October 10-11, 1998
On Saturday, Oct. 10, the 34 member delegation visited Akademgorodok's Foundation Medical Hospital #168. There, the group was allowed to see the donated medical supplies and equipment to be used at the hospital.
"It's a good chance to see where the donated supplies are going to be used," said Brooks. "And you can tell from the condition of the hospitals here, that these supplies are necessary. I enjoyed meeting physicians here, and I marvel at how they work with such limited supplies."
On Sunday, Oct. 11, some members of the delegation took toys and school supplies to an orphanage in Novosibirsk. About 50 children were treated to peanut butter cookies, new coloring books and small stuffed animals that delegation members had hand-carried from the United States.
As the group prepared to depart Novosibirsk for Moscow and then for home on Monday, Oct. 12, they agreed the trip was well worth the hardship.
"When you come here and you see how desperately these supplies are needed," said Keller. "You realize how important these airlifts are to hospitals and how lucky we are in the United States."
Physicians With Heart is a joint venture of the AAFP, the AAFP Foundation and the humanitarian aid group Heart to Heart International.
-- By Leigh Anne Bathke, AAFP Associate Editor
