PARTNERS 4 GLOBAL HEALTH, INC.
PLANTATION, FLORIDA

 Our journey began as "Team Nicaragua Medical Missions" in 2004 under the leadership of Ali Swanson at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Atlanta, GA.  She had been traveling on other medical mission teams for several years ever since she was a physician assistant student at the   city of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, and Ali was asked by the Nicaraguan government to travel to this extremely remote region to provide medical relief.  Here we saw a region desperately in need of assistance as they are very isolated from the main part of the country.  Our team members realized that they could do more to help long term overall differences in healthcare by centering their focus in one region of the country and working to improve access and quality of healthcare in the region of Bluefields, Nicaragua.   This city is in the Southern part of the Caribbean coast and is very difficult to reach.  Travel to this region from the capital requires a 6 hour drive and 2 hour boat ride.  The team has now steadily been working in the Bluefields region since 2010 and the partnerships the team has formed with local doctors and community leaders continue to grow stronger every day.    In 2015 a small group of employees from Roper St. Francis Healthcare, Charleston, SC, expressed the desire to travel with Ali and her team.  Roper St. Francis was excited to discover that in line with the mission statement of   Equipment that was no longer in use or compatible with current systems was identified taking up space in storage spaces and closets throughout the system.  Someone suggested that a non profit in Atlanta called MedShare might be able to help. They refurbish used medical equipment, certify and ship it in containers to  hospitals around the world. The team along with Roper St. Francis’ support decided to sponsor and fill a 40 ft container with medical equipment and supplies. Over the course of a year, the team was able to raise $25,000 to sponsor the container.   On June 22, 2017 Ali was able to accompany the container on a 12 hours drive across the country and deliver it to the people of Bluefields Hospital.  In this container there were 15 hospital beds, baby cribs, baby exam stations, an ultrasound unit, EKG machines, vital sign monitors, and a complete Endoscopy system just to name a few of the things they received.  The hospital staff and health administrators met her with great anticipation as the equipment arrived.  The national television stations were there to capture the moment and relay it to the people of Nicaragua.     Roper St Francis physicians and staff members have discussed plans to travel to Nicaragua in order to offer their skills in the hospital and surrounding area.  Many have also expressed an interest in hosting Nicaraguan physicians in the USA for additional training opportunities.  We are committed to sustainably improving the level of healthcare for the people of the region of Bluefields, Nicaragua.   Partners 4 Global Health, Inc. Medical Mission Trips to rural communities in developing countries are the backbone of our mission and serve many purposes. We reach the under served in hard to reach places that often are only accessible by boat. Here we work with local authorities and perform educational, preventive and basic medical services. Frequently our teams identify patients needing follow-up care that are referred to local services or hospitals.