Our Crowdfunding Groups
Helping rural African doctors deliver better emergency medical care- both through hands on training and system re-design using the following approaches:
- Partnership with local national medical leadership and experts.
- Partnership with other foreign partners.
- Long term site investment.
University of South Carolina Department of Family and Preventive Medicine is full of faculty, residents and students who love to make a difference in the lives of patients and families at home and abroad. Our global health programs include clinical care, needs assessment, quality improvement and staff training and are always in collaboration with local partners and often other international ones. This spring in Tanzania, East Africa, two faculty will be returning to the city of Mbeya, the site of our first global health fellowship program that started in July 2012. We will be partnering with the local zonal hospital to bring our fellowship program back to the site for the first time in 4 years and to develop grant applications to fund long term projects. These projects will focus on quality improvement work at the hospital. Mbeya Zonal Referral Hospital is the referral site for a population of 7 million people and the only zonal training site for new intern doctors so changes made can impact patient care throughout the region. The hospital also serves as the main trauma center, and in 2015 we partnered with our Emergency Department colleagues to do an initial training in the use of ultrasound in trauma assessment. This time we will be collaborating with emergency medicine doctors from Emory University and Muhimibili National Hospital (Dar Es Salaam Tanzania) to train local physicians in additional emergency medicine skills and following up from projects we performed last year.
For Local Tanzanians Improved local emergency medicine care and hopefully other longer-term health care improvements locally and throughout the country through trained health care workers.
For Local Doctors A chance to interact with doctors from other hospitals and countries and learn new skills to provider better patient care and hospital management (Quality Improvement)
For University of South Carolina Students, Residents and Fellows More opportunities for mutual learning with physicians, nurses and patients from a very different culture and medical environment. Specifically a training site for a global health fellowship and likely for resident and student rotations.
For University of South Carolina Grant funding and further publications possibilities
All supplies, equipment and medications used in the project will be those already provided by the hospital through the Ministry of Health of Tanzania. The project goal is to help use those resources as best as possible for the patients. US-based faculty have donated their time to this project, most of the remaining cost is transporting and housing our team! Donations will fund the following in order of priority:
If you know of anyone else interested in supporting sustainable global health work in East Africa, please forward this link along or post on social media. Any funds raised in excess of target will be used for future global health activities by the department.
Travelling abroad help those in need is hugely rewarding but also a sacrifice both personally and professionally. Your support and prayers help us all keep motivated to answer the call to serve, and we hope to represent you well!
Your donation will cover the costs of driving through Dar es Salaam in a taxi.
Your donation will provide one night's lodging for one team member in Mbeya.
Your donation will provide the funds for one visa for one US physician.
Your donation will provide all the meals for one team member upon their arrival to Tanzania.
Your donation will cover the cost of all flights between Dar es Salaam and Mbeya for the entire team.
