Expanding Health Care in Liberia

The man who came into the ER was vomiting blood. A viper had bitten him, and it had taken him more than 24 hours to reach the hospital, which was far away from where he lived.

He could only afford one vial of antivenin, so that was all the public hospital was willing to give him. It was clear, though, that that wasn’t going to be enough.

The Hospitals of Hope team, which was at the hospital installing medical equipment, saw the man’s condition and quickly decided to help cover the cost of his treatment. By that point, unfortunately, it was too late.

This man’s life likely could have been saved by quicker treatment, but Liberia’s lack of medical infrastructure makes it difficult to access health care.

In the past two years, we have primarily focused our work at JFK Medical Center, since this is the referral center for the entire country of Liberia and since it lacked basic medical equipment. In the last year, Hospitals of Hope has donated $1.1 million of medical equipment to JFK, greatly increasing its capacity to effectively treat patients.

Now, however, after February’s trip installing x-ray machines, a central oxygen system, and more, we believe that it is time for us to expand our reach in Liberia, working with smaller clinics and hospitals to ensure easier access to care.

In April, we will be sending another container of medical equipment to Liberia, this one primarily aimed at equipping smaller clinics. We will work with 2 other organizations on this project, providing the equipment necessary to supply the medical clinics they are building.

Another trip is planned for Liberia this summer, in the last 2 weeks of June or the beginning of July. If you are interested in joining this team, whether to treat patients, train staff, or install equipment, please contact Daniel White at daniel@hospitalsofhope.org.

Container shipment headed to Liberia

Last week, we loaded up and shipped out another container to John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Liberia, West Africa. This container is full of medical equipment that will greatly improve patient care at the hospital-- including 4 x-ray machines (since the hospital currently doesn't have one), surgical instruments, operating room lights, a central suction system, sterilizers and patient monitors, hospital beds, and dental equipment.

We picked just about the coldest day so far this year to load up the container, as you can see from all the layers we're wearing! But we got everything loaded up and shipped out safely, and it's on its way. Mike and Daniel will be headed to Liberia in February to unload the container and install the equipment.

Volunteers help provide medical relief to Liberia

As many of you know, Hospitals of Hope has been working with John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Monrovia, Liberia for the last two years, in an effort to help this hospital rebuild after the country’s devastating civil war. After this summer’s successful trip and further discussion with the staff at JFK, Hospitals of Hope has begun packing another container of essential medical supplies and equipment that is due to be sent out at the beginning of December.

We’ve had a great group of volunteers helping us out as we get ready to ship this next container. This past weekend, volunteers from Pathways at Central Christian Church came and sorted through surgical instruments, and a couple of surgical techs from Wesley Medical Center have been putting the instruments into packs to be used during surgery. We (and the people of Liberia) are so blessed by all of you who help us in our goal of providing quality, accessible medical care!

If you or your group is interested in helping out, call the Hospitals of Hope office at 316.262.0964, or send an email to leta@hospitalsofhope.org.

The Concert and Beyond

Thanks to all of you who came out for last week's concert! We had around 200 of you come out to show your support and hear some amazing music from Waterdeep, Justin McRoberts, and SHEL. We especially want to thank all of you who volunteered to help with childcare, tickets, cleanup, etc. You all were great!

Now that the concert is over, we're turning our full attention to our other projects. One of the biggest ones we're working on right now is preparing to send another container of medical equipment to Liberia. The container we sent earlier this year has already made a big difference there, but the hospital still lacks many essentials. We've been talking with the hospital administration and are working on procuring some of the most important items that they still need. We've already got 3 x-ray machines, a bunch of hospital beds, and thousands of dollars worth of surgical instruments ready to send. As you can probably imagine, our warehouse is getting pretty full!

We're also continuing work on our longer-term project of implementing our new inventory system and getting the warehouse organized. This will be easier once we get the Liberia container sent, but there's a lot of work to do between now and then! If you're interested in helping out, send me an email at leta@hospitalsofhope.org.

HOH Team Brings Hope in Liberia

Imagine never having been to the dentist. I, for one, think it sounds great-- or, at least, it would until I needed to have a tooth pulled.

Even worse, imagine having to go to the emergency room, wait in line for hours, and then find that the hospital didn’t have the equipment necessary to treat your illness.

This, unfortunately, is the situation facing many in Liberia, West Africa.

Hospitals of Hope sent a team to Liberia last summer, and now, after much prayer, hard work, and a few unexpected challenges, a Hospitals of Hope team has returned. The team, made up of volunteers from the US and Britain, is treating medical and dental patients—an incredibly important task in this country with only 1 doctor per 28,000 residents and even fewer dentists. Many of those they see will probably never have visited a dentist before, and any doctors’ visits will have been few and far between.

The team is also planning to supervise the installation of the equipment in the container that we shipped to Liberia in May, which is due to be delivered at the hospital either today or tomorrow. This equipment, containing everything from patient monitors to hospital beds, will greatly improve patient care in the ER at John F. Kennedy Medical Center, the referral center for the entire country.

The team has very limited internet access, due to their busy schedule and the unpredictability of the power supply in Liberia, but I will post further news from the trip when it is available. In the meantime, please keep praying with us for the team members and their work in Liberia.

Ways to pray for the Liberia trip:

- that God will use the medical and dental team to meet many needs—both physical and spiritual
- for the quick, safe, and successful unloading and installation of equipment in the hospital
- for encouragement, health, & safety for the team members
- for the continued stabilization and re-development of the country in the wake of its civil war

Long road to recovery for women in Liberia

Liberia's civil war is over, but many of its effects remain. Much infrastructure was destroyed--but, in some ways, this is the easiest problem to fix.

Up to 10% of children may have served as soldiers. Up to 75% of women were raped.

Unfortunately, the type of mentality that caused/was produced by 14 years of conflict is not easy to change, and Liberia's women and girls, in particular, are still facing its effects.

Rape, even rape of young children, is widespread. The government and NGOs are taking measures to change this, but there is still a long way to go. Check out Nicholas Kristof's opinion column in the New York Times for more information on the situation and the progress being made.

A team from Hospitals of Hope will be headed back to Liberia in a week and a half, where they'll be caring for patients at a couple of hospitals and working to refurbish the emergency room at John F. Kennedy Medical Center, the referral center for the entire country.

Pray for safety for our team as they travel, and pray for the patients they will see. Pray that they will be able to demonstrate Christ's love to those they serve, and pray that God will use them to bring a measure of healing in Liberia.