By Maura O'Neill | Development Manager
At Global Links we take the long view on all of our health improvement projects and disaster relief is no different. With the financial support of donors like you, we can take a strategic approach to projects, see beyond the immediate needs and put our skills to work rebuilding clinics, hospitals, systems and, ultimately, lives.
In 2008, the Cuban government began to systematically update hospitals in Santiago, including Hospital Saturnino Lora. This 630-bed teaching hospital is an essential part of Cuba’s extensive healthcare system, and is particularly known for cardiovascular care.
By 2010, remodeling at Saturnino Lora had been completed in the cafeteria, laundry, a 60-bed ward in internal medicine, an expanded cardiovascular surgical ward with 8 ICU beds, the operating rooms, and the orthopedic trauma and imaging department. When Hurricane Sandy hit Santiago in the fall of 2012, devastating much of the healthcare infrastructure, the hospital suffered damages that set-back the progress that had been made.
The Cuban government quickly restarted work to rebuild the areas that had been damaged. Working with the Ministry of Health and the Pan American Health Organization in Cuba, Global Links prepared two shipments containing 60 beds and 247 mattresses to increase and improve bed capacity at the hospital. The beds will primarily assist the Angiology and Cardiovascular wards which need intensive care beds.
“Please thank everyone at Global Links for the important and efficient work that they are doing and have done during this project to aid Santiago, Cuba.”
-Lic. Justo Cardenas, Administrator, PAHO, Cuba
Global Links is committed to helping the Santiago province rebuild its healthcare system. To date we have provided 8 containers to Santiago to help rebuild the health infrastructure. These containers have focused on the following areas
Phase 1 – 2012 : Post-Disaster Disease control and sustaining the continuity of care – 4 containers
Phase 2 - 2013: Improving Bed capacity in the health system in Santiago – 4 containers
With your continued support we will be able to provide 8 more containers during our next project focus area:
Phase 3 - 2014: Rebuilding primary care offices and examination rooms – 8 containers
Please let the caring and concern that fueled your first gift to the project be the foundation for another donation. Join us in taking the long view on this project by making a gift today. Invest in this proven process of Sharing Surplus and Saving Lives.
Thank you.
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