Medical Team Visit to Cochabamba

Medical Team Visit to Cochabamba March 20 – April 7, 2009 A super team of surgeons and other medical personnel traveled to Cochabamba and La Paz to do an intensive week of surgeries (primarily on patients with burn scars, especially children. The team members were: Malcolm Marks M.D., Chairman of the Plastic Surgery Department of the Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University in Winston Salem; Joe Molnar M.D., Associate Professor, Plastic Surgery Department of the Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University in Winston Salem; Benson Timmons M.D., Plastic Surgeon, Gastonia; Bill Kortesis M.D., Chief Resident, Plastic Surgery Department of the Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University in Winston Salem; Christina Plikaitis M.D., Chief Resident, Plastic Surgery Department of the Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University in Winston Salem; Cindy Jackson, Director, Burn Care International; Natalia Zapata Myers, Assistant Nurse at Southeastern Plastic Surgery (and translator); Andrew Timmons, student at UNC Chapel Hill (son of Ben Timmons; Carlos A Vargas M.D., Team Director, President of the NC-Cochabamba POA and Chairman of the Health Subcommittee; Willma Vargas, Medical Team Director Assistant and Laura Marks (Malcolm’s daughter). Friday, March 20, 2009 Dr. Vargas and Willma Vargas arrived in Cbba. At 5:30 p.m. we attended a meeting with the Board of Directors and the Health Subcommittee of the Cochabamba POA. Details of the Medical Team visit were discussed. Thanks to their hard work there was very little to add or correct from the program they prepared. Steve Gibson Chairman of the Agriculture Subcommittee of the NC POA was present and gave a report of his activities with Mauricio in Cochabamba. Silvia Quiroga was also present to discuss Art Waber’s future visit. Marlene Mercado, the Cochabamba Partners President-elect also discussed March Krotee’s future visit and sent March some material and a Power-Point presentation. At 7:30 the Cochabamba Partners had a dinner, farewell for Steve and welcome for Willma and me at a local restaurant. Saturday March 21 Steve Gibson, Mauricio Ramirez, Willma and I, were guests at a school near Laguna Alalay, where the Youth Ambassadors participants from 2006 and 2007, 3 girls and 1 boy, are working on a recycling program. At the courtyard, the entire student body was in formation. We sat at the table prepared for us in front and the students greeted us with a song. Speeches followed by the school Principal and the President of the PTA thanking the Partners. Steve and I were also asked to speak to the students. The Youth ambassadors explained their project to teach the students about trash control and recycling so it can be used at the school and at their homes. I am happy to report that the Youth Ambassadors are very active members of the Cochabamba Partners. Later in the day, Steve, Willma, and I visited Mario Aranibar who gave us a tour of the SAR facilities near Cala Cala Bridge and of the newer facilities at the Airport. They have a large modified hangar where they park many of their vehicles. They have classrooms and equipment storage rooms in the hangar and offices in a large building added to one side of the hangar. At SAR with Mario Monday, March 23. We had meetings at Viedma Hospital, with the Hospital Director, the Director of the Pediatric Department and the Operating Room supervisor. 2 Operating Rooms were prepared at the Burn Center. In the afternoon at the Burn Center we met with Dr Romero, Dra Wendy, Anesthesiologist/ head nurse. They selected 87 children to be evaluated by the Team. Friday, March 27. Back in La Paz, Dr Vargas welcomed the Medical Team at the airport. Arrangements for Visas and Customs were made in advance and we did not have any problems. A friend at the American Embassy, Luis Beccar, invited the team and the Embassy Physician, Dr Christensen, for lunch at a local restaurant. Dr Christensen gave advise to the members to avoid high altitude problems. In the evening we were invited by Dr Wilma Benavidez to dinner at her house. After the dinner we had an important meeting. Dr Benavidez, Dr Molnar, both members of the International Society of Burn Injuries and members of the Prevention Committee of this organization and Dr Vargas (NCPOA) decided to organize a workshop on data collection of burn Injuries on Friday, April 3 in Cochabamba. Dr Benavidez and her team will travel to Cochabamba to share their experience in the data collection program they completed in La Paz. Saturday March 28. The Team members participated in a self-funded visit to Titicaca Lake, Island of the Sun, Island of the Moon and the Sanctuary of Copacabana. Sunday March 29. We packed our suitcases and visited the Tiahuanaco ruins. In the way back to La Paz, the bus left us at the airport to fly to Cochabamba. A welcome committee received us at the Cochabamba airport with large welcome banners held by the 2006-2007 Youth Ambassadors, members of the Cbba Partners, as well as members of the Cochabamba Norte Rotary Club. The Cbba Partners prepared a dinner/work meeting at a local restaurant for the medical team members, the Cbba Health Committee and members of the Cochabamba Norte Rotary Club. The schedule of events and assignment of responsibilities were discussed and approved. Monday, March 30 At 8 am the team arrived at the Burn Center with six suitcases of donated surgical supplies and surgical equipment with a value of approximately $40,000. Dr. Molnar and Dr Timmons were “instrumental” in obtaining the donations to the Burn Center. The selected patients were presented for evaluation and a schedule for the next 5 days was prepared. At 10.00 a.m. there was an inaugural ceremony attended by Viedma Hospital personnel and city authorities from the Prefecto’s office. Monday, March 30 to Friday, April 3 The team of Plastic Surgeons operated worked every day from 8:00 am to 8:30 or 9pm. They operated on 46 patients and performed 109 surgical procedures to correct motion-limiting and disfiguring scars, consequence of burn injuries in children. Andy Timmons assisted daily in the operating room. Tues. March 31 to Thurs. April 2. 6:00. – 9:30 pm. The Third International Congress of Burn Injuries was organized, with the participation of Dr. Marks, Dr. Molnar, Dr. Timmons and Cindy Jackson as well as professionals from the Burn Center as lecturers. Approximately 80 health professionals attended the lectures. Friday, April 3 A Burn Data Collection Planning Workshop was held at 9:00 a.m. sponsored by the NC-Cochabamba POA, Burn Care International and Fund-Access Bolivia was held at the offices of SEDES (Governor’s Health Department), with the participation of the Ministry of Health and Sports, SNIS-VE national, SEDES La Paz, SEDES Cochabamba, Epidemiology Unit, Hospital Viedma, Prevention Committee of the International Society of Burn Injuries (ISBI)-WHO-OMS Bolivia, Burn Care International, Dr Benavidez, Dr Molnar, both members of the International Society of Burn Injuries and members of the Prevention Committee of this organization. The closing ceremony at the Burn Center took place later that morning, with the participation of hospital authorities, Burn Center personnel and the City of Cbba Mayor Charlie Terceros, who presented gifts to the team members. After several speeches expressing gratitude to the members of the visiting team, a group of 10 to 12 children– recipients of surgeries, still with bandages in limbs, neck and heads, entered the room carrying banners that expressed their gratitude for the procedures they received from the surgeons. There were no dry eyes in the room. The team members left for Santa Cruz on Friday evening to spend the night in that city and board the plane back home on Saturday April 4. Lunch was served to the members of the team and employees of the Burn Center daily. This way we avoided the usual 2-hour lunch break that is customary in . There were many radio and TV interviews during the week of surgeries. Wilma Vargas had a busy week with daily presence at the Center assisting the volunteers. With Laura Marks they, interviewed several burned children and their families. They will do follow up interviews in future visits to evaluate the human and social aspects of the impact of the surgeries in the children and their families. Willma talked several times with the head nurse at the Burn Center who expressed her desire to visit a burn center in . Dr Marks said that he will be glad to help since it will be important for the center nurse to learn new techniques of burn children treatment. Willma and Laura also visited the Focolar Center with Janet Morales. The Center will move soon to a different location, and Janet will let us know more about the Center necessities. Willma also visited the facility where patients from out of town and their families stay when they require daily out patient treatments. This facility is known as the “Albergue” which was created by the Foundation “Mosoj Punchay” organized by volunteers from and the Burn Center and the Center Psychologist Licenciado Omar Pacheco. She was shown a presentation about the Albergue and she asked the Psychologist to make the presentation to the Team members at the lunch break on Wednesday so they will be familiar with this activity. Willma obtained copies of the presentation for the team members. Cindy Jackson, member of the team, was also busy participating in several meetings. She organized previous visits of medical students from USC to the Burn Center in Cochabamba. They will be involved in the Burn Data Collection program. It was this group “MS4BCI” (Medical Students for Burn Care International) that started the project of data collection and captured Dr Molnar’s interest in this project.