the USS Iwo Jima, Susan is volunteering as a Women and Children’s Nurse.

Jenny Jean-Baptiste, a first time volunteer for Project HOPE is serving as a translator during Continuing Promise 2010.

Sandi McCormack is a Nurse Practitioner from Portsmouth Primary Care and Rochester Pediatrics in the state of New Hampshire. Although she is a first-time volunteer for Project HOPE, Sandi’s volunteer experience includes work in the aftermath of both hurricane Katrina and Rita and she is an active member of the medical reserve unit in the state of Maine. Onboard the USS Iwo Jima and ashore in Haiti and Colombia, Sandi is working as a Family Nurse Practitioner.

Dr. Melissa Moore is a Pediatrician from Eugene, Oregon. She is a first-time Project HOPE volunteer but has international medical experience from working in Ecuador, India, Nicaragua and Saipan. While onboard the USS Iwo Jima, she is serving as a Pediatrician.


Dr. Manish Oza, an Emergency Room Physician and Medical Director for WellPoint in Silver Spring, Maryland is on his first mission with Project HOPE. Dr. Manish is the proud father of three boys Ishan, Aryan and Zahin and has been married to his wife Neha for 12 years. “I feel lucky to be a part of this mission with Project HOPE,” he said. While onboard the USS Iwo Jima in Haiti and Colombia, Dr. Manish is serving as an Emergency Room Physician.

Dr. Michael Polifka, a seasoned HOPE volunteer, currently works in the North Adams Regional Hospital in North Adams, Massachusetts. During Continuing Promise 2010, Dr. Polifka is working in Internal Medicine.


Marilyn Ringstaff, a midwife from Trion Medical Center in Trion, Georgia has over 20 years of experience providing preventative healthcare to women. On her second mission with HOPE, Marilyn is working as a Certified Nurse Midwife onboard the USS Iwo Jima and ashore in Haiti and Colombia.

Dinah Salnave is a first time HOPE volunteer, serving as a translator in Haiti and Colombia and aboard the USS Iwo Jima.

Susan Kernan Wathen from South Berwick, Maine, brings 20 years of maternal child health experience to her first volunteer mission with Project HOPE. Currently, she works as a school counselor in a building with 1400 teenagers in a high need poverty high school. “I am looking forward to this opportunity very much,” Susan says. She is serving as a Women and Children's Health Nurse during Continuing Promise 2010.

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Helping Herself by Helping Others

As a nurse in the Comfort’s post-op ward, Peggy Holt specializes in giving her patients new beginnings. What they don’t realize is that they’re giving her one right back.

Peggy lost her husband, Chuck, to cancer last year, and his death threw Peggy’s future into turmoil. They were nearing retirement, and Peggy looked forward to traveling the world with Chuck. His passing left Peggy in need of a new direction. All she knew was that she “wanted to do something that made a difference.”

Peggy quit her job as a clinical research coordinator in South Carolina and began looking for volunteer nursing opportunities. “I had heard of the big white ship with the big red cross,” Peggy explained, and before long she’d submitted an application to join Continuing Promise 2009 as a Project HOPE volunteer.

Life at sea appealed to Peggy. Her husband had served in the Navy, her father in the Merchant Marine, and her son in the Coast Guard. She figured that in addition to helping people in need, working aboard the Comfort would give her a better understanding of their lives.

It’s done that, and more. Peggy boarded the Comfort in Miami on April 5, expecting to spend six weeks aboard. She is now nearing ten. She has visited Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Antigua, Panama, and Colombia with the Comfort, and has cared for the hundreds of patients—as of this writing, Continuing Promise 2009 has provided 829 surgeries—who have passed through her ward.

Together with her fellow “aft ward” nurses, Peggy plays a critical role in patients’ progress towards healthier, happier lives. During the 24-hours that patients are under her care, Peggy monitors their vital signs, checks for complications, and restores their strength. More than that, she makes sure patients can manage as well as possible without follow-up care. Most patients lack access to medical care in their own countries, and the Comfort’s sailing schedule makes follow-up visits impossible.

“Things that Americans take for granted are big deals to the people we’re helping,” Peggy said. To make those big deals manageable, Peggy teaches patients how to care for their sutures, how to avoid infection, and what side effects to watch for.

Peggy loves working with post-operative patients. With the surgeries behind them, their “anxiety is down,” Peggy explained, and the volunteers are treated to “smiles, hugs, handshakes, and ‘muchas gracias,’ and that’s always the best part.”

Several patients have indelibly marked Peggy’s experience. The baby in Haiti who had congenital cataracts removed and was able to see her mother for the first time. The 34-year-old Dominican man with a cleft-lip repair who beamed as he saw his new face in the mirror. The five-year-old Dominican girl who, after surgery to repair a femur infection, danced for the first time only hours after coming out of anesthesia.

There’s no doubt that Peggy leaves an impression on her patients as well. During the first few days of each port call, when surgeries haven’t yet begun and the aft ward beds are empty, Peggy goes ashore to assist with gynecological surgical screenings. In this way, Peggy bookends many patients’ experience with Continuing Promise 2009, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s nice to see patients before, during, and after surgeries...It builds bonds of trust and lets them know how much you care.”

With all that Peggy’s given to the mission, it’s heartwarming to know that she’s gotten something invaluable in return. Serving aboard the USNS Comfort, alongside dedicated military doctors and nurses, has given Peggy the direction for her life that she came aboard to find.
Peggy feels the tremendous gratitude for the opportunities the Navy gave her husband and her when they were a young, struggling couple.

“The Navy provided us with a stepping stone, and I feel like it’s time to pay that back,” Peggy said.

Consider Peggy’s ten weeks with Continuing Promise 2009 only a down-payment. Inspired by her time on the Comfort, Peggy plans to inaugurate a new chapter of her life when she returns home.

Look for her the next time you visit a Veterans Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina. If all goes well, she’ll be working there, caring for men and women who, like her husband, proudly served their country.

-Daniel

Hasta Luego, Tumaco

Today is our final day in Tumaco, Colombia. Any moment, the Comfort will pull up anchor and depart for for our next location, bringing an amazing chapter of Continuing Promise 2009 to a close. A motto on the mission is that it’s not about the numbers but about the individuals we’re helping. And that’s true. It is individual patients who have defined the experiences of all aboard, who have stamped our memories with their smiles, their warmth, and their gratitude.

I’ve had the honor to write about some of those patients, like Johnny, the 7-year-old arthritic boy whose life was changed by the gift of a wheelchair. But there are many others. The fact is that it would be impossible to record every individual who has touched a HOPE volunteer. What’s important is that those connections exist regardless of whether they’re written about, and the goodwill they represent—both between people and between nations—will live on.

So it’s not about the numbers. But the numbers do tell a story of their own, and that story is inspiring as well: over 11,000 patients treated; over 50,000 healthcare encounters provided; and over 247 surgeries performed. These record numbers tell the story of men and women who are working ever harder and ever smarter to deliver the best possible care to the most possible people. They tell the story of a dream team of dedicated HOPE volunteers, NGO partners, and military counterparts who get up before dawn every day to begin treating people in need. They tell the story of success.

Over the past three days many HOPE volunteers have had to bid Continuing Promise farewell as they returned home. But it was a great consolation to them, and to all of us who remain aboard, to know that their extraordinary efforts over the past four (and in some cases, six or 10) weeks helped write the wonderful story of Continuing Promise 2009.

-Daniel

Distinquished Guests Visit Volunteers

On Saturday (June 13), Colombian president Alvaro Uribe visited the Comfort.

Ambassadors from the United States and from Continuing Promise 2009 partner nations Canada, Chile and the Netherlands joined him for a tour of the Comfort's medical facilities. Along the way, President Uribe took time to stop and thank HOPE volunteers Tracy Kunkel, Tauna Ainslie and Kristen Wilson for their efforts to help his countrymen. He was visibly touched, when visiting patients in the post-op wards, by the good work they and all the Comfort's medical personnel are doing.


President Uribe is the latest in a long line of distinguished visitors to the Comfort that includes Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Panamanian President Martin Torrijos, and Latin rock star Juanes. The Comfort's dedicated doctors, nurses, technicians, and support staff would do what they do regardless of whether they received recognition and praise, but these high-level visits underscore for all of us aboard that Continuing Promise 2009 is making a huge difference in the lives of people throughout the Americas, and that the Comfort--the big white ship visible from miles away--is a powerful symbol of American friendship.

-Daniel

Wheels for Johnny

The job of a Project HOPE Public Affairs Officer is not always easy.

Our medical volunteers work long hours in emotionally draining jobs, often in blazing heat and sopping humidity. Prying stories out of them at the end of a hard day’s work can be a challenge.

But every now and then they have an experience that is so moving, so inspiring, and so memorable that not one, but two or three volunteers approach me to share it. This post is about one of those experiences, and about the life-changing difference Project HOPE volunteers made in the life of Johnny, a 7-year-old Tumaco resident.

HOPE volunteer Carolyn Springman, a nurse at the University of California, San Francisco, was working at the Max Seidel clinic when she passed by a group of patients in line for pediatric care and noticed a strange sight: a woman carrying a boy almost as large as she was, straining under the weight but never setting him down. From the pain on the boy’s face, Carolyn could see that something was wrong.

She took them out of line and brought them to Dr. Ken Iserson, Project HOPE’s medical director.
It didn’t take long for Dr. Iserson to diagnose the problem: the boy, Johnny, suffers from diffuse juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. His joints ache so much that he cannot walk, and his mother must carry him around wherever they go. At only 7 years old, Johnny is already almost as big as his mother. He’ll soon be too big for her to carry.

Johnny and his mother are also homeless. They rarely stay anywhere longer than a few nights. It’s a sad twist that two people so ill-equipped should have to spend their lives on the move.

Johnny’s arthritis made a wheelchair the only option. But by then, the fourth day of the clinic, the Physical Therapy Department had already given away all the wheelchairs it had brought ashore. So working with the U.S. Navy, Carolyn, Dr. Iserson, and HOPE volunteer Kendra Dilcher arranged to have a Navy helicopter bring Johnny a wheelchair from the Comfort.

A short time later, Johnny had his new wheels. His beaming smile overwhelmed his mother. Through tears of joy, she hugged and thanked Carolyn, Kendra, and the Navy physical therapy team for changing both of their lives with one act of kindness.

-Daniel

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Volunteers Continue Work in Colombia

Health Education and medical clinics continue at the Max Seidel Escuela site in Colombia. On board the Comfort, 41 surgeries were performed on June 10. Here is an update from Project HOPE's onboard volunteer medical director, Dr. Ken Iserson:

Neither heat, nor rain, nor thunderstorms slowed our clinical efforts ashore. More than 1,000 patients treated each day means that a large proportion of the area’s poor are receiving care; some for the first time in years. Surgery, of course, proceeded, with the Hopie surgical team contributing mightily to the effort.



-Ken

Volunteers Begin Work in Colombia

On Sunday, Continuing Promise 2009 opened the doors of a clinic in Tumaco, Colombia, and a parade of distinguished guests visited the site to mark the occasion, including Tumaco’s mayor, the governor of Colombia’s Nariño state (where Tumaco is located), U.S. Ambassador to Colombia William Brownfield, and Colombian rock-star Juanes. It was impossible for them not to be impressed by what they saw.

Personnel from all four branches of the military, two government agencies, and three NGOs toiling away in equatorial heat. An entire school campus—more than a dozen buildings—transformed overnight into a medical super-site offering care in more than a dozen different medical specialties. And most importantly, over a thousand patients—some of whom had come from hours away, and some of whom had been sick or injured for months or even years—receiving care from world-class providers.

Among those providers were more than a dozen Project HOPE volunteers triaging patients, performing surgical screenings, managing patient flow, and providing primary care. Project HOPE’s nurse educators, whose training program hadn’t yet begun, used their skills to teach waiting patients important health skills, such as infant CPR and basic hygiene.


While working in the optometry center, returning HOPE volunteer Barbara Perdikakis showed what a difference dedication and know-how can make. She noticed that one of the patients there for eye-care was missing his right leg and was getting around with the help of a giant stick. Through a translator, Barbara asked the man whether he’d like to get fitted for crutches. He enthusiastically said yes. So after ensuring that his eyes had been taken care of, Barbara arranged for the man to see the Navy’s physical therapist, who did the man one better, giving him a brand-new wheelchair that had been donated by the Wheelchair Foundation. If Barbara had any doubts that her patient was ecstatic, the high-five he gave her on the way out put them to rest.

-Daniel

Meet the Project HOPE Volunteers

Continuing Promise 2009 Rotation 3
Project HOPE Volunteers
Panama and Colombia

Tauna Ainslie, a nurse with 29 years of experience in emergency room and ICU care, currently works as a crisis nurse at Queens Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii and also works in the emergency room at a rural hospital, the Kahuku Medical Center. She is working as an ER trauma nurse during the mission.

Kathleen Britton, a certified nurse midwife from Tacoma Community College in Tacoma, Washington, has more than 27 years of experience in nursing, midwifery, women's health care and teaching. She volunteered for Project HOPE in 2008 onboard the USNS Mercy working with patients in Papua New Guinea and Micronesia.

Jane Bower,a nurse from Advance Nursing in Tucson, Arizona, is volunteering as a nurse educator onboard the Comfort. Jane is a first-time Project HOPE volunteer.

Cynthia Cappello from Holy Family Hospital in Spokane, Washington is volunteering for Project HOPE for the first time. A nurse with 26 years of experience in the Navy, she has visited the Philippines, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Russia for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.She is working as a nurse anesthetist (CRNA) on the USNS Comfort.

Sheila Cardwell, a registered nurse from St. Marks Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, is a former volunteer. She will be serving as a nurse educator during Continuing Promise 2009. An experienced “Hopie,” Sheila’s volunteer experience with HOPE includes a rotation onboard the USNS Comfort in 2005 to help in relief efforts along the U.S. Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina, a rotation onboard the USNS Comfort in 2007 to Belize, Guatemala and Panama and a 2008 mission onboard the USNS Mercy to Vietnam and East Timor.

Elise Chamberlain, from St. Francis Hospital, Federal Way, Washington, has more than 5 years experience as a public health and ER nurse. She has traveled throughout Central and South America and spent 3 months studying Spanish in Guatemala. She is serving as a nurse educator for Project HOPE onboard the Comfort.

Dr. Marshall Cusic, a pediatrician from Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield, Wisconsin, brings 37 years of civilian and U.S. Navy medical experience to his first mission as a HOPE volunteer. He assisted in support of the USNS Mercy during the 2005 Tsunami and follow-on South East Asia deployments. Marshall specializes in pediatric allergy-immunology with experience in tropical infectious diseases. He is a Spanish speaker.

Kendra Dilcher, a premed student from Haleiwa, Hawaii is a first-time Project HOPE volunteer. She is serving in an administrative roll supporting the surgical team onboard the Comfort.

Mary Feury from Greenbrier Valley Medical Center in Ronceverte, West Virginia is a registered nurse with 26 years of experience. While this is her first time volunteering for Project HOPE, she participated in Hurricane Katrina relief with the Red Cross, and worked on a medical mission in Honduras.She is working as a medical surgical nurse during Continuing Promise 2009.

Marley Gevanthor, a nurse with 28 years of experience from San Francisco General Hospital in San Francisco, California is a three-time HOPE volunteer. She served onboard the USNS Comfort in 2007 working in Belize, Guatemala and Panama. In 2008, she traveled to the West African countries of Ghana and Liberia, working on the USS Swift. Later in 2008, she traveled to Papua New Guinea and Micronesia onboard the USNS Mercy. She’s volunteering as a triage nurse for Project HOPE during Continuing Promise 2009.

Anastasia Giglio, a nurse from Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, is volunteering on her second mission for Project HOPE. In 2007, she worked in the Marshall Islands onboard the USS Peleliu. She is working as a critical care nurse during Continuing Promise 2009.

Peggy Holt is a nurse with 35 years of experience, with 15 in high risk obstetrics. labor and delivery and c-section recovery. Her most recent position was at the South Carolina Research Center working as a certified clinical research coordinator. On the USNS Comfort, Peggy is working on the medical/surgical staff.

Dr. Kenneth Iserson joined Continuing Promise 2009 in Antigua and will continue through the end of the mission, serving as Project HOPE’s Medical Director. A first-time Project HOPE volunteer, Ken is a Professor Emeritus of Emergency Medicine at the University of Arizona in Tucson.He has more than 40 years delivering prehospital and emergency medical care. He has traveled and taught in many countries around the world, including Argentina, Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Zambia, Israel and England.

Paul Kline is a professional photographer from Washington D.C. In his spare time Paul works on the “Silent Children Project,” a photo essay project to increase awareness of orphaned children around the world. Paul is volunteering his photography skills in Panama during Continuing Promise 2009.

Tracey Kunkel is an operating room nurse from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She retired from the U.S. Navy after 21 years and has specialized in areas such as Mother/Baby unit, Labor and Delivery, Orthopedics and Podiatry, General Surgery and Pediatrics. Her Navy experience also includes humanitarian assistance deployments on both the USNS Mercy and the USNS Comfort. She will serve as Project HOPE Operations Officer for the remainder of Continuing Promise 2009.

Kelly Magee a nurse from Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York is a first time volunteer for Project HOPE serving on the entire four-month long Continuing Promise 2009 mission.She is working as a perioperative nurse on board the Comfort.

Elizabeth Malloy is a registered nurse from the University of Utah Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. A first-time Project HOPE volunteer, Elizabeth is working as an ICU nurse onboard the USNS Comfort.

Melanie Mullinax works in the communications department for Project HOPE in Millwood, Virginia. Last year, she accompanied Project HOPE volunteers on their mission to Liberia. Melanie is working as the Public Affairs Officer in Panama during Continuing Promise 2009.

Barbara Perdikakis is a registered nurse from San Clemente, California. A returning Project HOPE volunteer, Barbara brings 35 years of nursing experience. Currently, she works in her specialty area of interventional radiology in Newport Beach, California. Barbara has volunteered yearly for the last 10 years on various medical missions in Central and South America. In 2005, when volunteering in Biloxi, Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina, she met some Project HOPE nurses which led her to join the team. She volunteered with Project Hope serving on the USNS Mercy in 2006 in Indonesia. During Continuing Promise 2009, she is working as a critical care nurse/PACU.

Marina Rivera is on her third volunteer mission for Project HOPE. An X-Ray technician from Colorado Springs Health Partners in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Marina brings more than 20 years of experience in radiology to the mission. She also is retired from the U.S. Army. Marina worked in Liberia for Project HOPE in 2008 and just returned from her second mission to West Africa to Ghana in March of 2009. She is serving as an advanced X-ray technician onboard the Comfort for the remainder of the mission.

Megan Rohm is a first-time volunteer for Project HOPE. A nurse from Harborview Medical Center - University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, Megan is serving as a medical surgical nurse onboard the Comfort.

Iilene Smith, a nurse from the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison, Wisconsin, is a first–time HOPE volunteer with experience coordinating medical teams to assist in Haiti. She is serving as a nurse educator during the Continuing Promise 2009.

Eliza Speakman,a first-time volunteer for Project HOPE, is a nurse from AMN Healthcare - St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut. She is working as perioperative nurse onboard the Comfort.

Carolyn Springman is a first-time Project HOPE volunteer from University of California, San Francisco in San Francisco, California. She is volunteering as a triage nurse and will also be helping with immunizations. Carolyn speaks Spanish.

Ellen Tierney, a first-time Project HOPE volunteer from Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine, has several years experience as a travel nurse. She is working as a NICU nurse onboard the USNS Comfort.

Dr. Sharon Weintraub is a general surgeon from Sinai Hospital of Baltimore in Baltimore, Maryland. A second-time volunteer for Project HOPE, Sharon worked aboard the USS Kearsarge in 2008 in the Dominican Republic.She is performing surgeries onboard the USNS Comfort during Continuing Promise 2009.

Kristen Wilson, from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, is also a member of the International Medical Surgical Response Team-East. She is a returning Project HOPE volunteer, serving on the USNS Comfort in 2007 in Belize, Guatemala and Panama. On Continuing Promise 2009, Kristin is serving as a critical care nurse/PACU.

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