Tuesday, July 31, 2012

First Day Medical Experience

Good morning.. today is our second day of work on Montserrat. Yesterday, Dr. Scobie performed 17 echocardiagrams on patients. While most results showed evidence of hypertension, there were some that showed great need for further medical attention. "It was very gratifying to perform good quality echos on people who needed them. People were not only grateful and thankful for this service, they were most interest in learning about what their results. We had a great first day!" This message was posted by Dr. Janice Scobie, Cardiologist, Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Monday, July 30, 2012

St. Patrick's........Island Church

Pictures of the Countryside

Today is the first day to see patients.  Drs Fergus, Scobie and Sumner will spend their day seeing about 30 patients for echos, ekgs and exams.  But first, they will test out the island equipment to familarize themselves with the equipment and to set standarized protocols.  . Having not just one, but having two more cardiologists on this health mission, will extend the great care we are able to provide. Dr. Fergus, who is the lead physician, will see the patients, many for a second time, in two years.  Drs. Scobie and Sumner will run the Echos and will assist in the interpretation of results.  Dr. Sumner, who has been practicing medicine for over thirty years, is also an engineer, so we are hopeful that if there is an equipment malfunction, Dr. Sumner will be able to work through that challenge.

Yesterday, the team attended mass at St. Patrick's church. The congregation welcomed our team and gave blessings to our work.  The music was an amazing blend of carribean and traditional religious hymn that echoed through the countryside.


Monday, July 23, 2012

Dear Colleagues;

We are about to embark on our second medical mission this Saturday, July 28th, 2012. Thanks to Dr. Sharma for providing the funds to make this possible. The mission is now registered as part of the Mount Sinai Global Health Initiative, thanks Dr. Landrigan. I would like to thank Dr. Anne Sumner from the NIH and Drs Bonnie Green and Priscilla Dass Bailsford from Georgetown University for their assistance in creating a wonderful post traumatic stress tool to be used as part of our community outreach. Thanks to Drs Fuster, Narula and Landrigan for their guidance and support. I know Dr Narula really wanted to come but due to obligations at Sinai he couldn't.

The team will consist of Drs Janice Scobie, Jon Sumner, Nancy Thomas, Gilda Caputo Hansen and myself.

We arrive Saturday late evening with the final leg of the trip being a ferry ride from Antigua to Montserrat.

On Sunday, July 29th - members of the team will attend religious services on the island, we will then have lunch at Olvestion House ( former home of Sir Elton John) and debrief for our week ahead.

Monday  and Tuesday, July 30th and 31st - I will begin seeing patients at the hospital, there are 30 follow up patients. Echo scans will be performed by Janice and Jon. Nancy and Gilda will go around the island, adminstering the questionnaires and checking blood pressures.

Wednesday, August 1st - The same activities will occur until Mid day. Then we will host a mini symposium geared towards education of lay people and primary practitioners about Cardiometabolic risk factors. Questionnaires and screening will occur at this venue as well. There are 200 invited guests.

Thursday, August 2nd - There will be a helicopter tour around the island including to the peak of the volcano, for those brave enough to venture on this trip. This will be followed by a jeep tour around the island. The after will be spent with government and health officials where we will be informed of the current health situation on the island and plans for the future.

Friday, August 3rd -  will be a repeat of Monday and Tuesday; there will be local entertainment for the team in the evening.

Saturday, August 4th, will be a day of relaxation and a visit to a carnival in "Cudjoe Head".

Sunday, August 5th -  we return home.

Please visit the blog at www.ashoutreach.blogspot.com<http://www.ashoutreach.blogspot.com> for further details and a day to day update when we are there.


Warmest regards

Icy Fergus

Friday, July 20, 2012

Montserrat Hearts 2012

It's Friday, July 20, 2012 and we are 8 days and counting until we leave on our second annual Heart Mission to Montserrat.  In 2011, our team started with Dr. Icilma Fergus, Nancy Thomas, and Gilda Caputo-Hansen.  We have now grown by two; Dr. Janice Scobie and Dr. Jon Sumner will be joining us on our expedition to Montserrat.  They are both cardiologists and will be a great addition.

This year, we will see patients in the hospital, and on Wednesday, August 1, 2012,  we will present
 "Cardio Medabolic Risk Factors: What we need to Know
 to the medical professionals and the public at an educational symposium held at the Montserrat Cultural Center.  We will cover topics including Hypertension, Diabetes and Coronary Artery Disease.  We will also screen blood pressures an hour before and after the session.

Throughout the week, Nancy Thomas and I will  once again travel the island to take blood pressures at several locations including:  the Lookout Community Centre, Old Salem Primary School, Nadine's Grocery, Old St. Peter's School, the Old Police Station in Cudjoe Head.  The final major health screening will be held in the Montserrat Governmental Headquarters Building.

We will record data about the participant's cardiovascular wellness, as well as data that deals with the emotional effects the volcanic eruption had on their lives.

What will we find? Higher rates of hypertension and diabetes than we saw last year?  Will we see a dramatic drop?  Will there be any significant changes?

We are looking forward to our week on this mission to discover the answers to these questions.

Montserrat Hearts 2012  

Stay tuned for our daily reports and updates.
Author - Gilda Caputo-Hansen
Director, Hypertension Community Outreach
American Society of Hypertension, Inc.