[NPInfo] Donating medical/nursing texts/journals/equipment to medical groups in Iraq

[GIN11153 at aol.com]

Here is the information I got back tonight from the article's writer:
 
 
This response is good through September 20th,  which will be that last 
reliable ship date so that CPT Martinez will be able to  receive and distribute.  
She assures  me that she has a successor and they are jointly working to ensure 
that the  program will continue. 
The Medscape article _http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/557426_ 
(http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/557426)  Donations of Medical and Nursing Books and 
Journals  Arrive in Iraq has provoked a heretofore unprecedented response from 
nursing  professionals.  A deluge of  inquiries have come to me since 
publication of the article to inquire how to  help.  The great majority address  
nursing publications.  I have used a  different prepared response to potential 
donors of medical or dental texts,  although the Army nurse cited below can 
direct medical texts to Iraqi medical  personnel through her Brigade medical 
officer, MAJ Christian  Meko. 
It is important to understand that there has been  virtually no profession of 
nursing in Iraq as it is known in western  nations.  Strict religious beliefs 
 prohibit contact between persons of the opposite sex who are not either 
married  or closely related.  Most  in-hospital patient care is the responsibility 
of family members.  Nevertheless, the Iraqi medical  profession has 
recognized the immense value of establishing a nursing profession  and a very limited 
number of training programs exist.  Others are desired and military Nurse  
Corps officers are assisting in establishing training programs.   
Many Army, Air Force and Navy nurses have served  selflessly in Iraq and 
Afghanistan.  The great majority have served in direct patent care roles in 
deployed  military hospitals, which has limited the opportunity to interact with 
local  healthcare.  More recently the role  of nurse corps officers has expanded 
and Army Captain Saundra Martinez has  worked with the Iraqi medical 
establishment in the Tikrit region of northern  Iraq to establish training programs.  
She will remain there through October.  It is not yet certain that another 
nurse  will be assigned to carry on her programs, so delay in mailing is  
discouraged. 
Because of the infancy of the training programs it is  incumbent upon donors 
to select texts and journals that address nursing concepts  and procedures.  
Although the Iraqi  Ministry of Health has explicitly asked that medical texts 
be no older than one  edition out of date or published since 2000, the donor 
is best qualified to  determine the value of what they may offer.  Many 
journals address issues of societal  importance in western medicine, but which have 
little relevance in Iraq.  Please consider this when selecting  journals to 
donate.  Basic  examination equipment such as stethoscopes and BP cuffs are 
greatly valued.  This fact has been repeatedly restated  due to scarcity of such 
items.  Mail  such items separately from texts and journals so that the heavier 
text items  will be eligible for book/media postal rate. 
Advanced practice nursing is unknown in Iraq, but the  principles of primary 
care are universal, whether pediatrics, womens’ health or  general medicine.  
Similarly  materials relating to specific specialty areas such as diabetic 
care, oncology  nursing and surgical nursing ought to be valuable. 
The best way to ship is by  the US Postal Service.  The military  
addresses/APO (Army Post Office) are rated as domestic mail.  The  military assumes costs 
for overseas movement.  By specifying book/media  rate the lowest postal rate 
applies.  The USPS has free 8½ X 11 X 8½ boxes that  are sent for a flat rate 
of $8.00 and are excellent for journals and  books.  Larger donations are 
better sent in 1.5 cubic foot boxes available  from shipping companies.   The  
following mailing address will remain current through mid-September mailing  
dates. 
Captain Saundra  Martinez 
C  Company/82nd BSB 
COB Speicher,  Iraq 
APO AE  09393 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-  
David B. Gifford, MD,  FACP 
Colonel-Retired, US  Army 
dgifford at hot.rr.com



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