CardioStart will return to Arequipa, Peru, October 6 – October 18, 2013. In this mission, we will again work at the Honorio Delgado Hospital in Arequipa, Peru and continue development of the Adult Cardiac Surgical Program and Outreach Initiatives.
This is CardioStart’s 12th mission to Peru over the past 17 years. Volunteers with serious medical conditions should carefully consider obtaining consultation/approval from their doctor prior to joining the mission due to the high altitude at greater than 8,000 feet.
Arequipa, Peru
Arequipa is an ancient city positioned at approximately 8,000-8,500 ft. in the Andes Mountains, close to the border with Chile and Bolivia. The local regional population includes more than 3.5 million people, and the surrounding communities contribute an additional 8 million people, most who have no recourse to specialist medical care.
The healthcare need for this region continues to be a pressing requirement. More than 50 percent of the people of Peru live in dire poverty with preventive healthcare very limited. The life expectancy at birth is approximately 50 percent. The families and the healthcare ministry do not have enough funds available to provide proper care for the indigent. This group often only receives assistance from occasional international visiting medical teams.
For adults, heart valve disease is very severe with rheumatic causes amounting to a large section of those presenting, and late in the disease process. The heavy burden carried by the associated families, has encouraged us to develop the outreach assistance program.
Adult Cardiac Surgery
CardioStart, working with the local team, has now established the adult program at the hospital and set benchmarks to help the hospital move forward to becoming a tertiary referral center. We will be assisting development with more complex intra-operative cases, demonstrations and intense surgical training, and comprehensive adult cardiology management. Both cardiologists will also advise in the outside clinic and primary care cardiology clinics being established in the region.
Team Needs:
1-cardiac surgeon; 1-anesthesiologists; 2-adult perfusionists; 2-physician assistants; 2-cardiologists (one electrophisyologist or pacemaker implantation experience); 4-adult CICU nurses; 1-biomed engineer; 1-respiratory therapist; 2-OR RN/scrub techs; 1-patient database staff; 1-NP/PA case manager
Outreach Projects
On this mission, we plan to assist the local orphanages and perform community health screenings. These will be accomplished by regional clinic medical staff and by non-medical volunteers who are routinely welcomed on our missions.
Team Needs:
1-Outreach coordinator; 3-medical/non-medical volunteers
Mission Logistics
All team members must arrive in Arequipa no later than Sunday afternoon October 6, 2013 for the evening team orientation and stay the full two weeks of the mission. Exceptions will be considered on individual basis and needs of the mission.
CEUs / CMEs:
Medical educational work overseas can be claimed as “Continuing Medical Education” (CME) time, category 2 AMA credits. We will give up to 20 credits per volunteer. We suggest you discuss this with your employer; since they may permit additional time off in addition to allotted vacation time. CardioStart’s Mission Education Coordinator will issue certificates to those on request, at the end of the mission. Nursing Education: AACN awards CEU’s for mission and education work. CardioStart will provide appropriate documentation to report your participation.
Airfare:
Airfare costs will be self-funded by each volunteer. Many of us have found that www.lanperu.com from Miami or Los Angeles provides very competitive prices, but for some with air miles to cash in, other options may be preferential. When scheduling your flights, consider the most convenient international embarkation point first in calculating fare prices. Domestic travel can be negotiated separately and often, less expensively.
We recommend you do NOT book flights until you are confirmed on the team.
Lodging:
We are looking into funding to subsidize the costs. However, it is possible that there may be a small surcharge to cover the total lodging expense. We will advise you as soon as this issue is resolved. CardioStart seeks certain minimum standards to ensure volunteer safety and comfort as well as keeping the team together. Volunteers should expect same-sex room sharing in order to help reduce the costs and space burdens.
Meals:
During the day, meals will be freely provided at the hospital. Evening meals/snacks, etc., will be at your own expense and are available in the many excellent restaurants in Arequipa. Food is of a high standard, safe to eat and very inexpensive ($5-8). Those working outreach will need to fund their meals during excursions.
Travel/touring:
For patient safety, ALL medical personnel must remain in the hospital until the Friday of the second week.
Upon completing the mission, you may like to take a few days vacation to tour the many natural wonders of Peru. This could include the thousand-year-old town of Cusco and the Ancient City of the Incas, the World Heritage Site called Machu Picchu.
If you do this, plan an overnight stay in Cusco, which can be reached by an inexpensive flight to the city. Then travel by train from Cusco, (situated at 11,000 ft.) to Machu Pichu (at 7500 ft.), as a day excursion. You will want to consider additional travel before making your flight arrangements, to ensure an all-inclusive rate. Inexpensive travel packages can also be obtained in Arequipa during the week of your arrival.
Note: Your travels outside of the mission dates are considered personal time and are not tax deductible.
Applying for CardioStart’s Mission to Peru:
To apply, please complete the Volunteer Interest Form and upload your CV/resume. All applicants will be reviewed by the Mission Director, Dr. Mariano Brizzio. Team selections will be made by positions needed and relevant experience. Each team is comprised of a mix of returning volunteers and “first-timers.”
If you have any questions regarding joining the CardioStart’s team to Peru, please contact the CardioStart office at 813-304-2163 or email: info@cardiostart.org.
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