Bridge of Life–DaVita Medical Missions Announces Guatemala Mission to Establish Acute Dialysis Clinic
July 27 2011 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
Bridge of Life - DaVita Medical Missions today announced an
August 2011 mission to Guatemala to establish an acute care
dialysis facility in San Felipe. The charity will open a clinic for
those with acute kidney failure in the National Hospital, Pedro de
Bethancourt.
“In too many developing countries, like Guatemala, kidney
failure leads to death because dialysis is unavailable,” said
Bridge of Life Executive Director Lori Vaclavik. “Bridge of Life
goes to these countries with equipment, expertise and education to
establish dialysis clinics and save lives.”
A team of volunteers that includes a physician, nurses,
biomedical technicians and patient care technicians will travel to
Guatemala in August. The team will help set up two dialysis
stations and train local staff in providing dialysis care. Bridge
of Life previously established the first pediatric dialysis unit in
Guatemala in partnership with the Foundation for Children with
Kidney Disease. This center has reduced the mortality rate due to
acute uremic syndrome from 80 percent to zero.
“There are very few dialysis clinics in Guatemala,” said Javier
Castro, director of special projects at the hospital. “This mission
really will provide a bridge of life for many patients who would
die without dialysis.”
Bridge of Life recruits volunteers with medical and kidney care
expertise for its missions, using volunteers from all walks of life
to support operations. Deanna Bradley, a registered nurse, served
on a previous mission team that established a dialysis clinic in
Ecuador.
“Volunteering with Bridge of Life was the most amazing
experience of my career. The gratitude of the families, patients
and medical staff in the hospital we served was overwhelming,”
Bradley said.
In recent years Bridge of Life missions have included
establishing clinics and providing supplies and training in
Cameroon, Ecuador, India and the Philippines. Upcoming missions are
planned to Jamaica, Peru and several African nations.
About Bridge of Life – DaVita Medical Missions:
Bridge of Life – DaVita Medical Missions, an independent
not-for-profit charitable organization, serves those
disproportionately affected by chronic kidney disease in developing
countries. The organization was established in 2006.
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