Engeye Health Clinic in Uganda Establishes Partnerships with Ugandan Ministry of Health, Uganda CARES, FINCA International and RHSP
Dr. Carlos Elguero Joins Engeye Health Clinic's Board of Directors
Albany, NY, March 16, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Members of the February 2009 mission to Uganda opened the doors to the official Engeye diagnostic laboratory and successfully established relationships with the Ugandan Ministry of Health, Uganda CARES, FINCA International and RHSP (Rakai Health Services Program). In the short time since its opening in 2007, the Engeye Health Clinic in Ddegeya Village, Uganda has treated over 12,000 villagers, built a diagnostic laboratory and obtained official 501(c)3 non-profit status.
The February 2009 team members were: Dr. Bob Paeglow, Dr. Elizabeth Higgins, Dr. Carlos Elguero, Dr. Joe Murley, Dr. Faith Cruz, Dr. Sheryl Brown, Marc Rothgery, Stephanie Van Dyke, Anny Su, Misty Richards, Theresa Weinman, David Hwang, Kimberly Robinson, Mike Reiss and Bryan Meltz. Photographs are courtesy of Bryan Meltz (www.bryanmeltz.com)
In addition to treating patients at the clinic, team members met with several Ugandan organizations, and partnerships were established with the Ugandan Ministry of Health, Uganda CARES, FINCA International and RHSP. The Ugandan Ministry of Health, located in the capital city of Kampala, is the government body responsible for healthcare in Uganda. Uganda CARES is a partnership between the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and the Ugandan Ministry of Health. Uganda CARES is one of Uganda's largest providers of AIDS treatment and care. FINCA International, with corporate headquarters in Washington D.C., provides financial services to the world's lowest-income entrepreneurs so they can create jobs, build assets and improve their standard of living. RHSP was started more than 20 years ago by scientists at Makerere University in Kampala, and has the mission of improving Ugandan public health by supporting health care delivery with relevant research.
The partnership between the Engeye Health Clinic and Uganda Cares was developed in order to subsidize the cost of antiretroviral HIV/AIDS treatment for patients. Moreover, in addition to providing patients with life-saving medications, Uganda Cares will provide access to counseling resources in the community to help patients cope with their diagnosis. The Engeye Health Clinic is excited by this partnership, as it will enable villagers to hope for a better and brighter future.
The Engeye Health Clinic firmly believes that empowerment is an essential ingredient towards improving quality of life. With this in consideration, another goal of the Engeye Health Clinic is to introduce microfinance to the village starting in one or two years. The autonomy and relative freedom that microfinance provides will enable villagers to obtain small loans, pursue options once unavailable to them, and empower them to establish sustainable businesses of their own. These partnerships were established through discussions conducted between the Engeye Health Clinic Board of Directors (BOD) and each respective organization.
Dr. Carlos Elguero is a new and very important member of the Engeye board, joining Stephanie Van Dyke, Anny Su and Misty Richards. Dr. Elguero is a dynamic family practice physician at Albany Medical College and has been praised for his impressive recall of medical information in addition to his incredible rapport with students and colleagues alike. He served as chief resident during his final year of residency and is currently an assistant professor at AMC, teaching the basics of family medicine such as hypertension diabetes, and EKG readings. Dr. Elguero is committed to medical education and health care for the underserved both at home and abroad. He and Stephanie have just completed the drafting of the clinic's groundbreaking diagnostic protocol manual for medical diagnosis and treatment.
“I am proud to be a part of this inspiring project and look forward to working with the other Engeye team members to improve the quality of health care in Ddegeya Village while providing a valuable learning experience for physicians, residents and students,” says Dr. Elguero. “I shake my head in amazement when I think about how a small team, filled with passion and optimism, has created greatness,” he continues. “While for the people of Ddegeya Village, basic medical needs can be life saving, for the visiting team of students, residents and physicians, it is life changing.”
The 2009 Engeye mission introduced local Ugandan children to a movie night at the clinic, through the visionary thinking of the recently created Engeye Scholars Program. This program was started by Theresa Weinman and Elaine Pers Hickey in order to enrich the lives of children in Ddegeya Village through education. Theresa was able to tour the schools, meet with school representatives, and meet all of the Engeye Scholars personally during the mission trip.
Two Union College Minerva Fellows, Stephen Po-Chedley and Rebecca Broadwin, are currently working at the Engeye Clinic for a year, and have perfected the clinic’s ability to harness the energy of solar panels. Due to their efforts and a donated projector from the Engeye Scholars program, “movie night” debuted with the showing of “Wall-e”. The movie had the local children absolutely spellbound as the compelling story of the diminutive robot unfolded in their first-ever movie experience.
Steve and Becky will be leaving the Engeye Clinic in April and returning to their lives in the United States. Two new Minerva Fellows, Monica Rowett and Tom Perry, will be taking their places in Uganda to contribute to the growth of the Engeye Health Clinic and help the Ddegeya community to thrive and eventually become self-sustaining.
About the Engeye Health Clinic
The Engeye Health Clinic is located in Ddegeya Village in southern Uganda. The main clinic building and two volunteer houses were constructed during the summer of 2006 with funds from an inheritance from the grandmother of Engeye Health Clinic’s co-founder, Stephanie Van Dyke. Habitat for Humanity builder Gary Arnold, several volunteers, and at least 50 local villagers joined Stephanie for the initial ground-breaking and construction. John Kalule, a native Ugandan, co-founded the Engeye Health Clinic, and manages the daily operations of the Clinic. The word Engeye means "white monkey" in Luganda, an official language of the country, and is John’s family clan name. Stephanie, Misty Richards, Anny Su and Dr. Carlos Elguero comprise the board of directors for the 501(c) (3) tax deductible, nonprofit organization. For more information, visit:
www.engeye.org
###
The February 2009 team members were: Dr. Bob Paeglow, Dr. Elizabeth Higgins, Dr. Carlos Elguero, Dr. Joe Murley, Dr. Faith Cruz, Dr. Sheryl Brown, Marc Rothgery, Stephanie Van Dyke, Anny Su, Misty Richards, Theresa Weinman, David Hwang, Kimberly Robinson, Mike Reiss and Bryan Meltz. Photographs are courtesy of Bryan Meltz (www.bryanmeltz.com)
In addition to treating patients at the clinic, team members met with several Ugandan organizations, and partnerships were established with the Ugandan Ministry of Health, Uganda CARES, FINCA International and RHSP. The Ugandan Ministry of Health, located in the capital city of Kampala, is the government body responsible for healthcare in Uganda. Uganda CARES is a partnership between the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and the Ugandan Ministry of Health. Uganda CARES is one of Uganda's largest providers of AIDS treatment and care. FINCA International, with corporate headquarters in Washington D.C., provides financial services to the world's lowest-income entrepreneurs so they can create jobs, build assets and improve their standard of living. RHSP was started more than 20 years ago by scientists at Makerere University in Kampala, and has the mission of improving Ugandan public health by supporting health care delivery with relevant research.
The partnership between the Engeye Health Clinic and Uganda Cares was developed in order to subsidize the cost of antiretroviral HIV/AIDS treatment for patients. Moreover, in addition to providing patients with life-saving medications, Uganda Cares will provide access to counseling resources in the community to help patients cope with their diagnosis. The Engeye Health Clinic is excited by this partnership, as it will enable villagers to hope for a better and brighter future.
The Engeye Health Clinic firmly believes that empowerment is an essential ingredient towards improving quality of life. With this in consideration, another goal of the Engeye Health Clinic is to introduce microfinance to the village starting in one or two years. The autonomy and relative freedom that microfinance provides will enable villagers to obtain small loans, pursue options once unavailable to them, and empower them to establish sustainable businesses of their own. These partnerships were established through discussions conducted between the Engeye Health Clinic Board of Directors (BOD) and each respective organization.
Dr. Carlos Elguero is a new and very important member of the Engeye board, joining Stephanie Van Dyke, Anny Su and Misty Richards. Dr. Elguero is a dynamic family practice physician at Albany Medical College and has been praised for his impressive recall of medical information in addition to his incredible rapport with students and colleagues alike. He served as chief resident during his final year of residency and is currently an assistant professor at AMC, teaching the basics of family medicine such as hypertension diabetes, and EKG readings. Dr. Elguero is committed to medical education and health care for the underserved both at home and abroad. He and Stephanie have just completed the drafting of the clinic's groundbreaking diagnostic protocol manual for medical diagnosis and treatment.
“I am proud to be a part of this inspiring project and look forward to working with the other Engeye team members to improve the quality of health care in Ddegeya Village while providing a valuable learning experience for physicians, residents and students,” says Dr. Elguero. “I shake my head in amazement when I think about how a small team, filled with passion and optimism, has created greatness,” he continues. “While for the people of Ddegeya Village, basic medical needs can be life saving, for the visiting team of students, residents and physicians, it is life changing.”
The 2009 Engeye mission introduced local Ugandan children to a movie night at the clinic, through the visionary thinking of the recently created Engeye Scholars Program. This program was started by Theresa Weinman and Elaine Pers Hickey in order to enrich the lives of children in Ddegeya Village through education. Theresa was able to tour the schools, meet with school representatives, and meet all of the Engeye Scholars personally during the mission trip.
Two Union College Minerva Fellows, Stephen Po-Chedley and Rebecca Broadwin, are currently working at the Engeye Clinic for a year, and have perfected the clinic’s ability to harness the energy of solar panels. Due to their efforts and a donated projector from the Engeye Scholars program, “movie night” debuted with the showing of “Wall-e”. The movie had the local children absolutely spellbound as the compelling story of the diminutive robot unfolded in their first-ever movie experience.
Steve and Becky will be leaving the Engeye Clinic in April and returning to their lives in the United States. Two new Minerva Fellows, Monica Rowett and Tom Perry, will be taking their places in Uganda to contribute to the growth of the Engeye Health Clinic and help the Ddegeya community to thrive and eventually become self-sustaining.
About the Engeye Health Clinic
The Engeye Health Clinic is located in Ddegeya Village in southern Uganda. The main clinic building and two volunteer houses were constructed during the summer of 2006 with funds from an inheritance from the grandmother of Engeye Health Clinic’s co-founder, Stephanie Van Dyke. Habitat for Humanity builder Gary Arnold, several volunteers, and at least 50 local villagers joined Stephanie for the initial ground-breaking and construction. John Kalule, a native Ugandan, co-founded the Engeye Health Clinic, and manages the daily operations of the Clinic. The word Engeye means "white monkey" in Luganda, an official language of the country, and is John’s family clan name. Stephanie, Misty Richards, Anny Su and Dr. Carlos Elguero comprise the board of directors for the 501(c) (3) tax deductible, nonprofit organization. For more information, visit:
www.engeye.org
###
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Heising & Associates Public Relations
Dawna Lee Heising
(714) 390-7122
www.engeye.org
Dawna Lee Heising
(714) 390-7122
www.engeye.org
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