NEWSLETTER                                                                          Vol. 1, No. 1, May 2005

[The following story by Betsy Lee appeared on May 2-8, 2005 on the front page of The Examiner, Eastern Jackson County’s Daily Newspaper.]

Ethiopian Hospital Gets Independence Support

   Thousands of dollars worth of medical equipment, previously gathering dust in the closed wings of Independence Regional Health Center, is on its way to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

    The two local HCA [Hospital Corporation of America] hospitals, Independence Regional Health Center (IRHC) and the Medical Center of Independence, donated the used hospital equipment to the Ethiopia Health Support Foundation, a not-for-profit organization hoping to open a modern hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a city of more than 5 million.     Representatives from the foundation visited IRHC April 30 to tag equipment chosen for the first 40- foot sea container shipment which they hope will be on its way within weeks.

 

I prefer to be remembered for what I have done for others, not what others have done for me. – Thomas Jefferson

 

   “Hundreds of people are dying in Ethiopia because there is a minimal amount of healthcare support,” said James Everett, President of the Ethiopia Health Support Foundation.  “This equipment is a major step in the right direction.”

   Everett toured the hospital last Saturday with former Ethiopian citizens, Dr. Akeza Teame and Sisay Shimelis.  The two men, now living in the East Coast, began the dream for a hospital in Addis Ababa as students at the University of Kansas.

   “They were passionate about their homeland.” Everett said.  “And they wanted to make a difference.”

   The students approached Everett with their idea, and soon Everett was onboard.  He founded the Ethiopia Health Support Foundation last fall after Teame and Shimelis secured 20,000 square meters of land in Addis Ababa from the mayor of the city.  In turn, the pair had to show they were serious about building the hospital by raising more than $600,000 in cash or equipment donations.

 

The hands that help are holier than the lips that pray. – Robert G. Ingersal, 1833-1899

 

   So, the four members of the foundation, Everett, Norman Burkart of Kansas City, Nancy Shields of Independence and Patricia Simons of Overland Park, Kansas, started calling local hospitals.

   Kevin Fetters, director of facility operations for IRHC, said the original contact with the hospital was made in early March.  

    “We wanted to be of some help if we could,” Fetters said.  “When HCA took over it had replaced a lot of equipment.  And while the equipment isn’t state-of-the-art for use, it is state-of-the-art for Ethiopia.”

   Fetters said the hospital was glad to donate the equipment to the cause.  When the team from the foundation arrived to review the available equipment, Fetters said the excitement was infectious.

   “Mr. Fetters took us up to the eighth floor of the North Tower,” Everett said of the foundation’s visit to the hospital.  “And he said ‘All of this is yours.’ We 

were just amazed.  And then we visited the seventh floor, sixth floor, fifth floor, all the way down to the third floor and he continued to say, ‘All of this is yours.’  By that time we were walking on air.”

   The foundation tagged items ranging from exam room furniture, like used hospital beds, to smaller items like three-ring binders to store patient information.

   “We started into the tour thinking we’d get 30 or 40 items and we got thousands,” Everett said.

   Much of the equipment tagged last week will go to a 13-bed clinic the group hopes to open soon.  Everett said Teame and Shimelis, who are now naturalized U.S. citizens working in the U.S.,

secured a floor of a new building under construction in Addis Ababa to be  used as a temporary clinic.  Everett said the foundation hopes to break ground of the new 200-bed hospital, which will be called Saint Yared General Hospital, later this year.  

    Everett said the challenge facing the foundation now is securing funds to ship the equipment.  He estimates the freight cost of each 40 foot container shipment will be about $13,500. To raise funds for the shipment, Everett is calling for help from local foundations, businesses and individuals.

   Recently, the foundation received a $5,000 check from a lady in Hesston, Kansas, but are still in need of further funding.  

    For more information about the foundation, contact Everett with the Ethiopia Health Support Foundation at (816) 373-6422.

   To reach Betsy Lee e-mail or call (816) 350-6323.

     NOTE: Shortly after the above article appeared we received a call from a resident of Independence, Missouri announcing that she was sending a $1,000 check to the Foundation! – Ed.

 

To pity distress is but human. To relieve it is Godlike.  – Horace Mann (1796-1859)

 

Additional Information

   The Ethiopia Health Support Foundation has received its Certification from the State of Missouri as an approved not-for-profit organization.  We have also received our IRS EIN (Employment Identification) number and are in the final stages of obtaining formal confirmation of our federal IRS 501(c)(3) designation.  This means that all donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law at both sate and federal levels.

     We are also in negotiation with one of the largest underground storage facilities in the greater Kansas City area to provide us free storage area.  In the case of the medical equipment and supplies from the HCA hospitals in Independence we can probably utilize their present unused and unsold space.  However, there may come a time in the future when it will be necessary to use a gathering or holding area until sufficient items are at hand to fill a full 40-foot sea container. 

      We are also very fortunate in having top level professional guidance being provided to us on a pro bono basis with regard to various technical questions such as how, or whether, to make motor or voltage changes on certain pieces of equipment, age and maintenance records, availability of service and replacement parts, etc.

            There are also exciting and active explorations taking place to establish exchange programs at various levels involving students, nurses and doctors. 

            Discussions more than a decade ago about our desires to make a substantive contribution to the total health care system in Ethiopia seemed quite unrealistic or utopian at the time.  Now, every day that goes by gives more positive indications that we are on the right track.  The dreams of yesteryear may be clothed in reality sooner than anyone ever thought could be possible.

            One of the strengths of the Foundation is that everyone, including Board Members, Advisors and Consultants are all 100% volunteers.  Every dollar donated to the Foundation goes directly to covering direct out-of-pocket expenses!

            We don’t know exactly how, but  each contributor will be properly recognized at some future time in a tangible way.   In the meantime, all we can do is to help share with you the excitement and good feelings that come when one is actively engaged in something that is the “right thing to do.”

            Our next issue will include information about Ethiopia as a country and, more specifically, its desperate need to improve its healthcare system which, at present, is one of the lowest in the world; even lower than Sudan or Haiti! – Ed.

    

[Map of Ethiopia] Cut-line: Ethiopia is located in Eastern Africa, west of Somalia.  It is landlocked with an area slightly less than twice the size of Texas. It has an estimated population of around 68,000,000.  Infant mortality is 102 deaths per 1,000 live births. Life expectancy for the total population is 40.88 years. Religion is Muslim 45-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35-40%, other 15-18%.