Monrovia – The Liberian Nurses Association-DFW (LNA-DFW), a non-profit, non-government organization, based in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas continue to come to the aid of needy medical institutions in Liberia. This week, a delegation from the United States of America met authorities of the Ministry of Health (MoH) to assess the Association’s work at the Pipeline Health Center (PHC) and work with PHC to provide basic training and hands-on patient care.
Mrs. Carolyn Woahloe, the organization’s Founder/President, told FrontPageAfrica that the delegation also visited various healthcare facilities as an avenue to render assistance as appropriate.
“We brought a 40-foot container of medical supplies and equipment, negotiated by LNA-DFW from the Brothers and Brothers Foundation in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, USA ad we made donation to the Pipeline Health Center.”
Woahloe says the team also brought a large suitcase full of “Over the counter” medications that was distributed to Pipeline and Esther & Jeredine Medical Center. on Jan. 16, 2020.
She explained that the LNA-DFW also distributed a 40 foot of medical supplies/equipment to Pipeline and various healthcare facilities in and out of Montserrado County.
Woahloe, a Registered nurse, holds a bachelor’s of science degree in nursing (BSN, RN). She is also aspiring to become an Advanced nursing practitioner in Adult/Gerontology-primary care. She was accompanied to Liberia by Mrs. Lorraine Grisby, BSN, RN.
Woahloe says the container presented contained standard/surgical gloves, bandages, 4×4 gauze, spinal needles, regular needles, Foley catheters, syringes, blood pressure cuff, anesthesia machine, neonatal incubators, surgical tables, blood bank refrigerators, bedside tables, medicine cabinets, dental chairs, examination chairs, office chairs, among others.
Established in 2014, the Liberian Nurses Association-DFW (LNA-DFW), has been working with Redemption Hospital since 2014 during the Ebola outbreak.
Mrs. Woahloe says the organization has also collaborated with DFW community and a 40-ft container of medical supplies was sent to ELWA hospital during the administration of Mr. Stanley Gaye.
Since then, she explains the organization has been independently working. “We promote health awareness, preventative measures and provide flu vaccines every year to our DFW community. We have been shipping medical supplies to Redemption since 2015 and Pipeline Health Center (PHC) since 2018. We launched “Infection Control Liberia” at Redemption Hospital in 2016 and 2017 they came 2nd place for clean/sanitary environmental by the WASH. We have also been providing basic in-services to the nursing staff as appropriate.”
This year, she says, the organization’s goal and vision is to focus more on the Health care centers instead of the bigger hospitals like Redemption, JFK, etc because those hospitals already receive hefty donations from international donors/partners. “We believe we can make a bigger impact in these less fortunate communities, healthcare centers; but that doesn’t mean that we will not give these facilities equipment or supplies when necessary.”
Mrs. Woahloe says the organization envisions providing education and improving the look of the health care centers such as painting, renovation and expansion if the need arises and is affordable.
The organization she says will also provide the basic medical supplies/equipment and medications to enable the staff to provide quality care to their patients. “We believe “a healthy community, produces healthy people”. As much as the needs of these HC centers are many, we are not and will not be able to totally eradicate the healthcare crisis in Liberia, but if the facilities we adopt can assure us that there will be accountable, transparency and sustainable strategies put in place to maintain and take care of these supplies we are giving them; and are also willing to work with us to the full capacity, we will have a greater impact on our health care system here in Liberia.”
The organization is meanwhile appealing to health authorities in Liberia to put into place structures and systems that will enable health care professionals to provide quality healthcare to the people.
This she says is key for the survival of healthcare social/economic, education, physical environment, genetics and health. Due to the poor sanitary conditions of some of the facilities and the lack of resources, Woahloe says the medical staff are unable to provide quality care to their patients. “Some of the basic needs and request from the six healthcare facilities we visited were gloves, gloves, and basic sanitary supplies.”
Woahloe says if those facilities are well-funded by government and healthcare made a priority, quality care and better patient outcome will be achieved. “We as individuals and medical professions must also do everything within our power to work effectively, positively, constructively with the government thru the MoH in implementing these policies and procedures and keeping the environment clean. When it comes to our health, it’s not one person’s burden or responsibility, it’s not about politics or political affiliations, it will take a collaborative effort to ensure our people are healthy.”
The organization has meanwhile extended appreciation to its partners/donors including Brothers & Brothers Foundation in the USA, Mr. Dominic Rennie and his staff at PHC, Mr. Simeon Smith, Pst. Peter Breeze, Ministry of Health-Liberia (Dr. Yatta S. Wapoe-CHO-Mont., Mrs. Norwu Howard-DMA, Mrs. Tarloh Quinwonkpa-CNO-midwifery), Ceebee Barshell-Rep-Dist. 3 and Rep. Acarous Moses Gray(Dist. 8), for welcoming the team in the various districts.