Operation Medical Libraries

UCLA Center for Prehospital Care Donates Brand New Textbooks

2011-10-07T17:01:00.000-07:00

UCLA Center for Prehospital Care is recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in prehospital education and research and as an innovator and advocate for the development of quality emergency medical services (EMS) systems. As part of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, it is the leading emergency and prehospital academic center on the West Coast. Now, citizens in Afghanistan and the Philippines also benefit from the center's committment to providing outstanding prehospital education.

Over the last few months, the center has donated almost $10,000 in new educational resources to OML. These books will save countless lives and make a difference - every day.

Link

UCLA OB/GYN Department Donates Library

2011-10-06T16:39:00.000-07:00

The UCLA Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology donated all of the medical education resources in its Moore Library to OML. The 547 books and 89 videos and will have a signficant impact in women's health and infant mortality rates in Afghanistan and the Philippines.

Link

OML Expands to Assist British Coalition Efforts

2011-07-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

Operation Medical Libraries has received a request from a member of the British Forces, who currently works as a Paramedic supporting and training the Afghan police force. Below is a description of his assignment.

"My assignment is to work on medical development for the newly built medical centre for the police force. It's an isolated area currently with 1 x doctor 1 x nurse and 2 x medics. The infrastructure is fantastic, purpose built but they are lacking in the resource department. They are keen to study and develop their medical knowledge. we also have members going on medical courses and would like to do some pre reading before attending. Any medical literature relating to general practice, first aid, trauma and topographical would be welcome. I am currently deployed and will be here until December. My replacement will take over then but would still like to receive any donations." Darren

If you live in the United Kingdom and would like to support Darren's efforts, please send them to him at the following BFPO address at a date no later than October 15, 2011. Once OML has been notified of his replacement's name, another blog entry will be posted to notify our British supporters.

Darren Smith
Medical Centre
UK AVN DET (FH)
BFPO 798

Link

OML Welcomes New POC in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan

2011-07-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

OML would like to welcome its newest POC:

Charlotte Shealy mentors Afghan doctors, nurses, and technicians who care for men, women, and children in northern Afghanistan. She has requests for general text books in internal medicine texts (especially copies of CURRENT Medical Diagnosis and Treatment), general surgery, critical care (i.e. The ICU Book), general pediatrics (i.e. Nelson's Essentials of Pediatrics), ob/gyn (i.e. Essentials of Obstetrics & Gynecology), clinical pharmacology and nursing. At this hospital, they have a decent library of the "big texts", but they are opting for the more user friendly ones that are very outdated (1990s) like the books listed. Also requests copies of the Oxford Picture Dictionary English/Farsi version.

You can send Charlotte Shealy any of these resources through October 1, 2011.

The shipping label should be:
Charlotte Shealy
METT
Camp Mike Spann
APO AE 09368

Link

Photos From Afghanistan

2011-07-10T14:18:00.000-07:00

These photos were received today by an OML POC is a classified area of Afghanistan.

Link

Another Satisfied OML Customer

2011-05-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

OML recently received an email from one of its POCs in Kabul, Afghanistan. For classified reasons, the military representative's name is not being released. I echo the POC's gratitude to all of the OML donors.

Here's the email text:

Just a quick note to let you know that we have received several shipments of outstanding medical literature for use in our hospital, schoolhouse and outlying clinics. In fact, we are now at capacity for the libraries, and I would request that we go ahead and hold off on shipping more books out for now. We do certainly appreciate all of the efforts through several organizations that have graciously donated much needed training material!

Please pass on to your donors that their part has helped further the education and knowledge of the Afghan medical system, and for that we are all extremely grateful. In the mean time, I will forward out your contact information to our other counterparts throughout Afghanistan and see if they could coordinate with your wonderful program.

Thanks, and God bless!

V/R
Medical Embedded Training Team

Link

SLA Pittsburgh Student Group Collects Medical Literature for US Troops

2011-03-31T17:09:00.000-07:00

Members of Special Libraries Association Pittsburgh Student Group (SLAPSG) have been hard at work this semester collecting medical textbooks to send to U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

The LIS students were first made aware of the efforts when they read the New York Times article about OML (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/31/health/31library.html) in Dr. Ellen Detlefsen’s Health Sciences Resources and Services course during the fall semester. Surprised to see that the University of Pittsburgh was not a participating institution, SLAPSG president Amy Yonick decided to start OML @ Pitt after positive feedback from other student members. The outreach project has also generated a couple new members for SLAPSG. The faculty advisor for OML @ Pitt is Ellen Detlefsen.

So far the LIS students have collected over 70 textbooks; they plan on having the first shipment sent by April 8. They have reached out to various schools at the University of Pittsburgh, including the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing. Some SLAPSG members handed out flyers at a PalPITTations concert, an a cappella group at the university consisting of medical students. Yonick designed a strategic marketing plan for OML@Pitt for Dr. Sue Alman’s Marketing and Public Relations for Libraries course.

SLAPSG will continue to ship books as they are received through the summer. Yonick hopes that incoming LIS students and SLAPSG members will continue to work on the project after she and the other members graduate this summer.

More information about OML @ Pitt

OML Uploads VOA Broadcast to You Tube

2011-02-22T14:33:00.000-08:00

Voice of America (VOA) produced a video on OML's impact in Afghanistan, especially at the Cure Hospial in Kabul. To 3:55 broadcast aired in Afghanistan in early January 2011 and was shared with VOA Urdu Service, which broadcasts to Pakistan.

To view the English translation, visit:
OML on You Tube

Link

A Thanksgiving Day Thanks

2010-11-25T13:31:00.000-08:00

We received the books here in good condition, and we will get the books to their intended destination!

As I am writing this on Thanksgiving Day, the best to you and all of yours. We here are thankful for your generosity, support and consideration.

Here's a photo of part of the USAID component of Team N with the books. Some of the background gives you an idea what life is like in a war zone. Pictured are V. Myev and myself with two of our Afghan colleagues. They are part of what gives me hope and inspiration for the future of Afghanistan.

Best regards,

G. Roemer

Link

University of Health Sciences Antigua School of Medicine Library

2010-11-23T15:04:00.000-08:00

Paper journals are too text heavy for Afganistan. Over the last eighteen months, all OML journal donations have been sent to University of Health Sciences Antigua School of Medicine and Macedonia School of Nursing. According to Lyzette Román, Vice President Institutional Advancement and International Affairs University of Health Sciences Antigua School of Medicine, "All of these donations are a true blessing."
Visit the UHSA Website

New York College of Osteopathic Medicine Sends Textbooks to Jalalabad

2010-11-23T15:00:00.001-08:00

On Friday, November 19, New York College of Osteopathic Medicine's student chapter of Physicians for Human Rights shipped Medical Textbooks to George Roemer for the Nangarhar University Medical School and the Midwifery Institute in Jalalabad. The shipment included 52 textbooks collected from our medical students. We hope they are of use to the students at these two institutes!

Thank You for the work you do and the opportunity to share our books!

Kristin Gotimer, MPH

New York College of Osteopathic Medicine - OMS II
NYCOM Physicians for Human Rights - President

Link

OML Donations Make Difference in Afghan Medicine

2010-10-13T11:03:00.001-07:00

Photo captions:
A recent delivery of OML contributions to Afshar Hospital in Kabul. Pictured are Dr. Gary Davis,
a member of my command who graciously offers to transport OML deliveries on my behalf, and Dr. Ghulam Farooq, the Director of Afshar Hospital.

Kabul Medical University, Afghanistan's premiere medical school, has received thousands of volumes of medical education resources through OML.

To All,

As a point of contact in Afghanistan for Operation Medical Libraries (OML), I want to acknowledge receipt of your generous contributions. I apologize for the impersonal nature of this email, but the overwhelming number of boxes we've received since my arrival in theater two months ago leaves me little time to thank each one of you individually, as much as I would like to. I can't thank you all enough for taking the time and effort to collect, pack, and mail your medical texts and other educational materials on behalf of OML.

My colleagues here in the Medical Training Advisory Group (MTAG) marvel over the extreme value of many of these references. We often discuss which Afghan medical training facility, school, or hospital would most benefit from certain contributions -- a Netter anatomy text for a medical school reference library, a wonderful text and CD on surgery of the skin for a local hospital with plastic surgery capabilities, so on and so forth.

The MTAG nurses covet the few nursing texts we've received and are planning to hand-deliver a recently sorted shipment to members of the Armed Forces Academy of Medical Sciences for the benefit of their nursing program. My colleagues have delivered many medical texts to augment the reference libraries of local medical universities and hospitals, both civilian and military. One physician colleague recently delivered several surgical texts to two very deserving and courageous female Afghan OB-GYN physicians employed at a local hospital operated by a U.S. non-governmental organization. They were so thrilled.

Very few physicians in this country can afford to purchase medical texts for their personal use. According to my colleague, one of the OB-GYNs has already read one donated text on operative obstetrics from cover to cover. Extremely shy and reserved, she even corrected a male attending physician during morning rounds (something rarely done much less by a female), reportedly gazing stiffly at her feet while quoting directly from the text. This is just a small example of how your donations have made a difference in the world of Afghan medicine.

Needless to say, my colleagues and I are very appreciative for all OML donations. Our Afghan counterparts are equally, if not more, grateful. For those few that enclosed a return email address with your donation, I can at least acknowledge our appreciation. If you are aware of those who donated texts but did not enclose an email address, please pass on our heartfelt thanks.

Sincerely,

S. L. Holtzclaw, MD, MPH
Lead Advisor, Medical Policy and Development
Mentor, GIRoA Office of the Surgeon General
Liaison, GIRoA Ministry of Public Health & USAID
Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan / NATO Training
Mission-Afghanistan / Medical Training Advisory Group Office of the
Command Surgeon

Link

International Publicity Has Immediate Impact

2010-09-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

Irene M. Wielaswki's article on OML, which first appeared in the New York Times Science section on August 31, has traveled on the web and published in American and international newspapers including: Chicago Tribune, Sun-Sentinel, The Hindu (India), Tajikistan Times, and International Herald Tribune, as well as military websites and blogs. The global exposure has had an immediate impact in Afghanistan.

Link

POC's Overwhelmed by Shipments of Books

2010-09-27T14:27:00.000-07:00

Hello,

The response to your recent articles has been overwhelming. I feel like
a librarian!! I have a couple pictures for you. There is also a Egyptian
Field Hospital here who cares for local nationals. I will have to get a
picture of their "library" they have compliments of you and your
friends. I cannot begin to tell you how great it is to give these books
away. We are so so grateful. They appreciate the generosity of
everyone. You are making a difference here! Who knows maybe someday
there will be peace here. We can only hope. Thanks again,

Link

OML Adds New POC

2010-09-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

Last week Chuck Wolfe found OML through a Google search. He has been in Afghanistan since 2007. His team teaches an Afghan medical company in Mazar-e-Sharif to provide Level II medical care from the front lines medical units to the hospitals. They are in need of medical texts covering emergency and trauma care, physical diagnosis, clinical medicine, primary care, wound care and closure, operational surgery and pre-post surgical care to help them learn current medical treatment.

Chuck Wolfe
MPRI-CSSB
Camp Mike Spann
APO AE 09368

Last shipment date from U.S. is January May 1, 2011

Link

NY Times' Readers Respond to OML Article

2010-09-10T18:10:00.000-07:00

Operation Medical Libraries (OML), formerly MAA’s Books without Borders, was featured in the Science section of the New York Times on August 31, 2010, which brought world-wide attention to the program. The first correspondence came from a British physician, who had been following OML on Twitter, wondering if OML had a UK operation. Within 24 hours of his email, OML had identified an Afghan province where American and British troops are mentoring local medical professionals, and his books could be sent there.

Since the article first appeared, there has been a spike in OML Website visitors and a steady flow of emails, including one from a pediatrician at CSI Hospital in Bagalore, India, who asked how he could participate. A psychiatrist in Cape Cod packed up medical textbooks while she waited for Hurricane Earl. Large medical universities and hospitals scattered throughout the country are interested in sponsoring OML drives.

The response from the OML military point of contacts (POC) resonates with appreciation. “Hey, I was on R&R!! The books have been coming in, and my boys put them in the conex (container express) for me. WOW, are there any books left in the USA? I have already had a request from outlying army clinics for books. So this is great. I cannot thank you enough,” emailed P. Aitchinson, USA Army nurse, Director of the Afghan Trauma Mentorship Program Task Force.

As the article stated, more than 27,000 new and gently used medical textbooks have been donated to Afghanistan. Using a conservative estimate of $50 per book, the value of these educational materials is $1,350,000 and increasing daily, as new donations are sent.

OML has libraries in four Afghan provinces. It provides educational resources to hospitals, clinics and two of the eight Afghan medical schools, including the premier Kabul Medical University that graduates approximately 360 students every year. Overall, 1,000 students graduate from the medical schools in Afghanistan.

During the time of the Taliban, medical models, and even posters, of organ systems, were not allowed in the classrooms. Pictures in books were also banned. Thus the Afghan medical schools are so desperately in need of such books.

An Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Jacobi Medical Center in Bronx, New York, ordered a new copy of A Comprehensive Study Guide for S. Holtzclaw, deployed in Kabul as liaison, GIROA Office of the Surgeon General. In an email to the donor, Holtzclaw wrote, “Everyone here is extremely grateful for any donations and your generosity. We can certainly use ANY medical texts, especially those concerning Emergency Medicine, with the surge of combat casualties of late. Many thanks!”

To read the New York Times article,>OML Website and click on Resources and Publicity tab.

New York Times Science Section Spotlights OML

2010-08-30T16:45:00.000-07:00

Extra,extra read all about Operation Medical Libraries in the New York Times Science section on August 31, 2010.Doctors Heed Call for Books

OML Continues to Provide Training Resources for Afghan Trauma Mentorship Program

2010-07-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

Link

For over 18 months, OML has been providing textbooks for the Afghan Trauma Mentorship Program in Bagram, Afghanistan. The current director of the two-week program is an amazing US Army nurse. Here are some of the photos she took of her students using the OML resources.

OML Salutes Dr E.H. Munro Medical Library within St Mary's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Grand Junction, Colorado

2010-05-14T12:29:00.000-07:00

The Dr E.H. Munro Medical Library within St Mary's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Grand Junction, Colorado is in the process of sending a large amount of journals, textbooks and software to the University of Health Sciences in Antiqua. The library is fortunate to currently have Tyler H., a young volunteer who is responsible for getting these items packed securely to survive the trip to Lyzette Roman, whose office is in Puerto Rico. Hopefully Ms. Roman has a 'large' office, as we have already sent 61 boxes of just journals, and will be sending textbooks and software when the volunteer gets them packed up. The challenge is finding enough smaller boxes, so this can all go by USPS at Library Media rate [which has a maximum of 70 lbs!!].

Mark McKenney, the medical librarian, managed to get four oncologist MDs to donate a large number of oncology journals that they had access to electronically via their various medical associations they belong to. Mark also contacted the local nursing education department at Mesa State College [also in Grand Junction, CO], and the faculty came up with several large boxes of textbooks/journals/software that were picked up on May 12 2010, and those will also be going to Antiqua.

Link

OML POC Daughter Salutes Her Dad and Military in Song

2010-04-16T15:30:00.000-07:00

For every deployed soldier there is a family left behind waiting for his/her safe return. One of the current OML POC's stationed in Kabul received a special song from his daughter, who wrote and performed We Salute You. She dedicated the song to her dad and all those deployed. The clip is on YouTube. We Salute You

Verse 1
To the men and women out there who stand for liberty-
To the ones who died in battle to make our country free-
To the families of veterans who fought for the truth-
To the mothers of young men who gave up their youth:

Chorus
We salute you for this country we call free,
We salute you for the land of liberty,
We salute you for safety in the night.
We salute you for fighting for the right.

Verse 2
You have all fought so bravely, our thank you's not enough.
You risked your lives to protect us, you gave up so much.
But you did it for service to country and God
And you stood up for what you know is such a great cause.

Chorus

Chorus

University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria Weighs In BIG

2010-03-10T13:40:00.001-08:00

University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria is in the middle of a very successful OML drive. To date, they have collected and sorted by subject (OB/GYN, surgery, trauma, pediatrics, etc.) 15 very heavy of boxes. A big OML thanks to Molly M., a third year medical student, for organizing this book drive. Way to go, Molly!

Link

MedImpact Donates New Medical Books to Antigua

2010-02-23T18:06:00.001-08:00

MedImpact Healthcare System in San Diego donated 7 boxes of medical books and journals to the University of Health Sciences Antigua.

From all of us here at MedImpact, thank you OML for giving us the opportunity to donate unused medical books to such a great cause. We are happy to know they will be put in good use.

MedImpact is a full-service, transparent Pharmacy Benefits Management (PBM) company, focused on aligning our goals with our clients' goals – delivering value by providing flexibility and choice. We deliver straightforward, cost-efficient and clinically effective prescription drug management for clients. Our evidence-based approach to delivering customized, innovative products and services is designed to manage overall costs while increasing quality of care.
MedImpact

OML's Website Re-design is Complete

2010-02-12T18:05:00.000-08:00

Kudos to the UCLA Alumni Association marketing team for making the final tweaks and edits of the OML Website re-design. It looks fabulous! OML Website

OML Invited to Participate in the 14th Annual UCLA Health Care Symposium

2010-01-19T10:49:00.000-08:00

OML has been invited to participate in the 14th Annual UCLA Health Care Symposium: Bridging the Divide: Practical Health Care Solutions for Los Angeles on Saturday, January 23. The symposium organizers recognize the important role that OML serves in the international community. OML will have a table at the interactive exhibit of community organizations.The goal of the exhibit is to facilitate networking opportunities for all and to initiate future collaborations.

OML Website's Remodel is Still Under Construction

2010-01-13T09:47:00.000-08:00

OML Website

Thanks to the supportive relationship between OML and the UCLA Christian Medical Dental Association (CMDA), OML's Website has a new look. Unfortunately, uploading the photo albums and thank you letters found on the Photos & Recipients page have been a challenge. Bear with us. These items will be back---bigger and better! The rest of the redesign is awesome!

Check it out the OML Website
For more information, call 310-794-4025.

OML Welcomes Two New POCs in the First Two Days of the New Year!

2010-01-04T15:41:00.000-08:00

In the first two days of 2010, OML received requests from two American service personnel stationed in Kabul.

One is currently assigned to the Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan (CTSC-A), Directorate of Command Surgeon, as Medical Embedded Training Team Advisors and requests any books pertaining to dentistry, including specific book titles: Pathways of the Pulp, Dental Oral Anatomy, DentalAnesthesia, Operative Dentistry, Oral Pathology, Perio Book, Dental Materials, Dental Radiology, Preventive Dentistry, and Oral Surgery Anatomy (Netter).

The other is a Pharmacy advisor at a national police hospital and requests pharmacological book/references for advisees. The pharmacy is staffed by 3 pharmacists and 1 medical specialist. They serve (ANP and family members) about 90 outpatients per day and support several inpatient wards. Current and updated references would help them do their job better.

If you have dental or pharmacological textbooks to send, please call OML at 310-794-4025 or visit the OML Website
.

OML Adds University Health Sciences, Antigua as Recipient

2009-12-15T14:44:00.000-08:00

OML is proud to announce its new relationship with University of Health Sciences Antigua (UHSA), a privately endowed institution, founded in 1982 and chartered by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda. Although resources are quite limited, 90% of the UHSA medical students pass the USMLE on their first attempt at taking the test. UHSA Graduates are practicing in the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa & Asia, that why our motto says: UHSA, Medical School to the World.

Macedonia School of Nursing is a part of the UHSA campus. In the first years of the university’s charter, emphasis was placed on establishing a medical school. In recent times, the worldwide shortage of nursing personnel has drastically increased the need for nurses who are well educated. As a result, UHSA decided to fulfill the nursing component of the charter in an effort to provide qualified nurses not only for local needs but for regional and international health care institutions.

The UHSA School of Veterinary Medicine opens in September 2010.
The request for medical, nursing and veterinary medicine textbooks came from Ms. Lyzette Roman, Director, Office of International Affairs and Programs in Puerto Rico. Materials sent to UHSA are considered domestic and do not require US Customs forms. The most economical USPS rate is Media Mail. Please send textbooks to Lyzette’s attention c/o International Medical Student Services, 650 Munoz Rivera Avenue, Suite 304, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918-4112.

If you have questions, please email Lyzette or visit the UHSA Website.

Photos of Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan

2009-09-28T17:15:00.000-07:00

Photos Courtesy of CDR Rich Hayden, MC, USN
Team Leader, Medical Embedded Training Team
Commander, U.S. Navy Garrison

OML Enjoys Aloha Time at MLA 2009 Annual Meeting

2009-05-26T18:32:00.000-07:00

Lisa Marks, MLS, AHIP,Supervisor, Library Services,Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California and Ellen Aaronson, MLS, AHIP,Medical Librarian, West Hills Hospital and Medical Center in West Hills, California were selected to present a poster on their participation with Operation Medical Libraries at the Medical Library Asssociation (MLA) 2009 Annual Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii, on May 15-20.

Link

OML Library in Maraz-e-Sharif Expands with New Shipments

2009-05-23T18:31:00.000-07:00

Digital photos courtesy of CDR Resa Warner, MC, USN

Link

OML Library in Bagram, AF Provides Textbooks for Two Week Medical Mentorship Program

2009-05-23T18:26:00.000-07:00

Digital photos courtesy of MAJ Maureen Nolen, Two Week Medical Mentorship Program Coordinator

Link

Thank You to the 31 Official Stateside Participants

2009-05-23T12:22:00.000-07:00

A special OML thank you to all 31 official OML participants! Through your energies and efforts, over 20 tons of medical materials have been sent to OML Libraries throughout developing and war-torn countries!

“Official” Participating Health Sciences Professional Schools
Golden West College, School of Nursing
Keck School of Medicine of USC
St Johns River Community College (Florida)
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UCLA
UC San Diego
UC San Francisco
University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria (Illinois)
University of North Carolina, Charlotte (North Carolina)
University of Texas School of Dentistry (Texas)
Wayne State University (Michigan)
West Virginia University (West Virginia)

Participating Medical Center Libraries (out of state locations indicated)
Baldwin Park Medical Center
California Hospital Medical Center
Providence St. Joseph Medical Center
Salem Hospital (Oregon)
South Shore Anesthesia Associates (Massachusetts)
Stanford Health Library
St. Luke’s Hospital (Iowa)
St. Mary’s Hospital (Colorado)
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (North Carolina)
Yuma Regional Medical Center
West Hills Hospital & Medical Center

Participating Hospitals
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
UCLA Santa Monica Orthopedic Hospital

Supporting Organizations
American Medical Association
American Women’s Medical Association
California Association of Nursing Practioners
United States Army Medical Department
University of Buffalo Health Sciences Library (added OML to its Outreach Directory)

Link

OML Adds Landstuhl, Germany to POC List

2009-05-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

Landstuhl Regional Medical Center is creating a Facial Trauma Library in the ENT clinic. OML is assisting in the creation of this library, which will be a resource for the surgeons operating on American and Coalition soldiers, who are transported from Iraq and Afghanistan to receive life-saving procedures. Please send trauma, reconstructive surgery, and orthopedics textbooks that have been publish within the last five years to the Medical Library at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center at the APO address below.

LRMC
CMR 402
ATTN: Medical Library
APO AE 09180

Link

OML Celebrates Second Anniversary with Photos from Bagram, AF

2009-04-04T17:13:00.000-07:00

Under the Taliban rule, Afghan medical students were unable to learn the human body through anatomy books because all of the medical textbooks with illustrations were confiscated and destroyed. OML libraries throughout Afghanistan contain books that were once banned. These photos are of MAJ Nolen's current class (MDs, DDS & NRs) with the books they have selected from the OML "Library."

The photos are courtesy of Maureen A. Nolen, MAJ, USA, AN
Two Week Medical Mentorship Program Coordinator
Bagram, Afghanistan

OML Library Branches Out to Mazar-e-Sharif School of Nursing

2009-02-23T16:02:00.000-08:00

The Association of Nursing Students at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte collected nursing books throughout the fall 2008 semester. The eight boxes of textbooks were transported to Mazar-e-Sharif in January 2009 on a pallet when an Army unit from Ft. Bragg in Fayetteville, NC was deployed to Afghanistan. As a result, the association did not have to pay for shipping. Instead, the funds raised to cover shipping expenses were used to purchase new books, which are now part of the OML library in the Mazar-e-Sharif School of Nursing.

Above are a few photos taken at the Mazar-e-Sharif School of Nursing where the donated books have been placed. Books are a shared resource. Students take notes on what is presented to them. Most nurses are men.

CDR Resa Warner
Team Lead, Embedded Training
Afghanistan National Army Regional Hospital
Mazar-e-Sharif

7,000 Tons of Usable Medical Materials Discarded Daily in the U.S.

2008-09-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

According to the Clinton Global Initiative, over 7,000 tons of usable medical materials and supplies are discarded every day in American hospitals and clinics. Most of these items are outright incinerated or deposited in land-fill.

The global impact of donating your medical textbooks will be immediate and lasting. The effect of change will be significant. The scope includes advancing medical education; improving health care; extending the productive life of a product made by cutting trees; and reducing the pressures on our land fill sites and the pollution from incinerators. Don't throw away knowledge. Pass it on to your medical colleagues! Make a global difference!

Current textbooks in the health sciences fields of dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacology, and physical therapy are needed, as well as anatomy and basic science books. Textbooks need to be new or gently used, contain current information, and published after 2001. For more information, please visit the
OML Website

Medical Author Donates 1,100 Copies to OML

2008-09-16T14:37:00.000-07:00

Kudos to Harry Rosen, M.D., who recently donated 1,000 residual copies of the first edition of The Consult Manual of Internal Medicine. It is a handbook of Internal Medicine, published in 2006. At Dr. Rosen's expense, these books will be sent to medical schools in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the medical staff at Isabel Province in the Solomon Islands.

For more information, visit the
MedConsult Publishing Website

OML Launches Website with Donation Procedures

2008-09-01T11:56:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your interest in Operation Medical Libraries. There is a tremendous need for initial and continuing education materials for all of the health sciences. Your book and/or journal donations will help fill the education gap and be greatly appreciated by Afghan and Iraqi students and professionals.

All the information you need to participate in this project, such as the who, what, where, and how procedures, is on the
Operation Medical Libraries Website

If you have follow up questions, please call 310-794-4025 and leave your name and phone number on the voicemail. Please speak slowly and clearly, so the information can be retrieved accurately. It is helpful if you state your phone number twice. If you prefer email, you can email me at valerie@OperationMedicalLibraries.org

If your organization, medical university, or library is considering sponsoring an OML book drive, please email me. I can email you the OML logo for your PR and marketing, as well as match your institution up with a particular medical facility in Afghanistan or Iraq.

Thank you for being part of the solution and being a blessing to people you will never meet.

With appreciation,
Valerie Walker
OML Founder

American Medical Association Features OML in Its Online Version of "News"

2008-08-18T12:13:00.000-07:00

Providing Texts to Teach Anatomy and Medicine in Taliban-torn Countries

The American Medical Association published an Aug. 25 article in its online version of American Medical News on Operation Medical Libraries, a partnership between medical schools at UCLA, UCSD and UCI, hospitals, physicians and the U.S. military, to collect and distribute medical textbooks and journals to support the medical community in Afghanistan and Iraq. Valerie Walker, director of the UCLA Medical Alumni Association, which launched the project, was quoted.

“Tons of Donated Medical Texts Sent to War Zones in Afghanistan and Iraq”

To read the article, copy and paste the following URL into any Web browser.
http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/08/25/prl20825.htm

San Antonio Air Force "Angels" Give Boxes of Books Their Wings

2008-07-30T18:15:00.000-07:00

Photos courtesy of Frank F. Montalvo, Lt. Col., U.S. Army (Ret) and UCLA '51 graduate

With the help of angels stationed in Randolph Air Force Base deep in the heart of Texas, UCLA alumnus and retired U.S. Army officer, Frank F. Montalvo sorted, packed and shipped 350 pounds of medical textbooks and journals donated by the UT Medical Library. (Ret) Lt. Col. Montalvo is an American hero! At 80 years of age, he and his wife (who he met at UCLA) finds the time and energy to do service that enriches the lives of others, including our troops and their mission.

A special salute to TSgt Tony Garcia USAF 205th RCAC Mentor in Afghanistan and SMSgt Gary Scott at Randolph Air Force Base for recruiting the AF angels who used their muscle to give the 11 boxes of books their "wings." In two weeks, the books/journals should arrive in Afghanistan. Now, that is something to smile about!

Kabul Medical University Receives Two Tons of Books

2008-07-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

Pictured: LCDR Bradford Volk, MC USN presents the ceremonial book (donated by Dr. Frank Pratt, Medical Director of the Los Angeles County Fire Department) to Kabul Medical University Chancellor Qbaid

Pictured: LCDR Bradford Volk, MC USN distributes small handbooks called pharmacopeias to medical students rotating at the National Medical Hospital.

Pictures courtesy of LCDR Bradford Volk, MC USN, Physician Mentor-Afghanistan National Medical Hospital

Today, a team of U.S. military medical personnel went Kabul Medical University (KMU) to deliver over 2 tons of medical textbooks and journals for the university's library. The large majority of these materials were up to date, published within the last 10 years. KMU Chancellor Obaid accepted the ceremonial book from LCDR Volk. The ceremonial book was donated by Dr. Frank Pratt, the Medical Director of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Fifty medical students doing a rotation at the National Medical Hospital received pharmacopeias donated by Tarascon Publishing. These handbooks are what every MD/DO in the United States uses to dose medicine. Because books like these are not usually available in Afghanistan, doctors typically dose medicines off the top of their head and mistakes are common. As a result, incidents of toxicity can occur due to inappropriate dosing.

For more photos, view
LCDR Bradley Volk's Album

Heartfelt Thanks from Herat Doctors to Operation Enduring Freedom & Operation Medical Libraries

2008-07-25T12:25:00.000-07:00

The average lifespan of an Afghan citizen is only 45 years and over one-third of children do not survive to age five according to the World Health Organization. A key reason for these appalling numbers relates to the extreme lack of trained health care providers in this war-ravaged crossroads of southwest Asia. Operation Medical Libraries (OML) in California and the American military in Afghanistan seek to improve this as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

OML started when the UCLA Medical Alumni Association (MAA) responded to a request to send medical textbooks to medical schools in Iraq. From these beginnings in the spring of 2007, OML grew from soliciting other medical centers and schools in California, such as Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center and the University of California campuses in Irvine and San Diego, and distributing to medical universities and facilities across Iraq and Afghanistan. These efforts reached fruition on 22 July 2008 when over 1500 pounds of texts and medical journals were distributed to the Herat Medical Faculty at Herat University and the Herat Regional Military Hospital in and near Herat, the provincial capital in western Afghanistan.

Colonel Dr. Said Azim Hussaini, Executive Officer and Deputy Commander of the Herat Regional Military Hospital welcomed the 5 visitors from the Herat Medical Faculty. He noted that the military hospital had received several hundred pounds of textbooks as well and expressed his thanks to OML and the American medical mentors who are nearing the end of their one-year deployment. Dr. Azim also said he was pleased that this project will continue when the current team of 14 Navy active duty mentors are replaced by a new team.

The Dean of the Herat Medical Faculty, Dr. G. N. Aram declared his great pleasure and surprise at this extraordinary gift from OML and hoped that this begins a long fruitful relationship. He noted: “We share the goals of education that go beyond borders.” He articulated his and his faculty’s desire that his school could partner with an American medical school for the benefit of the Afghan people. Joining him in thanks and hope for further collaboration were Dr. Mohammad Jan, Chief of Surgery; Dr. Mohammad Hassan Farid, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Dr. Khalil A. Aazar, Chief of Medicine; and Dr. Mohammad Anwar Anwar, Internal Medicine.

Lieutenant Commander Bruce Deschere is a family physician and mentor to the military hospital and point of contact for the OML program in western Afghanistan. The 12 physicians on staff of the military hospital shared stories that brought chills: an ophthalmologist fled to Pakistan during the Taliban rule and now must retrain to regain skills lost while providing general practice care to other refugees. Those who stayed related that Taliban forbade any image of the human body; the Taliban would confiscate anatomy texts and burn them, as well as monitor lectures to ensure that no images were even drawn. Dr. Deschere notes that it is nearly impossible to train future doctors without illustrations of the human body. He says, “As Afghanistan rebuilds its health care system, the lack of texts was critical. OML is meeting that need.” He observed that education is the greatest gift: it makes lives better and can never be stolen. While the books benefit the 400 medical students now, ultimately it may benefit millions of patients. Similar stories are occurring around the country at other medical schools and hospitals, both regional and in the capital of Kabul.

The Herat Medical Faculty was established at the Herat University under the Ministry of Higher Education in 1990. All 42 faculty are trained practitioners in the breadth of specialties and willingly provide education in this challenging environment. Students must compete to enter the government-funded curriculum with a total of 400 students in the 7 year program. The students enter after graduating high school and about 60 receive their degrees each year. The government then expects service in government programs like the military as repayment for the free education.

The donated literature will benefit the 42 faculty and 400 students at the medical school and the 12 doctors and 40 nurses at the military hospital. “We will take whatever you can send us,” said Dean of the medical school, Dr G. N. Aram as he and his colleagues expressed heartfelt gratitude. The Executive Officer of the hospital, Col. Said Azim Hussaini was instrumental in facilitating the distribution and hopes this will continue for the foreseeable future.

OML has provided medical textbooks and journals to six cities/regions in Afghanistan: Kabul, Kandahar, Mazar-e Sharif, Zabul, Bagram, and Herat. All 3 of the U.S. Military Medical Corps branches have benefitted from OML donations. Over 6 tons of medical textbooks and journals have been distributed to Afghan medical universities and hospitals through the project. Says Valerie Walker, founder of Operation Medical Libraries, formerly known as UCLA MAA Books without Borders: "It is an honor to support the U.S. military nurses and physicians in their efforts to improve the quality of medical education and healthcare for the Afghan citizens. May these medical materials cause ripple effects throughout the country for decades to come."

For more photos view LCDR Bruce Deschere's Album

The Coalition Cornerstone

2008-07-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

In life, there those are chance encounters, which forge monumental relationships that greatly affect our destiny. Like many Americans, I have been very fortunate to cross paths with people whom have become mentors, friends, colleagues, and leaders. What’s striking about Operation Medical Libraries is that those chance encounters happen every minute of everyday. It’s like a movie, where in the midst of conversation, a name passes in conversation, which introduces a new character into the plotline. The network of OML consists of relationships our team has encountered throughout our individual lifetimes, and it’s as if we’ve been wired with a mission switch, that now we’ve been asked to activate.

I can’t begin to tell you how amazing things are developing. It is clear that the world not only understands the need to assist in building healthcare in war-torn regions, but they want to be a part of the change!

I met with Assemblyman Cook on July 2nd to go over the action items he suggested at our last meeting, as well as provide him with a progress report. Thankfully, he again expressed a tremendous amount of support for our program. Legislatures are paid to listen to their constituents, but not only am I not in Assemblyman Cook’s district, but you can tell he has a genuine affinity for OML. He provided me with another list of action items (which Valerie and I began to execute immediately) and we ended our meeting with his signature firm handshake. I do have to mention that I was five minutes early this time around and although there were no tears cascading, a thick fog settled between my lids.

So now we’re racing right along and working around the clock to keep up with the demand. There are no set hours associated with the words “passion” and “global”. Just like any other avenue in life, we’ve hit roadblocks along the way, but the detours introduced us to some alternative routes that might prove to be more fruitful in the end. We’re working on some exciting developments, to which we will continue to keep you in the loop.

In the meantime, I can tell you that the Islamic Society of Orange County is a new proud partner! The Military has requested Medical Books written in Arabic, Farsi and Dari, so they’ll be assisting us in obtaining these books. I have a meeting with Bill Campbell (Orange County Board of Supervisors) on July 30, 2008 to promote OML and a meeting in Sacramento on August 15 with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

This is an amazing time for all of us and we couldn’t do any of it without your support!!! ...Heather Anne Cadarette

USA Pediatrician Donates Nelson's to Iraqi Pediatrician

2008-07-17T17:54:00.000-07:00

Hi my name is Mike Lombardo. I am currently serving in the Balad area, Iraq, as a physician assistant. I have been corresponding with Valerie over the last few months in reference to OML. We have been working to create a permanent medical library at Balad Hospital. Prior to OML, it was merely an almost empty room with shelves.

The Iraqi providers send their thanks and appreciation to all whom had part in making this endeavor a success. I am sending a special thank you from Dr. Riyahd, the head of Pediatrics at the Balad Hospital, who before receiving a brand new copy of Nelson's Pediatrics from OML Coalition Board Member, Dr. Eyla Boies, was using photocopy pages of a 1996 edition of Nelson's as one of his primary sources of medical information.

Thanks again for making a difference in those less fortunate than us. Take care and God Bless, Mike (1 LT) Lombardo

Photo Courtesy of 1LT Michael Lombardo who is pictured with Dr. Riyadh

OML Answers 911 From Air Force "Granny" Chief Nurse Mentor

2008-07-16T11:19:00.000-07:00

Text courtesy of Chief Nurse mentor, Lt.COL Susan Bassett (Barksdale AFB), who teaches ANA (Afghanistan National Army) nurses at the Afghan Army Hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Photo credit: MAJ Randle McBay USAF

Thank you Operation Medical Libraries, on behalf of all these Afghan people, for all your goodwill. I will be on leave for three weeks, but my team will take care of any of these shipments that come in during that time. I am going home to my husband and then we will travel around to see my three kids, their spouses and my 4 wonderful grandchildren. It has been a relatively odd situation to have Granny deployed to the war zone....so the little ones are all anxious to see that I am really still alive and well.

As soon as I get back from leave our pharmacist and I are going to begin an English medical terminology course. I cringe to think how that will go. There is just no way to express how rudimentary it is to try to teach over here. Their style of nursing is approximately 1940's. When we came their only texts were dated around 1916. Every little thing is an obstacle---like I really wanted the nurses to chart vital signs daily....but they had a very difficult time understanding how the graph paper works since there were only five marks, not ten between the whole numbers.

Another interesting fact is that the nurses do NO documentation....meaning even the medications that are given are not written down anywhere; prescription labels are not printed for meds since the soldiers are mostly illiterate--just hash marks for how many pills to take each day. But then, there are no pill bottles either, so they just roll a small piece of newspaper into a cone, put the pills in and then fold the top over and write the hash marks on the outside. Isn't that creative?

Although we are in the middle of a war zone and the fighting in this area is horrendous, the people we deal with every day are absolutely delightful....so chivalrous and thoughtful. They insist on serving me chai at least 4 times a day "because I'm old". Their average length of life is in the early 40's; 1 in 8 women in childbirth die, 1 of every 5 babies will die before reaching school age. It is pretty tough to see such abject third world conditions for such delightful people.

People often ask me how the Afghan nurses (all men) accept me. Some of our younger girls do have some problems with not being really listened to, but I freely talk about my family and I find I get a great deal of respect because of my age....and also my family status....and maybe a little from 33 years in nursing!

This has been a unique and truly rewarding experience. Here are three photographs that I think display prime mentorship---The first photo was taken the other day when the ANA landed its first medivac helicopter to bring patients to the ANA hospital. In the second photo, I was mentoring ANA nurses on bedside nursing care. In the third photo, we were tending to a Code patient (apply defibrillator paddles and shock with electric current).....if you look closely you will see my hand under the Afghan nurse's hand on the paddle so he couldn't do anything until I was truly ready! The Afghans are making wonderous progress!

I am very proud of our blossoming little library, which right now is only two shelving units in the corner of a conference room. There is a really nice table and chairs in the corner as well. With all of the books we are receiving from Operation Medical Libraries, more shelving units will need to be added. I am wondering, does anyone have the little library checkout cards and the pockets that you stick in the books? I brought some myself before, but with all of your generousity and goodness, I no longer have any left. Teaching the Afghans the basics of library procedures is interesting, to say the least.

Another BIG need are SIMPLE books (preschool-5th grade) that I can use to teach English as a second language, such as a child's dictionary with pictures along with the simple words explained. I probably have about 10-15 people who have come to my basic introduction to English kind of classes. I have another 10 or so that are at an intermediate level. We work through interpreters (4 of which are physicians themselves, and 3 are also nurses). The physicians and the physician-interpreters all have fair/moderate understanding of English from their schooling--especially the medical/pharmacological words. The Afghan administration highly supports any efforts to expand their English so we do classes whenever we can.

Do you ever get physical therapy, pharmacology, radiology/ultrasound or dental books/journals. We have all those specialties as well and I would be happy to accept those. Of course, the very best for us are the pictoral type of books/atlas etc. Many of these folks can sound out English words, but they don't know the meanings.

Anything you send, be it medical books or school books/supplies or shoes or clothes, will be met with absolute delight. I have been so pleased at how Americans, if they really think their donations are getting into the hands of the needy, are ready and willing to send things my way. You guys are no exception and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Thank you.
Lt Col Susan Bassett, USAF, NC (stationed in Afghanistan until January 2009 )
ARSIC-S
RCAC/Regional Hospital
APO AE 09355

Prayer Request for Relief during Heat Wave in Iraq

2008-07-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

Prayer Request Sent by Concerned American in Santa Monica, California

Prayer Request

According to the weather reports, temperatures in Iraq are soaring to 122 degrees! Our troops need our prayers for strength, endurance, and safety. If it be God's will, give these men and women the strength they need to prevail. Of all the gifts you could give a US Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Marine & others deployed in harm's way, prayer is the very best one. PLEASE stop for a moment and say a prayer for our troops around the world.

Prayer

Lord, please hold our troops in Your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in this time of conflict. Grant them relief from the extreme weather. Keep them safe, until they can return home to a country that is thankful for their honorable service. Amen.

7-Day High/Low Forecast for Baghdad,Iraq (July 11-17)

Friday: 115ºF/89ºF

Saturday: 117ºF/89ºF

Sunday: 120ºF/90ºF

Monday: 122ºF/91ºF

Tuesday: 122ºF/92ºF

Wednesday: 121ºF/95ºF

Thursday: 120ºF/95ºF

Assistant Dean of Medical Faculty in Mazar-e Sharif Presented with OML Books

2008-07-07T12:29:00.000-07:00

CDR R. Wesley Farr, MC, USN (FS) Chief, Clinical Services Hospital Mentor Team (Camp Mike Spann) visited the Afghanistan National Army Hospital today and presented Dr. M. Zaher Haidari, Assistant Dean of the Medical Faculty of Mazar-e Sharif with a large number of medical textbooks.

Iraqi Doctors Receive Donated Medical Textbooks at Spring Conference

2008-07-05T13:00:00.000-07:00

Two hundred medical textbooks from UCLA MAA Books without Borders (which became Operation Medical Libraries) were prominently displayed and distributed to Iraqi physicians attending the United and Healthy Conference, which dovetailed with the 6th Annual Salah el Din Scientific Conference. Attendees were given the opportunity to browse through the collection and take as many textbooks as they wanted.

The first day of the spring conference focused on health issues. It was attended by physicians and government health officials from four northern Iraqi provinces, as well as the Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Julie Gerberding, the Commanding General of Multinational Division North, Major General Mark Hertling, the WHO Representative to Iraq, Dr. Naeema Al-Gaseer, the Multinational Corps-Iraq senior medical officer, COL (Dr.) Joseph Caravalho, and the Deputy Governor of Health, Dr. Hasan Zain Alabdin Naki.

Event summary and photographs were emailed on April 3, 2008 by Christopher L. Perdue MAJ, MC, FS MND-N Preventive Medicine Officer, stationed at Camp Speicher in Tikrit, Iraq

Herat Hospital Dispenses Words of Wisdom

2008-07-05T12:46:00.000-07:00

"Use your wealth for your health; not your health for your wealth".
Photo credit: LCDR Bruce Deschere stationed in Herat, Afghanistan

U.S. Army Private Comforts Motherless Iraqi Girl

2008-07-04T16:15:00.000-07:00

19 year-old US Army PFC Rachel Winner, 4th Squadron, 6th Air Cavalry Regiment, with a sleeping 4 year-old motherless Iraqi girl.The girl was one of the children attending a pediatric clinic on the base, which for that event was turned into a fairground for the children to enjoy. Photo credit: SPC Jocelyn Egleton

In her own words: There were so many things running through my mind at the time of this photo. She was sleeping so I wanted to make sure she was comfortable. I was worried about what the future held for her. I just wanted to make her happy even if it was only for one day. She is four years old and to my understanding, she lost her mom. By the end of the day, she was following me around and calling me, “Mamma.” I still think about her to this day. I never thought someone so young could have such a huge impact on my life. I am a 19 year-old PFC with no children. I will one day be a mother. I am also looking at adoption from a third world country.

Letter of Support and Appreciation from LCDR Volk in Kabul

2008-07-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

LCDR Bradford Volk, National Military Hospital ETT, Command Surgeon is the mentor to the Surgeon General in Kabul.

CLICK ON LETTER TO VIEW IN FULL SCREEN.

OML Donations Topple Ten Ton Target

2008-07-02T16:32:00.000-07:00

Through the efforts and energies of the U.S. Army, Air Force, and Navy Medical Corps and the U.S. Air Force and Army Nurse Corps, over 10 tons of Operation Medical Libraries (OML) donations have been distributed to classified and unclassified locations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Classified locations cannot be disclosed because some of the towns still have prominent insurgent activity, and there is a need to ensure that the local doctors are not retaliated against. The following unclassified medical facilities have received OML donations:

203rd Corps ANA Regional Hospital (Afghanistan-U.S. Air Force)

345th Combat Support Hospital (Iraq-U.S. Army)

400 Bed Hospital of Herat (Afghanistan-U.S. Navy)

6th Annual Salah el Din Scientific Conference (Iraq-U.S. Army)

Afghanistan National Army Hospital in Gardez (Afghanistan-U.S. Air Force)

Afghanistan National Army Hospital in Mazae Sharif (Afghanistan-U.S. Navy)

Afghanistan National Army Orthopedics (Afghanistan-U.S. Navy)

Balkh Medical School (Afghanistan-U.S. Navy)

Craig Joint Theater Hospital (Afghanistan-U.S Air Force & Army)

FOB Lightning (Afghanistan-U.S. Air Force)

FOB Lagman (Afghanistan-U.S. Air Force)

FOB Sykes (Iraq-U.S. Army)

Herat Regional Military Hospital (Afghanistan-U.S. Navy)

Kabul Medical University (Afghanistan-U.S. Navy)

Kabul Military Hospital (Afghanistan-U.S. Navy)

Kandahar Regional Military Hospital (Afghanistan-U.S. Air Force)

Medical College of Herat (Afghanistan-U.S. Navy)

Mazae Sharif School of Medicine (Afghanistan-U.S. Navy)

Tikrit Teaching Hospital (Iraq-U.S. Army)

Tikrit School of Medicine (Iraq-U.S. Army)

Salah ad Din General Hospital (Iraq-U.S. Army)

Salah ad Din Nursing High School (Iraq-U.S. Army)

Salah ad Din Provincial Drug Warehouse (Iraq-U.S. Army)

Salah ad Din Provincial Health Directorate (Iraq-U.S. Army)

Zabul Provincial Reconstruction Team (Afganistan-U.S. Air Force)

A ton of thanks to all of the Operation Medical Libraries program partners. OML has permission to list the following:

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Golden West College-School of Nursing

Roy Kim , M.D.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Hand and Microvascular Surgery
San Francisco , California

David Marinoff, M.D. '79
High Risk Obstetrics
Berkeley, California

Providence St. Joseph Medical Center (Burbank, California)

University of California at Los Angeles

University of California at Irvine

University of California at San Diego

University of Texas HSC Dental School

West Hills Hospital & Medical Center

AMA Interviews OML for American Medical News

2008-07-02T14:14:00.000-07:00

Interview (written because phone service went out in Herat) of LCDR Bruce Deschere for the American Medical Association’s weekly publication, American Medical News.

I am the physician mentor to Herat Regional Military Hospital in west Afghanistan. Apparently, Books Without Borders, now Operation Medical Libraries, started in 2007 to send donated texts to Iraq medical schools. Through the chain of events, it became clear that the situation for medical schools in Afghanistan was just as bad or worse. During the 6 years of the Taliban, any book with any illustration of any part of the human body was destroyed and even drawings were forbidden. While some medical schools remained open in Afghanistan (e.g., Kabul University), teaching anatomy and clinical skills became quite difficult. Therefore, there is a severe shortage of any printed medical literature. When our embedded training team arrived last September, we noted few texts and most were quite old. The texts they had were either hidden or taken with them when fleeing to neighboring countries. We solicited a few donations from back home on our own, but the OML organized effort has trumped our attempts 50-fold.

LCDR Bradford Volk, National Military ETT, Command Surgeon was the first Navy Medical Corps physician to contact Operation Medical Libraries and request textbooks. After a favorable response and the organization's ability to donate enough materials for more than the capital city of Kabul, LCDR contacted us in the regional hospitals to determine our needs and interest. We have received about 1000 pounds of literature in Herat and will shortly deliver them to the Herat city hospital (2000 visits a day), the maternity hospital (55-60 deliveries a day with mom and baby discharged 2 hours post partum), the eye hospital and the medical school. We will have pictures of the distribution event; date is not firm but we hope next week. These books will be used by premed students, medical students and practitioners alike. Internet access is extremely limited and slow, so that is not yet a viable means of education. Add to that the average per capita income of $500 per year and donated texts seems to be the only practical current option. Women have full access to schooling as well, despite the repressive history of the Taliban; however, the doctors are still overwhelmingly male and most women physicians end up in obstetrics. Still, we see progress even in just 10 months here.

My own story is practicing in the Detroit area of Michigan for 26 years and 15 concurrent years of teaching at the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit. Then I made a career move by volunteering for the Navy in 2006. One year later, I was training for the one year deployment to Afghanistan. I am most gratified to be able to transfer my clinical and teaching expertise, and the docs here are very receptive. It’s a great mission and will do more to stabilize the region than the security forces in the long run.

The photo shows LCDR Bruce Deschere having chai (tea) with one of the Afghan docs at the hospital. Sharing chai is how things get done in Afghanistan.

Greetings from the METT, Herat, Afghanistan

2008-07-01T00:27:00.000-07:00

That's the Medical Embedded Training Team at Camp Stone near Herat in western Afghanistan. Herat is the third largest city in Afghanistan after Kabul and Kandahar. Herat traditionally has been the more peaceful and prosperous part of the country due to its proximity to the more stable country of Iran. The local language is Dari, quite similar to the Iranian Farsi. We arrived summer of 2007 and have mentored the physicians and staff at the Herat Regional Military Hospital. We are enthusiastic supporters of the OML project and are distributing the medical literature to the military hospital, city hospital, maternity hospital, eye hospital and medical school here and in the city of Herat. Thanks to everyone for your support!

LCDR Bruce

Sacramento Bound

2008-06-30T15:37:00.000-07:00

Hello all, Heather Anne here…

I want to start this post by thanking all of you who have taken interest in Operation Medical Libraries. It’s support from friends like you that help to further this wonderful cause! It’s only Monday and the rate to which we have progressed is more than we could have hoped!

On June 11th, I had the fortunate opportunity to meet with Assemblyman Cook, who serves California’s Sixty Fifth District. I decided to contact his Capital Office to schedule an appointment after reviewing his bio. He is a very accomplished man, having served in the military for twenty-six years, to which he received the Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts. As part of the State Assembly, he currently sits on the Budget, Higher Education, and Veterans Affairs Committee. Reading through his qualifications, it seemed like a natural Government resource for Operation Medical Libraries.

Ten minutes prior to our meeting, I was on my way to the Capital by foot when I realized that I was heading in the completely wrong direction. I called his office in a state of panic to let his staff know that I would be about five minutes late. When I hung-up, all I could think was that in military time, five minutes most likely equates to half an our late. I took off my shoes, ran down the street in my nylons, circled through the Capital gardens, went through the metal detector, up the elevator, and over to his office. There I sat drenched from exertion and the blazing heat, with my briefcase and the report I had compiled.

During our meeting, I went over Operation Medical Libraries and explained our need for funding. I didn’t know what to expect, as I was essentially doing a “cold call” face-to-face. Fortunately, I was met with a great deal of support and he stated that he was 100% behind our efforts. Due to the budget crises in California, there’s no possibility of obtaining funding from the state; however, there are other resources, namely Federal/Foundation Grants and private support.

I feverishly wrote down all suggestions, which included creating an Operation Medical Libraries Coalition Board, creating a budget outline, contact the National Guard, Doctor’s Without Borders and create a follow-up report. He created his own checklist, to which I will provide details, once I’m given the official approval. We ended the meeting with a firm handshake and he suggested a follow-up meeting. When you think of how this kind of synergy will affect so many lives, I was overcome by emotion, which resulted in tears cascading down my face the moment I walked out of his office. So for those of you in the Capital Elevator, who saw a sweaty and crying girl that afternoon, this is my justification.

That brings us today. Valerie (UCLA), Brooke (UCSD), and I are preparing for my follow-up meeting on Wednesday back in Sacramento. The Operation Medical Libraries Coalition Board is growing domestically and internationally. We’ve been getting phone calls from the press and various communications’ offices eager to learn more about our program. We’re in the process of applying for Foundation Grants and developing ideas on how to spread the grassroots movement. Our official website will be launched in the fall; in the meantime, we’ll be housed at operationmedicallibraries.blogspot.com.

The collective passion for this cause will surely propel things forward at a rapid pace. I’ll be sure to provide an update after Wednesday’s meeting. Hopefully this time I’ll be on time and a bit more composed in appearance and emotion.

Photos from the Home Front to the Front Lines

2008-06-28T15:26:00.001-07:00

Photobucket Album

Medical Libraries Project Grows by Volumes and Becomes Operation Medical Libraries

2008-06-28T13:10:00.000-07:00

As the creator of UCLA Medical Alumni Association’s Books without Borders, I have had the wonderful good fortune to be a pebble in the pond. The stone that was cast into cyberspace has created ripple effects, which can be felt 11,000 miles away from the Westwood campus. I have had the privilege to work with many of the fine nurses and physicians from all three of the United States military medical corps, who “voluntoured” to leave their family and friends for bases in Afghanistan and Iraq. I am honored by their confidence and enthusiasm that Books without Borders would supply them with donated medical textbooks and journals for their training and transition responsibilities.

After 14 months and over 6 tons of donated medical materials, Books without Borders (BWB) outgrew the limitations of the UCLA Medical Alumni Association. To enable the medical libraries project to continue to grow in scope and significance, a coalition of global supporters banned together and formed Operation Medical Libraries (OML). Like BWB, OML will collect and distribute current medical textbooks and journals through a partnership with American medical/nursing schools, hospitals, and physicians and the United States military for the purpose of fostering the creation of permanent medical libraries and supporting the expansion of existing collections in conflict regions where healthcare education and the practice of medicine are suffering.

Operation Medical Libraries will significantly enhance the initial and continuing medical education of healthcare professionals in communities crippled by the lack of materials. Through its support of everyday healthcare and academic medicine, Operation Medical Libraries will impact the long-term health and welfare of people and ultimately support the development of essential services and human rights in regions torn by conflict. For more information on Operation Medical Libraries, email info@OperationMedicalLibraries.org

Photo Credit: Richard Maddox
Pictured: Commander Christopher Talcott, 2006-08 Chair UCLA Military Sciences and Valerie Walker, Director, UCLA Medical Alumni Association