POSTED: MARCH 21, 2007
STORY BY DR. CHARLES CRAFT, EMW DENTAL PROGRAM DIRECTOR

EMW Dental Team partners with Aloha Medical for Largest Outreach Trip To Date

Joint EMW Dental Team and Aloha Medical Dental Team at the Xuang Phu Orphange site in Hue

The March 2007 "Vietnam-United States Partnership for Health” Medical Exchange brings health care to over 3,500 people in one week in Hue, Vietnam

In one week in March 2007, the EMW Dental Program joined up with Aloha Medical Mission, an international non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Honolulu, Hawaii, on a highly successful Outreach Trip to the city of Hue. The “Vietnam-United States Partnership for Health” medical exchange  was conducted from March 11-17, 2007. The EMW Dental Team treated 748 dental patients and the rest of the mission team treated over 3,000 medical patients.

Aloha Medical brought in a large team of 40 members of highly trained professional specialists including: Cardiologists, Orthopedists, Emergency Room Physcians, Ophthalmologists, Primary Care Physicians, Registered Nurses, Biomedical Technicians, Civil Engineers and Architects. They were supplemented by members from the US Pacific Command and further supported by the US Embassy in Hanoi. This medical team was directed by Ms Thanh Lo Sananikone and Dr. Mylene Huynh and was augmented by EMW's 17-member EMW Dental team which included U.S. volunteers Dr. Ron Berquist, Dr. Bertram and Sheila Rechtschaffer, Dr. Kurt Nishiguchi and  Dental Technician George Mendoza.

The medical team worked within the facilities of  the new EMW Hue Cardiovascular Center, the Hue Central Hospital, the Thuong Lac Dispensary and two village sites at Thuy Bieu and An Truyen. The dental team worked out of the Xuang Phu Orphanage site which was recently remodeled by EMW. Members from Aloha Medical and EMWF also met with the Mayor of Hue and local health officials to discuss present and future collaborations.

Over 3,500 patients recieved care during this mission and a large donation of medical supplies from Hawaii were given to numerous treatment locations. The EMW dental team treated over 725 children and adult patients while providing over 2,650 treatment services which have an estimated value of over $134,000.

This partnership marked the first time that EMW Dental Program has merged together with a  medical team and we hope that this sucessful effort will lead to more joint NGO projects in the future.

 

The average cost to provide dental care f0r a child in Vietnam is about $10 per year. Donate to the EMW Dental Program online or call 1-800-561-3378. •