mission possible While vacationing in Oaxaca, Mexico, last year, Matthew Kaufman, MD, walked into the local hospital <strong>and</strong> began introducing himself to the doctors. Still in vacation mode, the chief resident in LIJ Medical Center’s Emergency Department told them that he worked <strong>for</strong> an American healthcare system that helped other medical centers <strong>and</strong> asked where they needed support. Recounting the story <strong>of</strong> a recent mudslide, the Mexican physicians voiced their concerns about being unprepared in a major crisis or natural disaster. Impromptu Discussion Spurs Emergency Training Conference “It’s a very interesting thing to go into a different culture with different resources <strong>and</strong> see how they would h<strong>and</strong>le this,” he said. Dr. Kaufman immediately wanted to get involved. He had never gone on medical mission be<strong>for</strong>e, but envied his colleagues’ medical missions. When he returned home, Dr. Kaufman continued talking with doctors <strong>and</strong> the Red Cross in Oaxaca, <strong>and</strong> began building a North Shore-LIJ team that could help the Mexican hospital better prepare <strong>for</strong> a major crisis. Luckily <strong>for</strong> all, LIJ is the site <strong>of</strong> an international emergency medicine fellowship <strong>and</strong> Dario Gonzalez, MD, the medical director <strong>for</strong> New York City’s Office <strong>for</strong> Emergency Management <strong>and</strong> associate medical director <strong>of</strong> the FDNY, is a faculty member. Led by Dr. Gonzalez’s expertise in disaster management, the team included Gino Farina, MD; Herberth Balsells, DO; <strong>and</strong> Kathryn Bailey, AB. This January, the group traveled to Oaxaca to conduct a needs assessment <strong>of</strong> the hospitals that would be most vulnerable in a disaster. <strong>The</strong> team also presented an emergency management conference that attracted nearly 400 participants, including doctors, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, Red Cross workers, epidemiologists <strong>and</strong> military <strong>of</strong>ficials. 48 Summer 2012 “<strong>The</strong> conference itself was really an amazing event,” Dr. Kaufman said. “I think it allowed attendees to evaluate their own system in a critical way. I also see an opportunity <strong>for</strong> us to continue this process <strong>and</strong> help to facilitate these changes.” Most importantly, the event began a dialogue between agencies that had not previously convened. Emergency medicine specialists from North Shore-LIJ have worked with hospitals in India, Haiti <strong>and</strong> other underdeveloped countries that face such problems as poorly constructed facilities or lack <strong>of</strong> <strong>for</strong>mal training programs <strong>for</strong> doctors, said Mae Ward, RN, senior research director <strong>of</strong> emergency medicine at North Shore University Hospital. Sassan Naderi, MD, director <strong>of</strong> the international emergency medicine fellowship at LIJ, had previously arranged a three-year emergency medicine training program in Durgapur, India. This trip, however, was different because Oaxaca has the facilities <strong>and</strong> the doctors, but needed the communication tools <strong>and</strong> organizational structure to respond to a crisis. <strong>The</strong> response in Oaxaca has been tremendous, Dr. Kaufman said, adding that medical <strong>of</strong>ficials there have already started making changes. <strong>The</strong> initial trip to Oaxaca was funded largely through a grant from Goldman Sachs Gives, a donor-advised fund that gives grants to nonpr<strong>of</strong>its. As the project continues, there will be more trips to Oaxaca with additional training exercises run by Dr. Kaufman <strong>and</strong> his team. “I certainly intend to make this kind <strong>of</strong> project an ongoing part <strong>of</strong> my career,” he said. “<strong>The</strong>se projects are really exciting <strong>and</strong> meaningful, especially because you can make systematic changes.” North Shore-LIJ volunteers convened an emergency management conference in Oaxaca, Mexico.
<strong>The</strong> New St<strong>and</strong>ard 49
- Page 1 and 2: New Standard Summer 2012 An employe
- Page 3 and 4: a MESSAGE from the PRESIDENT See mo
- Page 5 and 6: MANHASSET — Since Operation Iraqi
- Page 7 and 8: Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of M
- Page 9 and 10: A DAY in the LIFE Joanne Turnier Pr
- Page 11 and 12: Aesthetics, Smarts and Compassion B
- Page 13 and 14: occurs when the aortic valve does n
- Page 15 and 16: Quick, Collaborative Cardiac Care S
- Page 17 and 18: Weight-Loss Surgery Study Combines
- Page 19 and 20: National Recognition For Spine Prog
- Page 21 and 22: Nassau County Attorney Survives Sep
- Page 23 and 24: fluids and antibiotics if there is
- Page 25 and 26: WOODBURY — Amy Resnick, RN, pictu
- Page 27 and 28: SYOSSET — Jeanine Norton, RN, had
- Page 29 and 30: Collaborative Care Councils Get Res
- Page 31 and 32: Staying Quit By Betty Marton Anthon
- Page 33 and 34: MANHASSET — Two researchers at Th
- Page 35 and 36: Morbid Obesity Deters Potential Kid
- Page 37 and 38: The New Standard 37
- Page 39 and 40: It’s in His Bones: Orthopedic Sur
- Page 41 and 42: New York Head and Neck Institute Na
- Page 43 and 44: Concierge Smooths Patients’ ED Ex
- Page 45 and 46: Huntington Auxiliary Giving Nears $
- Page 47: Walk to Paris Winners Announced On
- Page 51 and 52: Taking Steps to Protect Young Athle
- Page 53 and 54: allied NATION In the past, general
- Page 55 and 56: Over 2,400 Celebrate at NSUH-LIJ’
- Page 57 and 58: Parenting, Baby Care &CPR Classes S
- Page 59 and 60: Marianne Frieri, MD, PhD, attending
- Page 61 and 62: Carlos E. Ruiz, MD, PhD, director o
- Page 63 and 64: Project Sunshine Honors Michael Dow
- Page 65 and 66: life SAVER Employee Blood Drives 7/
- Page 67 and 68: PAANS Expands to Meet Community Nee
- Page 69 and 70: George Richardson has been named vi
- Page 71 and 72: Kids Give Tobacco the Kiss-Off Youn
- Page 73 and 74: The North Shore-LIJ Health System r
- Page 75 and 76: nursing mission Collaborative Care
- Page 77 and 78: Simulation Lab Creates Real-Life Sc
- Page 79 and 80: According to the US Institute of Me
- Page 81 and 82: Ultimate Chef Healthy Entrée 1st P
- Page 83 and 84: Club TLC Benefits Families of “NI
- Page 85 and 86: It’s three diamonds down, only tw
- Page 87 and 88: MANHASSET — North Shore Universit
- Page 89 and 90: approximately 80,000 patient visits
- Page 91 and 92: Mets Present “Every Woman Matters
- Page 93 and 94: Eleven North Shore-LIJ Hospitals Re
- Page 95 and 96: Department of Medicine Presents Sch
- Page 97 and 98: Spiritual Inspiration Among the fea
- Page 99 and 100:
ORIGINS photo credit The First Miss