STANFORD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In response to the unprecedented disaster caused by Typhoon Haiyan, a team of medical specialists from Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital will deploy to the Philippines to help treat victims. The nine-member team of emergency physicians and nurses will depart for the devastated region on November 22.
“We have an absolute obligation and duty to provide support in this way, in any way possible,” said Colin Bucks, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Associate Director of the Stanford Emergency Medicine Program for Emergency Response (SEMPER). “This is a tremendous opportunity to put our useful skill set to work, to do a lot of good."
SEMPER builds, trains and maintains teams of emergency medical care providers (physicians, nurses, emergency medical technicians and support personnel) ready to depart for a disaster scene within six hours following a call for help. The SEMPER team will work alongside Medical Teams International in the Philippines for two weeks, providing primary care support. A second SEMPER team is also being assembled for possible deployment.
"Everyone expects an increase in infectious diseases. Wound care will be complex," Bucks said. "We're dealing with a destroyed infrastructure. So, we're going to provide as much high quality medical care as possible."
To aid in the relief effort, the team will take as many supplies as possible, including antibiotics, splints, scalpels and sutures. Lightweight scrubs and easy-to-assemble tents will also be part of the packing list. Some of the team members also bring with them valuable experience from working in previous relief efforts, such as treating survivors of the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010.
Along with Bucks, the team includes physicians Jessica Pierog, Kajal Khanna and Ian Brown. The nurses are Linda Jordan, Cheryl Guanzon, Joselinda Landon, Terri Wieske and mental health specialist Kim Woolley.
About Packard Children’s Hospital
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford is an internationally recognized 311-bed hospital and leading regional medical network providing a full complement of services for the health of children and expectant mothers. Together, our world-class Stanford Medicine doctors, nurses and staff deliver innovative, nurturing care and extraordinary outcomes in every pediatric and obstetric specialty. Packard Children’s is annually ranked as one of the nation’s finest by U.S. News & World Report and the only Northern California children’s hospital with specialty programs ranked in the U.S. News Top 10. Learn more about our full range of preeminent programs at lpch.org and the Packard Children’s Health Alliance at PCHA.org. Like us on Facebook, watch us on YouTube and follow us on Twitter.
About Stanford Hospital & Clinics
Stanford Hospital & Clinics, located in Palo Alto, California with multiple facilities throughout the region, is internationally renowned for leading edge and coordinated care in cancer, neurosciences, cardiovascular medicine, surgery, organ transplant, medicine specialties and primary care. Stanford Hospital & Clinics is part of Stanford Medicine, which includes Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and the Stanford University School of Medicine. Throughout its history, Stanford has been at the forefront of discovery and innovation, as researchers and clinicians work together to improve health, alleviate suffering, and translate medical breakthroughs into better ways to deliver patient care. Stanford Hospital & Clinics: Healing humanity through science and compassion, one patient at a time. For more information, visit: StanfordHospital.org.
