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Greetings from the President

Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is

the only thing that ever has.” Global Healing started out with a vision of creating pediatric cardiac surgery centers in the former Soviet Union. For many reasons, we have expanded our medical disciplines instead of specializing in pediatric cardiac surgery and have begun working in three other developing countries in various medical programs. We are exactly what Margaret Mead describes above, a small group of thoughtful and committed individuals making a difference in this world. In this newsletter you will be introduced to another similar organization called Think Humanity. To date this organization has distributed over 4000 mosquito nets in the Kyangwali Refugee Camp outside of Kampala as a result of Global Healing’s support. In addition, they are building an orphanage for the children in the refugee camp. Think Humanity is a small group of committed individuals just like Global Healing, and they are making an enormous impact on the lives of many individuals with very limited funds. Think Humanity’s goal is to become self sufficient and they are working closely with the local team to ensure that they achieve this status. I encourage all of us to contribute our donations to organizations that are truly making a difference in peoples’ lives. I believe Margaret Mead is correct; all it takes is a small group of committed individuals to make an impact in this world. Yours truly, Cindy Basso Eaton President, Global Healing

In this issue…

Global Healing Welcomes Armenian Colleagues to California

New Blood Banking Project in Dominica May 2008 Trip to Gyumri, Armenia In Memoriam: Nurse Bethe JAMC Statistics Since Inception A Word from Medicines for Roatan Think Humanity

Volume II, Issue 2

WE’VE MOVED! Global Healing has a new office in downtown Berkeley. Please note the new address for any future correspondence: 2140 Shattuck Ave, Ste. 604 Berkeley, CA 94704 Phone/Fax: (510) 898-1859

PETITION TO STOP CONFLICT The Russian military continues to occupy large swathes of sovereign Georgian territory. Global Healing is calling for all its supporters to do their part to stop the violence. Please help by signing the following petitions: http://www.petitiononline.com/080708GE/petition.html

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The Jo Ann Medical Center: 12 Years Old This year marks the twelfth year of operation of the JAMC Pediatric Cardiac Center in Tbilisi, Georgia – Global Healing’s flagship endeavor. In 2001, the JAMC established a blood bank with the support of Global Healing. Two years after that, an adult cardiac diagnostic and surgical center was added to the JAMC. The organization has grown each year, so that in 2007, the JAMC performed 283 surgeries, 64 of which were on adults. The remainder was congenital surgeries, 32 of which were performed on newborns and 61 on infants. Procedures on adults had a 0% mortality rate in 2007. There were 139 surgeries performed using the heart-lung machine. To date, the JAMC has seen over 2,000 patients.

Think Humanity Every 30 seconds, an African child under the age of five dies from malaria. Think Humanity was founded in May 2007 to prevent this unnecessary suffering. Think Humanity established Project Meds and Nets to combat the spread of malaria in the Kyangwali Refugee Camp. At the end of 2007, their program supplied 1,000 long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN) to the camp. Global Healing has helped Think Humanity procure 3,000 long-lasting insecticide treated nets in addition to 1,000 already purchased for the Kyangwali Refugee Camp in Uganda. In June 2008, a team delivered the nets to block leaders in the camp. Because malaria is preventable and treatable, the nets will help reduce transmission of the disease. In turn, this will free up income that would otherwise have to be used on treating the infection. The great impact that Think Humanity has already had in the Camp is best summed up by Mwamini Pelagia, a Kyangwali refugee, “The hope should be restored through Think Humanity, because it has put malaria in mortuary about to be buried soon. Through providing nets, medication and comfort to those who are sick, now malaria will have nowhere to go.” You can learn more about Think Humanity and how to help at www.thinkhumanity.org.

Below: Net distribution at the Kyangwali Refugee Camp

A Thank You As any non-profit can attest, donations and volunteers are the lifeline to realizing its mission. Global Healing is no different. In 2007, Global Healing had thirty-three on-site physician volunteers. In addition, there were eight other active volunteers including board members and consultants. On-site student interns in Roatan also included another eight volunteers. In total, these volunteers worked over 8, 500 hours, which is equivalent in pay to $959,270 donated hours. Thank you to all our volunteers that make our work possible.

In Record Time Global Healing has received more donations and support in order to realize its program in Dominica. The blood bank there received support from:

Dr. James & Masha Doty Helmer Inc Bio-Rad BloodSource Denver Instruments Reno Central Rotary Club Seagull Software Zebra Technologies Waitrovich Family Foundation Dominica Ministry of Health and Enviroment

A big thank you to our sponsors!

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A Visit to Sacramento In March, Global Healing welcomed two members of the Gyumri Blood Bank and an interpreter to BloodSource in Sacramento to observe phlebotomy and blood component production techniques, quality assurance methods, and the various hospital, patient and testing services. The three guests stayed in Sacramento for two weeks, where they were hosted graciously by BloodSource, a supplier of blood and blood products to over 40 hospitals in Northern California. Dr. Chris Gresens and others from BloodSource volunteered dozens of hours to train the guests from Armenia. He also coordinated a number of luncheons focused n providing the Gyumri Blood Bank staff a chance to share their work with various specialists at BloodSource. Our visitors returned to Armenia with a wealth of knowledge and experiences to share with their colleagues back home. Global Healing would like to thank Mike Fuller, Chris Gresens and all those at BloodSource that made this possible.

Global Healing Starts Work in Dominica Global Healing has decided to start its third blood banking project in the Commonwealth of Dominica. Situated in Roseau, the capital of the small island nation, the Princess Margaret Hospital Blood Bank is the primary blood bank for all the country’s blood needs. The blood bank typically draws just over 700 units per year. However, the number of units of cryoprecipitate currently produced does not match the demand. Global Healing will work directly with the PMH Blood Bank to address this issue. Global Healing will assist the blood bank and laboratory in acquiring a new Hepatitis C test, new equipment and supplies, and creating a public outreach program to stimulate volunteer blood donations. The next trip in September 2008 includes a Transfusion Medicine Symposium for the local physicians, and correspond with the arrival of a 20-foot sea container filled with new blood bank equipment including donor chairs, processing equipment and blood bank supplies. The staff at PMH Blood Bank and Laboratory is working closely with Global Healing to ensure success in the coming months.

Medicines for Roatan Medicines for Roatan is now a fully functioning Honduran non-profit organization. In 2007, its first year of operation, Medicines for Roatan provided 25,000 treatments to the Roatan public hospital at a cost of $15,000 – on average, a cost of $0.60 per treatment. The focus was on providing high volume, low cost medicines which are absolutely necessary to deliver basic care. These included: acetaminophen, ibuprofen, amoxicillin, dicloxacillin, cephalosporins, lotions for skin rashes, as well as generic drugs for the management of common chronic diseases such as asthma, diabetes and high blood pressure. Medicines for Roatan also organized its first fundraiser in Roatan on 20 June 2008. The island community came together, with over 120 VIP guests attending a function with a country and western music band from Texas and an island band. The event was hosted at the Henry Morgan’s resort, and most of the drinks and food were donated by local restaurants and suppliers. The event raised over $10,000. The intention is to turn this into an annual event.

A donor is drawn at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Dominica

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Symposium and More in Gyumri Dr. Chris Gresens, Lillian Morton RN, Ron Newton EE, CE and Luke Ifland traveled to Gyumri, Armenia to facilitate another round of trainings and conferences. The Gyumri staff and two members of the JAMC Blood Bank in Tbilisi received instruction on the production of cryoprecipitate. The team was also fortunate enough to host the Transfusion Medicine Symposium for Gyumri’s local physicians. Officials came from Yerevan to participate, as did guests from Tbilisi. The symposium covered blood component production, patient reactions, indications for washed cells, and case studies. Over 50 people attended the six hour lecture-based conference.

Nurse Bethe Remembered On April, 1, 2008, Global Healing, the Roatan Volunteer Pediatric Clinic, and so many of the children and parents of the island of Roatan lost our beloved Nurse Bethe. At the Public Hospital Roatan, Bethe represented hope, both that for the present, and for the future. As a local islander, wife, and mother, she knew the hospital staff, and the community they serve, better than most anyone. The Public Hospital wisely chose Bethe to be the first staff member to work directly with Global Healing’s volunteer physicians—successfully laying the foundation for the RVPC, now an essential component of pediatric health care in Roatan. Nurse Bethe politely welcomed each and every volunteer with the slightest of smiles; little hint was given as to how hard she worked, let alone how much each of us would come to love her. Bethe is survived by her husband “Banjo” and their four children. As evidenced by the hundreds of community members present at her funeral procession, she is also survived by countless families of Roatan. However, as so many volunteers shared fond memories of Bethe, we also found cause for celebration. Bethe helped us bring hope back for the children of Roatan, and with her spirit by our side, we will all continue to work together to make hope into reality. Donations to support an ongoing memorial nursing education program in honor of Bethe can be sent to Global Healing. We are also happy to facilitate direct, non-tax deductible donations to Bethe’s family. Sincerely, Arup Roy-Burman, MD, and the RVPC Volunteer Alumni

Alda Elizabeth Fisher, 1966-2008 Mother, Wife, Nurse and Friend