Hi,

We really need your medical skills! I have sent out notices before but we are
getting down to the wire and we are in urgent need of medical skills!

Right now IHS (International Health Services) is in dire need of doctors &
surgeons to support several clinic and surgery teams. Attached is a report from
a team that just returned from Honduras after Hurricane Felix hit southeastern
Honduras and Nicaragua. We need at least 3 more doctors, several nurses, one
more surgeon, plus most other medical professionals and helpers to go on a 2
week medical mission trip to Honduras. So far, the applicant list has just 3
doctors, one surgeon and many support people on it. Please consider the below
information as we do not want to have some villages not have a team just because
we lacked a doctor or key person.

Helpful info: We hope to have about 10 medical clinic and surgical teams
planned for the 15 Feb to 2 March, 2008 trip. Of those, our goal is 6 or 7
medical/dental clinic teams plus 2 or 3 eye glasses teams and hopefully at least
2 surgical teams can go. At many team sites we can send two doctors because of
the amount of care needed. In those places we would send a first timer to work
along side a veteran. In all, this means about 100 people can go, if you count
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.

Some of you have gone in the past. Great! We hope it works for you again
this time. Some have not gone before so please consider this info to help you
figure out if this is right for you. Read the attachments, which have good
supplemental info, too.

How many teams of each type we will have totally depends on how many people
sign up and what their skills are. We do the sign ups early (in the summer) 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 some clinic workers. However, I only know of a few doctors, nurses, and
general helpers signed up so far.

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 (hopefully), 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 important because we need to know soon who is able to go. Near
the end 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.

See attached list of Directors and key people. This list has all the IHS
Directors for each of the professions who go who can answer more technical
questions about clinic work, formulary of provided meds, surgical work or
anything of that nature. So let me know if you have questions in that regard,
as well. 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!

Best regards,

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

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



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