We need your help! Please take a few minutes to read about an amazing medical
trip that touches the lives of many poor people of Honduras who have no medical
or dental care except for our once a year trip to their villages.

Right now IHS (International Health Services) is in dire need of several
doctors. We can also use nurses, one more surgeon, plus others to go on a 2
week medical mission trip to Honduras. It is a large undertaking with 10 or
more medical clinic and surgical teams planned for the 16 Feb to 4 March, 2007
trip. We hope to have 7 or 8 medical and dental clinic teams plus about 2 eye
glasses and hopefully 2 surgical teams planned. This means about 100 people
will go counting all the support and worker people who go also (many spouses and
friends go in this way). We have done this for 25 years so we have all the
logistics planned to include a container shipment to send clinic & surgical
supplies, meds, and personal items ahead of time.

How many teams of each type we will have totally depends on how many people
sign up and what their profession is. We do the sign ups early so that a small
group can go to Honduras the end of October and line up the team locations based
on who has signed up. We have had a fairly good turn out so far for clinic
workers. However, I only know of one surgeon signed up and only a few doctors
and nurses. Our purpose is to go to the poor remote locations of Honduras where
there are no medical or dental services for the local people. It would be a sad
thing if a team did not go to a very needy village simply because we lacked one
person to complete a team.

FYI, our typical clinic team will have one or two docs, an RN and one other
nurse or EMT, a pharmacist, a dentist (usually), one or two Spanish translators,
an engineer, a radio operator, and several helpers. It is a well rounded team
and this also helps when a spouse or friend wants to be on the same team (note
our application has a place to note your desire to be on a team with some one
else). A parent can take a MATURE son or daughter also if they are able to be a
productive member of the team. Surgical teams vary depending on what staff is
at the hospital we go to. Typically, we like to send our own surgeons, OR
nurses, anesthetists, and a translator. Sometimes, we get several surgical
people who know each other and they can go as a group. Some clinic teams may go
to very primitive villages because that is where the most need is. Obviously,
we need to send surgical teams to facilities where they can properly and safely
do their work so they will be in a more
modern setting but close to where they can support our clinic teams with
referrals.

This is very urgent because we need to know quite soon who is able to go. On
the 19th of October, a small planning team will take the list of names (&
skills) of those going and they will actually travel to Honduras and assign the
actual sites based on that list. They will also work with the Honduran
government (& Salud) to plan the best places. Unlike many organizations who go
and do this work, we do not just “show up” we actually plan with the Hondurans
on where best to go. So, if this is even a possibility for you, please start
with a call to me or one of our Directors so we can help you to get information.

There are several other IHS Directors for each of the professions who go who
can answer more technical questions about clinic work, surgical work or anything
of that nature. So let me know if you have questions in that regard, as well.
Below is a much longer info letter that gives a lot of good info about the
mission and it will help you see if this is something right for you to do. It
was written a while back and sent to a radio operator but it has a lot of good
info for all to read. Note that we do have a tiny web site with GENERAL info:
www.IHSOFMN.org

Call me any time or write back. A call is best so I can fill you in on basic
expenses and the variety of work conditions we encounter. Ph 320-634-4386

I and the needy of Honduras thank you for your interest in this very rewarding
work! Karen and I signed up to go and are looking forward to meeting all the
new folks going this time!!


Best regards,
John Kirckof
JMKKEK@...
Phone: 320-634-4386
IHS Board of Directors

PS- Our most dire need is for Spanish translators. If you can help us find
one or two, I will buy you a Grape Uba when we get to LaCeiba !

******************************
Info letter about IHS (International Health Services)

- the first part of this letter was originally written several years ago for a
radio guy but it is still very applicable and informative, so I still use it to
give people an idea of the mission.

Since we finished our most recent medical mission to Honduras the end of
February, many amazing events are still fresh in our minds! Paul, K9PEP, was
our radio net controller and once again he was in the thick of things. We had a
medical emergency where several ham radio operators helped to get a severe burn
patient out of the remote village of Auka and into a burn center in Tegucigalpa.
That was in the middle of seeing the thousands of patients we see on a ‘normal’
basis.

This year Bill, N4JPG, and I were providing radio and engineering support for
a medical and dental team in the remote village of Uhi. We set up an Icom
IC-706 radio for HF voice communications on the 40 meters band plus pactor
messages and e-mails via a laptop and Kamtronics controller. I also connected a
Ringo Ranger antenna for 2 meter ops to other nearby IHS village teams and
Puerto Lempira. We got up and running just in time for patient referrals and
other critical messages. One of the first mornings a woman showed up in a
wheelbarrow because she could not walk on her own. This is not surprising since
there are no roads or vehicles in this village. We did not have any adaptive
devices on hand, so Jim, our doctor, advised her to return the following week.
We called in on the 2 meter radio to see if a walker could be brought by our
small airplane. When the woman came back several days later, we had a walker
waiting for her. We cleared out the waiting room and
waited to witness this great event. Dr. Jim helped her out of the wheelbarrow
and tremendous joy spread over her face and all of ours as she began to walk!!
It was the greatest feeling in the world knowing that we made a big difference
in her life.

Another time, a girl about 9 years old was brought into the clinic with a
fever of 104 and was shaking terribly. She had been vomiting, had a poor
appetite, and was not drinking anything. We immediately sprung into action, with
Dr. Jim making a consult radio call to another IHS team doctor in another
village. Dr. Jim determined she had malaria. Jack, our pharmacist, gave the
young girl a combination of chloroquine and primidone for the malaria. She was
given liquid Tylenol and placed in a back room with cool wet towels to reduce
her fever. Dr. Jim also started an IV to keep the girl well hydrated. In a few
hours she was improving. The next day we made a house call to the hut she lived
in and she was amazingly better. Her fever had gone down, she was drinking
water, and even eating a little. It is a good thing we can take chloroquine as
a preventative. I would never want to get malaria like she had it.

About the same time we saw the girl with malaria, we also had a middle-aged
woman come to the clinic with a deep cut on her forehead. She said it was from
a large stick but it looked more like a machete cut to us. Dr. Jim did a great
job of cleaning the wound and stitching her up but the lady must have been tough
as nails. She hardly flinched through the entire procedure.

Manuel was our team dentist. He is from LaCeiba, Honduras and has come with
our Uhi team for 3 years now, due to our shortage of U.S. dentists signing up.
He did great, pulling many teeth during our 10 days of work in the village.
That is about all he had time to do since there is no dental care available in
the village. The one village nurse (who is the entire medical care for the
village) has her hands full delivering babies and all the other medical care
needed. I also ended up being Manuel’s dental assistant when a squirming kid
needed to be held still and to help sterilize his equipment. The kids had no
idea what was happening when Manuel came with the lidocaine needle.
Occasionally, some teams may do fillings when time permits. This year we even
had a dentist who made fillings on the Yocon team.

We also had a young lady show up with her baby that was about a month old.
The baby was not feeding properly, causing malnourishment and was in very grave
condition. Bill immediately got on the radio and again talked to Jaime, AA5R,
our radio operator in Puerto Lempira to send the small airplane to get our
patient. Within a couple hours we had the mother and the struggling baby flown
to the hospital where she now has a chance at life. A special thanks goes to
Ruth our translator. She did a ton of good work to talk with the locals and to
help get the babies condition identified. Thanks Ruth !

By the end of the mission, we had flown about 10 referral surgery patients
from Uhi to Puerto Lempira to see Dr. Tim, our surgeon with the IHS surgical
team there. Other IHS village teams did the same. It is a good thing we have a
small plane available to do this and radios to make it happen. Dr.Tim performed
many surgeries while he was there and no doubt saved lives. That makes our
medical care in that part of Honduras able to handle most anything that we see
from simple cuts to important surgical care.

…..I could go on and on with stories of our daily work but I must also tell
you about International Health Services, the great organization that makes all
this possible…..

Are you interested in volunteer medical work or translating for a team? Are
you looking for a worthy place to give support or to donate medical or radio
gear? If you are considering any of these, you certainly have come to the right
place. Joining our next mission next February is easier than you think. We are
always in dire need for translators, dentists, doctors, nurses, anesthetists,
and pharmacists… anyone with medical skills. We also need radio folks plus
engineers and helpers. Please consider this.

Obviously, this is an important decision for anyone who is considering going
and I want to give you as much info as needed so you can make an informed
decision. I have one warning, for most who go it is something you get hooked
on. Of those who sign up each year, over half are repeat team members. Some
will bring along friends, spouse, and mature sons and daughters. I have gone to
Honduras a dozen times and another trip is planned. In the past I have taken my
wife, my brother, two of my nieces, a teen-age Spanish student, and friends.
IHS has been doing this for about 25 years so we are very organized and have
many trusted friends in Honduras to help us. That helps so there are not a lot
of unpleasant surprises along the way (relatively speaking). Since Honduras is
the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, nobody fights over that country.
So, it is very stable and safe, even when I get out into the local villages.

What we do... about 100 volunteers will go to Honduras the last two weeks of
February. We usually have 2 surgery teams and about 6 or 7 medical/dental
clinics. In addition, we usually send 1 or 2 eyeglasses clinics. We would have
more teams if enough people signed up. The village clinic teams typically have
one or two doctors, one or two nurses, a pharmacist, a dentist, sometimes a
dental assistant, a ham radio operator, an engineer, 1 or 2 translators, and 2
or 3 general helpers. Depending on the qualifications of those who apply,
sometimes a person may do two positions. I am a ham radio operator but I
usually do the engineer job and some general helper tasks as well. The engineer
work is just a basic task of keeping the small generator going and other basic
handy-man tasks. In that capacity I have repaired many things including door
handles, installed shower curtains, put up a clothes lines, repaired LP
cooksets, and other basic fix-it tasks besides keeping my own
gear in good repair. For the general helpers and others there is a LOT of
miscellaneous work to do to assist the doctors, dentists, and pharmacists to
keep them going in a busy day. So, if you have someone who wants to go with you
(spouse/friend) they can usually fit on to the same team as you. Once we get to
a village, we all tend to share the work so we all get a hand in doing many
different things. Each village is different but generally we will have a
medical clinic open for 9 or 10 full days plus at most sites we will also have a
dental clinic. Most years we will also have two surgery sites. At those
locations we will have one or two surgeons, two O.R. nurses, an anesthetist, a
radio person, one or two general helpers and in some locations, an engineer.
For radio operators plus the doctors, nurses, and other medical folks, we do
need to have copies of licenses in advance to give to officials in Honduras to
get everyone certified for operations there. Normally,
copies get sent in with applications and when the October logistics team
travels to LaCeiba, Honduras, all the papers are filed. That is good, all we do
is turn in the paperwork and the rest is taken care of.

Where do we go... we have a variety of locations throughout Honduras. On teh
application, you can request a certain area to go to. We have a couple
medical/dental clinic teams that go to the mountain areas of central Honduras.
There, it is semi-modern (relatively speaking) usually with local electricity
available some of the day. Other clinic teams are in small remote villages in
the eastern ‘LaMosquitia’ region where there are very few roads and no phones or
local electricity. In these places we bring our own generator and a radio for
communications. We do use a few trucks and buses but our transportation is
mostly by large and small airplanes. The Wings of Hope and other organizations
donate the use of their small planes during the days of our mission. Because of
this, we can bring all the supplies we need such as our food, gear, personal
items, and medical supplies. We have been doing this for 25 years so we have a
good idea what we need. We send out a
detailed Orientation Manual to give you a lot of detailed info including what
IHS provides each team.

Radio operations… while each of us are with our team in a village we mostly
use basic HF voice operations on 40 meters to contact our local net three times
a day. We will also have e-mail capability in most of the villages through our
radio. We will use the e-mail for IHS work and for personal e-mails back home
to family and friends. IHS has a 2 Icom IC-706 transceivers plus all the needed
antennas, power supplies, and miscellaneous gear. Since about 8 or 9 sites
require a radio, most operators choose to bring their own HF transceiver along.
We try to keep the amount of gear that has to be brought with us from the U.S.
to a minimum but still enough to handle all our needs. Each team will get a
Comm box issued to them that has all the basic radio gear needed for HF voice
ops except the transceiver. We also provide generators to team sites that will
need them. Each team will also get an Engineering box which is stocked with
many common hand tools plus commonly
needed supplies of nails, wire, rope, extension cords, water purifier kit, and
the like.

A typical day has the radio voice net operate once in the morning, once at
noon and once around 5:00 p.m. to pass along general info on how the team is
doing and to receive news and information from our net control. Our village
teams also use the radio to call for the small plane when we get a very serious
patient that needs to get to our surgery site. In between those three net
times, radio operators will help out others in doing whatever needs to be done.
Since we talk on the radio just to other IHS teams, knowing Spanish is not
necessary for the radio part of the work. If you do know some Spanish, that is
nice for doing some of the other helper work. This past year we had many teams
with two radio operators. One ‘officially’ was designated as the radio operator
and the other was assigned as the team engineer who basically does a lot of
handy man work.

In some ways the radio work has similarities to ‘Field Day’ and from this
perspective we will put a less experienced person on a team with someone with a
lot of HF voice expertise (when we have more radio people apply then the number
of teams that need them). The past few years nearly all the teams also brought
some Pactor gear and they were able to send and receive e-mail messages for all
their team members. That helped us stay in touch with families back home. It
even helped when there was a medical emergency back in the U.S. Our net control
in LaCeiba has daily radio and telephone contact with the U.S. but for team
members in a village, getting and sending e-mails a few times sure is nice when
you are away from home. We have a lot of interest in ham folks signing up to go
but we do try to get at least one ham with Pactor e-mail/messaging capability on
each team and they usually get assigned the team radio operator position.

Giving support... this can be done easily and fills a vital need of support
for our mission. Many folks realize the true value of the work we do.
Unfortunately, some can not actually go, so they help out those that can in
several ways. Whether it is financial support or vitally needed donated
equipment, you can contact us at the addresses at the bottom of this letter. I
also have an official address for you to send financial support to. All
appropriate medical and radio gear can be sent to IHS but call or write me first
to see where is best. For radio gear, we are mostly in need of laptops, portable
HF transceivers, and pactor controllers (SCS pactor III preferred) and we sure
can use a lot of other support items as well. Since we are a bonafied charitable
organization, all donations are tax deductible and donators will get a nice
thank you letter with the official tax deduction information. More importantly,
you will be helping your fellow medical and radio folks to
give quality medical and dental care to people who desperately need it and
appreciate it. Just check out their smiling faces on the web site or CD
mentioned below.

Costs... the project fee is about $550 ($500 for early signups). This is
actually a bargain since this is about half of the total average cost to send
someone. With that fee, and many large and small donations from organizations
and friends, we are able to take care of nearly all of your basic needs for the
entire two weeks you are on the mission. It also helps us to buy needed medical
and pharmacy supplies. It is only logical to bring the necessary medications to
treat what the doctors find with the patients they see. On the average, each of
the clinic teams will receive over $4500 in medical supplies. From that project
fee, you receive a lot. From the time you arrive in LaCeiba, all food,
transportation, and basic housing are taken care of. When in small villages, it
is obviously NOT in a Raddison Hotel but it is in a clean facility of some type.
For example, many choose to stay with a host family while we are in LaCeiba.
They are VERY nice homes and are close
to the Hotel Paris, our headquarters and radio net control for the mission.
The other expense for the mission is transportation from our homes in the U.S
(or wherever you live), to LaCeiba, Honduras and return. Some people choose to
make their own plans because there are many great sites to see and places to go
before or after the mission. Diving or checking the beach on Roatan Island,
visiting the Copan Mayan ruins, visiting a rain forest park, white water
rafting, sightseeing in the mountains, or just shopping for bargains are some
things people do. 75% of the IHS people do some little venture, usually after
the mission. We do have a group travel plan that has various arrival and
departure dates to accommodate some of these side adventures. It goes from
Minneapolis through Houston to San Pedro Sula, Honduras and return and was
about $575 for my flights on Continental Airlines. Donna Bench, our agent, can
also connect other cities through Houston. Also note that
flights to San Pedro Sula can go on Delta via Miami and on American via Miami
so you have some options. Karen and I lived in England for four years and did a
lot of travelling, but I can honestly say, this is the best two week trip we
ever had for the price, even though it is work.

What is happening right now. We are actively seeking applications right now.
We want to have all applications for a February mission by mid September due to
our need to collect names of applicants and then complete a roster of team
assignments before our October planning leaves for Honduras. From that schedule
many things get done prior to February on a time line that is important to get
all our gear, supplies, and participants to Honduras and get everyone well
informed on the mission. Later applications get accepted, too, but then it is
to fill in spots on teams if they still need people. Besides our need for
experienced medical folks and radio operators, we are currently looking for
medical and radio equipment. With a very tight budget, we can not afford to
purchase a lot of new and expensive gear yet we do want to provide good team
support.

When to apply…. We receive the bulk of our applications in July through
September for a February mission although a person can apply anytime before then
if they know they will be available. After September, applications will get
taken to fill empty team positions. Actually, we prefer early applications so
we can pass on a lot of information. We also want to work with people to get
them up to speed on our particular routine of doing things and getting them
familiar with specific places and such. Each place has a unique work situation
and good preparation makes for a great mission with few surprises… there are no
Radio Shack or other stores in those remote villages! Each village has its own
unique medical needs as well. On the application form, there is a place where
you can put down the names of someone you may want to be on a team with. So,
you need to fill that in if you want to be with someone you know. Getting
assigned to one of the many teams mostly depends on
how well qualified you are to handle the job you are applying for. Most people
who contact me about radio jobs will put on their application that they are
willing to be a radio operator or an engineer or a general helper. Applying for
all positions a person is qualified helps if certain jobs are filled early. For
example, this past mission had 7 radio operators but we also had many other
“extra” hams assigned other positions on the team (mostly engineers and general
helpers). So, applying for several positions is obviously beneficial to go on
the mission. Another consideration is which team location you want to get
assigned to. Some teams take a boat up a river, many teams use a small plane to
get to their remote village, some travel into the mountains by bus. Obviously
surgical teams will be in less primitive conditions since they need to be at an
adequate facility to do their work. In my opinion all locations are good.
Obviously, later applicants (after 1
October) will have less selection of places to go and job positions since they
will be assigned to the teams that are missing certain positions, if there are
any. If you need an application, a good place to get one is off our IHS web
site (IHSOFMN mentioned below). Just click on “Contact IHS” and download the
application (.pdf or Word file).

Radio personnel - Since we SOMETIMES have a large number of IHS veteran hams who
fill many of the team radio operator and other positions each year, one benefit
for a newcomer to be a team radio operator is if they have pactor experience
and gear. If you are a ham and you get assigned on a team with another radio
person, you will actually share the radio work and other tasks regardless of
which title you have on the paperwork.

Shipping items to Honduras….. yes we can. Dole Fruit graciously lets us use
several of their containers to send down our gear, personal items, purchased
medical supplies, food, and lots of medical equipment (for hospitals and
clinics). We will send down our IHS radios plus any donated and other
replacement gear. Larry, our shipping guy, buys a lot of the food for each
team. He will buy soups, and a lot of dehydrated type things that actually cook
up pretty good, at least it is better than beans and rice every day. Most of
that is shipped in the container although some beans and rice, plus a lot of
other vegetables get purchased in LaCeiba on the first day down there. Each
year we also get generators and such things purchased or donated and they get
shipped as well. So, if you want to send some clothes or whatever, so you have
less to drag through the airport, that is fine. Your personal box or tub needs
to be sent to our collection point in Minneapolis by the end
of December. The only thing to remember is that the shipment is one way. If
you want to get items back home, it has to come back with you. Many people send
clothes and other items that they just give to the local people when they leave,
so their suitcase stays light coming home, too.

More info... IHS has a web site with some basic info for all applicants, it
is: www.IHSOFMN.org I suggest looking at the Newsbreak newsletters for a lot of
personal infi and stories of past experiences. Our IHS radio group also has
some info on a Yahoo site. The link to that site is:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IHSradio/ You can see several things there but I
recommend going to the left side of the site’s home page and clicking on PHOTO.
From there you will see some of our people in action. These two sites should
give you a lot of extra info plus application forms. I also have some NewsBreak
newsletters, literature, applications, a computer CD, and a video with lots of
current info on it, all available on request. The video shows a typical medical
team in a village plus some footage and pictures of a surgery team. The CD is
packed with info including hundreds of photos and several super Power Point
presentations that give a lot of detail in our work. I often
use the CD as orientation materials for group presentations and for first time
applicants. If you want any of these items, just let me know what to send and
where to mail them and I will send them to you right away.

Also, we have an OPTIONAL orientation meeting in Minneapolis about the first
Saturday of December if you can make it then. When you sign up and are put on a
team, you will receive a large amount of information, usually in later November.
There is a ton of handy information on what clothes, gear, and other items to
bring plus many other tips. Also, this information will have very comprehensive
Orientation Manual data. It will give lots of info on how to prepare for the
mission and what to expect during the trip. It also talks about health care
issues, such as what vaccinations to have, etc. Most importantly, you will get
the name of a veteran on your team who can tell you all about the village you
are going to and other details. I am available to answer any questions that
relate to the general mission and to the radio work that goes with it. If you
have any questions related to other jobs on a team, let me know and I will pass
on the info or I will get you in touch
with another Director or someone who can get you all the latest info for that
job.

Early applicants have a very good chance of going, especially if they are
flexible in what work position on the team they are willing to take. I do ask
that whether or not this mission works for you, consider passing the word along…
we can always use a few extra folks and support to help us out. This is
especially true for doctors, nurses, translators, dentists, and other medical
folks who we have a tougher job in recruiting.

Most new folks have called me directly, before signing up for a mission. I
highly recommend that you do that to start with. My evening phone number is:
320-634-4386. I am home most evenings and some on weekends. You have my e-mail
address, so write whatever questions you have, if you prefer that over a phone
call.
My mailing address is:
John Kirckof
21594 Memorial Drive
Glenwood, MN 56334

I and the very poor of Honduras thank you so much for an interest in this very
wonderful and rewarding work!

Best regards,

John Kirckof
KB0UUP
JMKKEK@...
Phone: 320-634-4386
IHS Board Of Directors



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