Ralph Stampone, St. James (Mill Creek) Diocese member from Wilmington traveled in February to Honduras
United States of America (Press Release) May 1, 2008 --
SANTA ROSA DE COPAN, HONDURAS—Ralph Stampone, St. James (Mill Creek) Diocese member from Wilmington traveled in February to Honduras for the eleventh year where he volunteers with Central American Medical Outreach, Inc. (CAMO) in the Santa Rosa de Copan public health hospital. Interpreters are necessary for translation during respiratory therapy training in the wards and the classroom.
Before retiring in 1991 Stampone worked for AIG traveling to their offices in Spanish-speaking countries. Stampone assists fellow CAMO volunteer Tim Larson, RRT (Registered Respiratory Therapist), from Aultman Hospital in Canton, OH, who started the ventilator program with CAMO in 1996 for adults and newborns. Before CAMO the children and infants did not have any respiratory help. There were no ventilators in the hospitals in the western region of the country. Infants died of simple, reversible causes like asthma and pneumonia. In 2007, 31 babies were saved on donated ventilators in the Santa Rosa de Copan Hospital de Occidente.
Equally important are educational materials to train 150 staff members on compressor use (installed in October 2007 by CAMO) for breathing treatments to continue respiratory care when American volunteers leave. The hospital staff is grateful for the respiratory education that CAMO volunteers provide so lives can be saved every day long after they leave.
Larson gives several reasons respiratory education is so important in addition to providing respiratory equipment. “It is very important for the staff to know how to use and troubleshoot problems with the ventilator equipment. Staff members also need to know how to properly monitor infants on ventilators and make appropriate adjustments when necessary. Too much oxygen for too long can cause blindness.” said Larson. “We train the staff to use pulse oximeter monitors to give appropriate amounts of oxygen.”
“If we save one life, we made a difference in that family,” Said Tim. “The doctors and nurses in Recein Nacidos (Neonatal Intensive Care) do the best they can with the resources they have. They do everything possible to save a baby’s life.”
Since 1993, CAMO has renovated the Hospital de Occidente, public health and community buildings and continually expanded to now offer 17 healthcare programs in Santa Rosa de Copan. CAMO, a humanitarian aid organization based in Orrville, OH, cares for more than 143,000 medical needs with an average of $2 million in donated medical supplies, equipment and expertise annually. CAMO, a 501(c) 3 non-profit, multiplies every $1 donated into $4.
To learn more about the caring work of CAMO, visit: www.CAMO.org
Before retiring in 1991 Stampone worked for AIG traveling to their offices in Spanish-speaking countries. Stampone assists fellow CAMO volunteer Tim Larson, RRT (Registered Respiratory Therapist), from Aultman Hospital in Canton, OH, who started the ventilator program with CAMO in 1996 for adults and newborns. Before CAMO the children and infants did not have any respiratory help. There were no ventilators in the hospitals in the western region of the country. Infants died of simple, reversible causes like asthma and pneumonia. In 2007, 31 babies were saved on donated ventilators in the Santa Rosa de Copan Hospital de Occidente.
Equally important are educational materials to train 150 staff members on compressor use (installed in October 2007 by CAMO) for breathing treatments to continue respiratory care when American volunteers leave. The hospital staff is grateful for the respiratory education that CAMO volunteers provide so lives can be saved every day long after they leave.
Larson gives several reasons respiratory education is so important in addition to providing respiratory equipment. “It is very important for the staff to know how to use and troubleshoot problems with the ventilator equipment. Staff members also need to know how to properly monitor infants on ventilators and make appropriate adjustments when necessary. Too much oxygen for too long can cause blindness.” said Larson. “We train the staff to use pulse oximeter monitors to give appropriate amounts of oxygen.”
“If we save one life, we made a difference in that family,” Said Tim. “The doctors and nurses in Recein Nacidos (Neonatal Intensive Care) do the best they can with the resources they have. They do everything possible to save a baby’s life.”
Since 1993, CAMO has renovated the Hospital de Occidente, public health and community buildings and continually expanded to now offer 17 healthcare programs in Santa Rosa de Copan. CAMO, a humanitarian aid organization based in Orrville, OH, cares for more than 143,000 medical needs with an average of $2 million in donated medical supplies, equipment and expertise annually. CAMO, a 501(c) 3 non-profit, multiplies every $1 donated into $4.
To learn more about the caring work of CAMO, visit: www.CAMO.org
Email
Print
SPAM
LEAVE A COMMENT
