Final report : grant NEB-0001-G-SS-2071-00, Poland relief program

The project was a success, both in delivering medical supplies and equipment to more than 20 hospitals and in upgrading health personnel"s ability to use these materials. Hospitals identified as potential recipients were visited early on to learn their most acute equipment/supply needs; subsequently, HOPE staff with the help of some 40 U.S. health professional volunteers conducted quarterly visits to recipient institutions to determine whether supplies had arrived and how they were being used. The amounts of equipment and supplies purchased, augmented by gifts in kind, were large enough and (carefully enough selected) to have a significant effect on maternal/child health care in Poland. The hospitals meticulously accounted for all materials delivered; none were used illegally or inappropriately. U.S. volunteer health specialists also conducted a series of very enthusiastically received symposia and workshops in Krakow to bring Polish health professionals up to date in the use of the hospital equipment provided under the project; some 100-200 physicians, nurses, and other health personnel from all over Poland attended. Numerous meetings involving HOPE staff, counterparts, and volunteers were held throughout the project to ensure that the project operated efficiently and effectively. HOPE staff developed a computerized procurement, storage, and shipping system. Three full-time Polish counterparts received all shipments and oversaw their distribution from project headquarters at the American Children"s Hospital in Krakow. HOPE suggests that the relief program be continued for 2-3 years, during which period it would: (1) reassess recipient hospitals to ensure maximum impact for funds expended; (2) broaden the educational component to cover some new areas and re-emphasize previous subject areas; and (3) extend outreach to primary care facilities in the southeast where the need is the greatest, including methodologies for minimizing the most prevalent health problems.