September 2, 2019 – Paying it forward and doing good are two benefit mindset principles. I want to share how Christine Reid, BSN, RN, CEN, emergency department educator, applied a benefit mindset when she went to Kenya on a medical mission trip this year with Kenya Relief.
In Kenya, HIV is still prevalent and many parents either die of HIV or are killed by violence. This leaves many children to fend for themselves. Kenya Relief provides an orphanage where 220 children can live, learn at the school, and receive medical care.
During Christine’s time in Kenya the international team of health care providers performed 82 operations in two days and provided health care to 372 nationals. Many times, the electricity would go out and the operating room (OR) team would switch to a hand-cranked generator to complete the surgeries. All the OR equipment is donated by the United States through nurses and physicians look for ways to improve patient safety.
One dilemma is how to keep patients warm before surgery because hypothermia leads to poor patient outcomes. A nurse from the U.S. began to collect socks to place on patient’s feet in the preop area to prewarm the patients. As a result, there were no hypothermic patients during the two days of surgery!
We are grateful for our team members who choose to give their time to help others and especially to Christine, who traveled over 38 hours to help the Kenyan orphans!
— Janet Leatherwood, CNO
Maria Gordon says
You are a TRUE LEADER by example, our hats off to you and the rest of your team. I was personally in awe watching your presentation. God bless you and your team for this outstanding and selfless act of kindness.