COMMUNITY NEWS 16 The Ramsay Way 2016 | 04 Joondalup Health Campus team complete Australian-first Honduras Operation Walk For the first time an Australian team has joined with world-renowned Operation Walk for an invaluable humanitarian trip to the central American country Honduras, providing free surgical treatment for patients in the developing nation. Operation Walk is a private, not-for-profit volunteer medical services organisation and the surgical team with personnel from California, Pennsylvania, Florida and Australia delivered 46 lower limb joint replacements for 33 patients in just seven days in October. The Operation Walk team also provided education while at Bandana Hospital in San Pedro Sula for orthopaedic surgeons, nurses, physical therapists and other healthcare professionals on the most advanced treatments and surgical techniques for diseases of the hip and knee joints. Joondalup Health Campus (JHC) staff who helped to deliver the life-changing surgeries included orthopaedic surgeon Arash Taheri; scrub nurses Marion Graeber and Perina Mohlmann; anaesthetist Jesco Kompardt and former JHC orthopaedic trainee Taro Tokamoto. According to Arash the team felt great camaraderie with their colleagues from the USA straight away; all intent on delivering a month’s worth of work in the seven day period. “The operations are life-changing for the people here and it was an amazing feeling to be able to play a part in making their lives more comfortable and productive,” said Arash. “We hope that conducting the local surgeries along with supporting the Honduras hospital staff with education will help create a lasting contribution to patient care in this developing country.” Arash connected with the international organisation through his fellowship links with Operation Walk founder Larry Dorr, a pioneer and leader in joint replacement surgery in the USA. Operation Walk Co-ordinator Jeri Ward was delighted with the expertise and assistance of the JHC team: “AWESOME Aussie team,” he said. “They did a great job and you should all be very proud of them. They were so wonderful to work with-open, enthusiastic, and ready to help. It was great to work with them.” In 20 years, Operation Walk teams have made 100 trips to 20 countries to provide surgery for more than 10,000 people. Ramsay’s Melbourne office supports Movember Nathan Kegele is one of our Accounts Payable Officers with Ramsay Pharmacy in our Melbourne office – for the past 10 years Nathan Kegele has been a devoted participant of the “Movember” campaign, and during that time has raised over an amazing $13,000, to help raise awareness for Prostate Cancer research and Beyond Blue charities. This year, he again enthusiastically began his crusade for an inspiring “mo”, and his dedication to the great cause motivated those around him. So much so, that other Melbourne staff found a way to support him, with their own versions of Nathan’s moustache. Congratulations and well done Nathan for an outstanding contribution to this worthy and important cause for men’s health. DUDLEY STAFF HELP DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SUFFERERS AT CHRISTMAS Dudley Private Hospital theatre staff were looking for a different charity to donate to this Christmas. Share the Dignity are running a campaign called “It’s in the bag this Christmas” designed to make women, who suffer from domestic violence or other crises, feel special at Christmas. The staff pitched together to donate 22 handbags full of beauty products; books; chocolates and other items to make a woman feel special. Whilst we are all looking forward to the festive season, a time to share with family and friends, its also nice to be able to do something for someone else in need. DIGNITY IS IN THE BAG AT KAREENA The team of staff from the Maternity ward at Kareena Private have collected almost 50 hand bags filled with essentials and special gifts for women experiencing hardship this Christmas. The Share The Dignity charity was established when one woman realised that some women suffer the indignity during their period of not being able to afford sanitary products, having to bathe in public toilets, and use paper towel and newspaper instead of using feminine hygiene products as they are unable to afford them. They now have a twice a year collection of these items which they are able to donate to women most in need. At Christmas they also realised that it is inherent in women’s nature to give to their children and often their partners, to make Christmas a special time, with little or no financial resources. They wanted to ensure that all women receive a gift, hence the birth of the’ It’s in the Bag’ project. The women they support are marginalised, from impoverished or abusive backgrounds, or homeless. They asked people to donate a bag they no longer wanted or needed, and fill it with toiletries, sanitary items, hair and body products – anything that would make a woman feel good. The annual campaign collected hand bags for two weeks and in total received 47,835 bags nationally filled with items to make women feel special. Deb Harmer, Special Care Nursery Midwife said she was amazed by the staffs support for the program. “This year in lieu of Kris Kringle gifts to each other, we decided we would support a women’s charity, Share The Dignity. The amazing team on Matson (Maternity Ward) embraced the idea whole heartedly. The girls were amazingly generous and collectively donated almost 50 handbags filled with lots of goodies for women, which have been delivered to our local collection point." L-R: JHC anaesthetist Jesco Kompardt, USA student volunteer, JHC scrub nurse Pierina Mohlmann, JHC orthopaedic surgeon Arash Taheri, JHC scrub nurse Marion Greber & another USA student volunteer.
The Ramsay Way - 2016 Christmas Edition
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