PHYSICIANS WITH HEART EXTENDS HEALING HAND TO KYRGYZSTAN

NEW ORLEANS — On October 8 – 19, a delegation of more than 50 medical professionals, business leaders and other volunteers representing the humanitarian partnership PHYSICIANS WITH HEART, will deliver a shipment of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies valued at nearly $8 million (U.S. wholesale) to the country of Kyrgyzstan. This is the 11th airlift of the PHYSICIANS WITH HEART partnership.

The mission of PHYSICIANS WITH HEART is to mobilize resources to improve health, provide medical education and to foster the development of family practice worldwide. PHYSICIANS WITH HEART is a partnership of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the only medical specialty organization devoted solely to primary care; the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the AAFP; and Heart to Heart International, a medical humanitarian organization that has delivered more than $300 million in aid to people in need around the world since 1992. All three organizations are based in the greater Kansas City area.

The volunteer delegation will participate in many projects in Kyrgyzstan, including delivering the multi-million dollar load of medicines and supplies to hospitals and clinics throughout the country. The supplies will then be distributed free-of-charge to people in need. PHYSICIANS WITH HEART has worked closely with Kyrgyzstan’s Deputy Minister of Health to assess the health needs of each recipient region, formulate an efficient distribution plan, and obtain the necessary government clearances.

In addition, medical professionals on the PHYSICIANS WITH HEART volunteer delegation will conduct medical symposia, update local physicians on current uses of all donated medicines, and discuss the importance of implementing family medicine into the country’s health care system. PHYSICIANS WITH HEART participants will also teach Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO®) courses. ALSO® is an intensive training course that teaches pragmatic “hands-on” management of emergency situations that occur during pregnancy and at the time of labor and delivery.

Volunteer delegates will participate in special projects at multiple children’s institutions in Kyrgyzstan that care for refugees, children with special needs and orphans. Delegates will deliver vitamins, food, personal hygiene items, games, toys and other special items.

Since 1993, PHYSICIANS WITH HEART has completed 10 projects, delivering pharmaceuticals and supplies valued at more than $90 million (U.S. wholesale) to people in need in the former Soviet Union and Vietnam.