AID grant no. EUR-0037-G-00-2035-00 to the People - to People Health Foundation, Inc. (project HOPE) in support of the program entitled `proposal for the development of the Center for Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia" under the partnerships in health care in Eastern Europe project

Project HOPE will implement this effort in conjunction with Children"s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHP). There are four planned activities. (1) Six months of intensive training will be provided at CHP in clinical cardiology, cardiac surgery, critical care medicine, nursing anesthesia, and extracoporeal circulation to 16 persons. In addition, clinical teams from CHP will travel to Bratislava 9 times to provide local guidance and training. (2) Facilities will be upgraded to the contemporary level of medical practice through the provision of such equipment as an extracoporeal pump oxygenator, mechanical ventilators, echosonographic diagnostic equipment, etc. (3) Treatment methods will be improved to shorten the time for accurate diagnosis, especially for newborns. (4) Support services will be established to enhance diagnostic and treatment capabilities.