News & Pics
DECEMBER 26, 2011 UPDATE:
GECC has published yet another paper! We honored to have the Annals of Emergency Medicine publish us… In resource-limited settings, nurse-administered ketamine sedation appears to be safe and effective. A brief procedural sedation training program, coupled with a comprehensive training program in emergency care, can increase access to appropriate and safe sedation for patients in resource-limited settings. Link to the article here… and keep your eyes peeled, we have at least ten more papers in the works!
DECEMBER, 18 2011 UPDATE:
GECC’s THIRD class of Emergency Care Practitioners has begun! In a collaborative effort between GECC, the current ECPs, and Nyakibale administration, we have a fantastic new class of Six RNs and ENs who will be the next wave of ECPs to change the face of emergency care in Uganda!
MAY 30, 2011 UPDATE:
FROM JUNE 1-15, GECC IS HOSTING AN ONLINE ART AUCTION TO BENEFIT EMERGENCY CARE SERVICES IN UGANDA! FEATURED ARE OIL AND ACRYLIC PAINTINGS OF FLORENCE ITALY AND THE NORTHWESTERN US BY BRUNO SEGATTA, AS WELL AS WINE LOTS FROM VA PIANO VINEYARDS… VISIT GECC.AFROGS.ORG TODAY!
MAY 9, 2011 UPDATE:
GECC has formed a collaborative partnership with Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), a regional medical training university in Mbarara Uganda. MUST administrators and physicians are now working closely with GECC to refine and adapt the Emergency Care Curriculum to meet university and national standards with the goal of university approval for the curriculum to graduate Emergency Care Practitioners as a Diploma program from MUST! We are exceedingly excited about this partnership, and expect the Diploma to be approved by the fall of 2011. With this important step, GECC’s ECPs will now be able to be recognized in the private health worker sector in Uganda.
GECC has also formed a collaborative partnership with the Ministry of Health of Uganda… specifically with the Health Service Planning office and the Human Resource Health Training Working Group. After successful meetings this past week, a special Emergency Care task force has been formed from the Ministry stakeholders (including GECC representatives) to explore the role of the Emergency Care Practitioner in the public sector and to explore expanding Emergency Care nationally.
GECC has also been meeting with several district level hospitals throughout Southwestern Uganda, regarding forming new training centers for the Emergency Care Practitioner training program.
All in all, it is has been a tremendously exciting and successful few months! Keep in touch with us for more updates and THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT– We couldn’t do this without you!
MARCH 11, 2011 UPDATE:
The Emergency Nurse Practitioner course continues through its second year. The trained ENPs continue to save lives and treat illness daily, while learning to teach the ENP trainees. GECC staff on the ground continue to update GECC administration on daily successes.
GECC continues to accept applications for several positions:
1. Program Director: This will be an in country position, with a stipend, that will concentrate on program logistics and educational direction. No medical experience necessary. Position opening August 2011-August 2012.
2. Research Assistant: Short and long term research assistants collect essential data in the Emergency Department. Most of these positions are volunteer.
3. Operations Manager: GECC is searching for a stateside administrator who will be responsible for volunteer coordination and nonprofit management. This will be a paid US position.
4. Emergency Medicine physician attendings and residents are always needed to work and teach in the ED and ENP program! Long term placements are ideal, but 4week positions are also available.
If you are interested in any of these positions, please email volunteer@globalemergencycare.org or contact@globalemergencycare.org for more information.
NOVEMBER 20, 2010 UPDATE:
GECC is proud to announce two big events.
First, our long awaiting video by Uncage the Soul productions is complete and available for viewing. Please visit the video, share with others, and spread the word. Click here to view GECC’s Video.
Second, our Cafe Press Online Store is open for business! Buy GECC Tshirts, drinkware, and bags for yourself, friends and family this holiday season! Click here to view GECC’s Store.
SEPTEMBER 22, 2010 UPDATE:
Exciting news! Uncage the Soul Productions will be releasing a ten minute video about GECC in late October. Footage from Nyakibale, interviews with the ENPs, and lots more! We’ll be sure to share it when it is available. Until then, you can check out other work that Uncage the Soul has done at www.uncagethesoul.com
SEPTEMBER 6, 2010 UPDATE:
GECC’s second class of Emergency Nurse Practitioners have just THIS WEEK started their year-long training program at Nyakibale Hospital in southwestern Uganda. Our fully trained ENPs from last year’s course will be responsible for teaching the course under GECC physician supervision. We are super excited about this first step toward the sustainability of this successful program. Keep on supporting us in our quest to expand emergency care services to those without in the developing world….
JULY 28, 2010 UPDATE:
GECC is looking for several US-based advisors with skills outside of medicine. If you have experience in FINANCIAL OPERATIONS, MARKETING, or TAXES / ACCOUNTING, and want to donate your time and expertise to GECC, please email contact@globalemergencycare.org.
JULY 12, 2010 UPDATE:
The Board of GECC is saddened by the recent attacks in Kampala Uganda during Sunday’s World Cup game. We do want to reassure our volunteers and donors that our ENP colleagues and other friends at Nyakibale Hospital were not personally affected by this tragedy. Kampala remains calm at this time while authorities are investigating the attacks. Nyakibale is 240miles and an 8hour bus ride from Kampala, and we don’t expect to have any security issues arise from this incident. We will of course continue to monitor the situation carefully and update anyone if requested. Email contact@globalemergencycare.org with specific concerns or questions. Thanks for all of your thoughts, emails, and support!
JULY 10, 2010 UPDATE:
GECC is recruiting a program coordinator and research assistants for the Sept 2010-Oct 2011 ENP training course. Email contact@globalemergencycare.org if interested in either of the following positions.
The program coordinator would be primarily responsible for the day to day logistics of the program. This would include volunteer logistics, oversight of research data collection, coordination of the curriculum implementation, and communication of program implementation back to the GECC Board. The program coordinator position would be a 6-12 month position, ideally starting in August or September 2010. A stipend will be paid.
- Curriculum implementation: While the ENPs will be teaching the content of the lectures, and there will be visiting EM physicians to help with this content, the ENPs do need help with computer skills (power point, excel, word). teaching style (ie how to give a lecture, teacher development), and curriculum tasks (ie weekly scheduled lectures, examinations, performance review).
- Oversight of data collection: GECC has multiple research studies ongoing at the hospital that the program coordinator will be involved in. The program coordinator will be helping collect data, design research, and will be responsible for making sure that the research is being collected efficiently, effectively, ethically.
- Volunteer logistics: GECC will have monthly Emergency Medicine resident and attending physicians arriving at Nyakibale to work. While most of their logistics will be arranged from the States by GECC board members, the program coordinator will arrange in country transport, confirm housing, and troubleshoot issues
The research assistant (RA) would be responsible for implementation of the research plan and data collection in the Emergency Department. Ongoing studies include those on patient outcomes, ultrasound implementation, sedation practices, cost effectiveness of ENP training. The RA would be primarily collecting, organizing, and analyzing the data from all of these studies. The RA would work closely with the visiting EM residents and physicians, the Program Coordinator, the ENPs, Ugandan patients, and the US based GECC Board, and be based in the Emergency Department. The research assistant position is a volunteer position, duration of at least 4weeks, openings starting September 2010.
JULY 1, 2010 UPDATE:
The ENPs continue to run the Emergency Department well, at this point without physician supervision for the summer. In other good news, we have 25 applications for selection for the second ENP training program, which will start Sept 1, 2010! Dr Mark will be traveling to Nyakibale for the ENP selection meetings in late July. We’ll keep you posted!
APRIL 13, 2010 UPDATE:
Agande!
Dr Mark Bisanzo, his wife Sheila Bisanzo, and research assistant Kelly Nichols have all departed Nyakibale after nearly nine months of impressive work. They’ve successfully trained six new Emergency Nurse Practitioners and collected six months of impressive data. The ENPs graduated in late March, when they had a “white coat ceremony” (of which they are all very proud), and received certifications… followed by a twelve hour dance party!.
Dr Sara Nelson transitioned the outgoing team, and spent the last month working clinically with the ENPs and working on the ECCN curriculum with two residents from Maine Medical Center.
I (Dr Heather Hammerstedt) arrived just a few days ago to relieve Sara. I’m absolutely energized by the results of our ENP program. The ENPs are functioning independently, assessing patients, performing procedures, and saving lives– in ways that they never could have just a year ago. I’ve seen two people’s lives saved literally in the last 6hours, who would have died without the ENPs prompt and appropriate treatment. The ECCN curriculum, under the tutelage of Dr Bisanzo, is truly a success. I’ll spend the next several weeks working with the ENPs to recruit next years’ class and looking to expand our work via meetings with District Health Officers and the national Minister of Health… to save even more lives.
We can’t do it without you though! Please visit our “Donate” page and give the ENPs a chance to save another life today!
Keep checking back here to see how the ENPs are doing, or visit our Facebook page for photos from Dr Nelson’s month (coming soon)!
–Heather
APRIL 2, 2010
On April 1, 2010, NPR’s WorldView radio program interviewed Dr Stacey Chamberlain in detail about GECC’s Uganda “Emergency Nurse Practitioner Training Program”. She did a fantastic job of explaining our vision, and we are really excited about the opportunity to be featured on such a well known program. You can listen to a cropped version by clicking here:
NPR’s WorldView radio interview: Dr Stacey Chamberlain
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
Three of GECC’s board members are traveling to Haiti this month to do earthquake relief! Dr Stacey Chamberlain will be working in Port au Prince with International Medical Corp (IMC), and Drs Heather Hammerstedt and Sara Nelson will be working in eastern Haiti in a ‘tent hospital’ with Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI). Keep us in our thoughts, and we will keep you updated on Facebook.
