(PORTLAND, ORE -- Oct. 21, 2005) This weekend, Northwest Medical Teams sends three medical volunteers to Afghanistan. The team will continue critically-needed medical training and care first began by our volunteers four years ago in the region.
Carol Reves, a volunteer nurse practitioner from Hillsboro, Ore., will work in a health clinic south of Kabul , caring for impoverished families who have little access to medical help.
This is Reves' first trip with Northwest Medical Teams. She is employed by the Multnomah County Health Department. The team also includes Mai Alyschild, a psychiatric nurse from Portland and an Arizona nurse practitioner. Alyschild will volunteer for three months in the country.
"While Afghanistan is rebuilding, many Afghan families continue to suffer," says Bas Vanderzalm, president of Northwest Medical Teams. "Our volunteers will bring hope and healing to many who would otherwise not receive any help. These volunteers will also train local healthcare workers who will continue this work long after our volunteers return home."
Two additional volunteer nurses from Alaska leave for Afghanistan in early November. They will provide OB/GYN medical care and training at CURE International Hospital in Kabul . The five volunteers will also bring medical supplies.
Northwest Medical Teams first began working in Afghanistan in November 2001 when it sent volunteer teams to care for families fleeing the Taliban in Mazar-e-Sharif. Medical volunteers also trained local healthcare workers in current medical practices. More than $2.3 million in medical supplies has been sent to the country, including $1.5 million this year alone.
Contact:
Barbara Agnew
503-624-1022 (office)
503-341-6620 (cell)
bagnew@nwmti.org (email)