Medical Experts Lend a Helping Hand
Dr. Helen Ho, attending Emergency Physician at White Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles, and Delaine Perry, RN, traveled to South Africa in April to the Valley of 1000 Hills Clinic. Armed with medicines and supplies donated by Conejo Valley Community Church and the Conejo Valley Free Clinic, they spent five days working with the medical personnel and community caregivers, teaching and assisting them to better serve their patients. Helen writes,
"We accompanied some of the home care workers and the driver on an acute ambulance call for an elderly woman who was short of breath. We found her sitting on a chair on the bottom of the hill that the ambulance actually had trouble reaching due to the rigorous terrain. I cannot see how it would have been possible for her to have reached the hospital without the help of Dawn Leppan and 1000 Hills Clinic, nor what would have happened to her without their help. We picked up three other people on that same transport with 2 other impromptu visits in between with patients that Sister (Nurse) Dlamini recognized. We crammed eight people into the back of that ambulance to the point that we could not fit another person (keep in mind the elderly lady was stretched out on the gurney). Imagine this was just one day, and one transport. There are so many other stories on that same transport; the elderly senile lady who didn't want to be evaluated because she didn't want to be taken away from her home and thus her independence, even though she was clearly unable to take care of herself, and the elderly man with emphysema (undiagnosed) who didn't have an inhaler."
Helen and Delaine also recognized the rampant hypertension that prevails in the region due to poor living conditions. Says Delaine,"Residents of 1000 Hills go to their government run clinic, but the clinic is out of medication. Sometimes my thoughts can be jaded after MANY years in the emergency setting where people disregard instruction on how to care for themselves. But, my heart goes out to people that put forth the effort to improve their health but cannot find help. I talked to many people who walked miles to a government clinic, only to find they had no medication for their high blood pressure."
As a result of their experiences, Delaine and Helen started a program called "Sponsor a Hypertensive" to provide support to two patients (initially) with life saving blood pressure medicine. As we gain experience with this program, we hope to expand to many more in need. Special thanks to Helen and Delaine for their effort to travel to South Africa at their own expense to support CareNow and the 1000 Hills Clinic!
A Cry for Help from the 1000 Hills Clinic.
Dear CareNow Foundation,
We would like to express our sincere gratitude for all you have done for our clinic regarding the medication. Our latest stats show that there has been a huge increase of patients through our clinic. I am heartbroken to have to tell you that our community is buckling under the surge of AIDS related illnesses. The increase in those dying is devastating.
Unfortunately, us sitting here in the valley had no spin offs from our World Cup, the only foreigners that come through were some Brazilian supporters, that had our children very excited as they managed to interact with them. During this time we only managed to sell in the month of June R3600, which is a crying shame for those making our crafts, 1000 Hills Community Helpers receiving 10% of that turn over leaving a crater in our monthly budget.
I do realise CareNow, with God’s help, not only assists us but other clinics too and fundraising being a difficult job on it own. I humbly appeal for any monetary assistance for medication.
–––Dawn, Founder, 1,000 Hills Clinic, South Africa
Because of what CareNow does––providing essential healthcare to the world’s least served––reports of needs, challenges, and requests for funding are fairly commonplace.
But the pleading tone of this e-mail, sent just a few weeks ago, was unlike anything we’ve ever received from our partners at the 1,000 Hills Clinic in South Africa. The situation is grim; people are dying; help is needed now.
This clinic has seen a tremendous spike in patients as it now serves many who were displaced by World Cup moves. You see, before the event, tens of thousands of people living in urban shantytowns were moved out of the big cities to “clean things up” and make way for the building of stadiums and parking lots. These men and women were dropped off far from cities and resources. They were essentially told to start over––with nothing but what we can best describe as shipping containers to live in. The electricity was spotty at best; the rudimentary plumbing was soon completely overwhelmed and now does not work at all.
So, these people went from poverty to displacement, escalating disease, and poverty. The 1,000 Hills Clinic is trying their best to serve all of these new patients as well as those who were already in need, but you see the plea above: more and more are dying. Nearly 100 patients are coming for help each day, and the situation for many is desperate:
“I was called out at 8:30 one evening to visit a family of 5 children. These children had lost their mum and the family they had been staying with had asked them to leave as they themselves were struggling. They had managed to find an abandoned shack to live in, and with your wonderful assistance I managed to get clothing, blankets, and food together and arrived at the shack to be met by the eldest child who had managed to find a small piece of candle for me to assess how they were living. It broke my heart to see not one blanket and a old twisted and blackened frying pan with some dry phutu in it that someone had given them to eat. One of the children of 8 was covered in shingles. They were thrilled and quite confused when we gave them the food and blankets (Prayers are answered!!). The next day they were brought to the centre. All the children had a lovely hot shower, given a nice plate of porridge and Sister Dlamini in our clinic attended to the child with shingles. Their plight was reported to the social worker and things are beginning to look brighter for this little family.”
Five orphans. No blankets in the cold. One broken candle, one twisted pan. Illness, hunger, and hopelessness. Can you imagine the wonder this visit from Dawn (the clinic’s founder) must have brought… the joy with which these simple gifts were received!? Now multiply that by thousands… that is the need; that is the blessing. So would you again be willing to step forward to offer a hand of help to those who have nowhere else to turn?
Wendy and I visited 1,000 Hills Clinic last year, and we can tell you: this clinic has great buildings––many were generous to help build these buildings!––but they struggle to fill those buildings with the basic medicines and staff that make it effective. Imagine walking into a beautiful local hospital to find no nurses, doctors, or medicines… absolutely useless! Thus, CareNow has been committed to helping with these critical needs.
Last year we were able to provide significant funding to help with staff and medicines. This year has been more challenging financially, so we’ve lowered our commitment––and help is urgently needed to meet even that.
It typically costs less than $5.00 to treat one patient at this clinic, including all diagnosis, medication, tests, and more. Your gift of $50 will touch at least 10 lives; $250 will help over 50 people! Literally any gift you could offer would be a tremendous blessing to serve those who have nowhere else to turn, no other source of help. Again, the email we got a few weeks ago was unprecedented in its urgency. People are dying… people who could be saved if only they had access to the right medications! Please consider making a donation directly through our website.
Thank you again for your heart for the suffering; it’s especially meaningful as we consider all the millions whose eyes were on South Africa for the World Cup, but who didn’t actually see the hurt and need that exist there. We’re so grateful that you have the eyes to see, and the heart to help.
Gratefully Yours,
Ed and Wendy Bjurstrom
P.S. You should know that many who are served by this clinic are trying to make lives for themselves! They make beautiful native crafts to sell (with part of the proceeds going toward the clinic) and really ramped up production in the hopes of visitors due to the World Cup. However, they were painfully disappointed as very few came. Thank you for seeing their plight and making a difference. You are a blessing to multitudes!