Ghana Medical Help

1st UK Volunteer Retreat!

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On the third weekend of March, GMH had its first ever UK Volunteer Retreat! Hosted in a beautiful cottage from the 1600’s in North Wales, it was an incredible weekend full of getting to know each other, global medicine talks from the pros, vision planning and independent role development! Of course, such productivity needed to be mixed in with a scavenger hunt around the beautiful gardens, wine, and a touch of exploration through Chester. This retreat established a strong core team of GMH-er’s in the UK that will enable our projects to grow strong roots.

What are the various projects developing in GMH-UK?

  • Medical elective program – volunteer: Hannah Barlow (“HannahBar”)
    • Promote late applications for 2015 program to UK medical schools and UoT
    • HannahBar will be main contact for applicants and conduct all interviews, assign participants their ‘buddy’s’, and walk them through the process
    • Help develop a program package for participants
    • Write a factsheet and promotional email
    • Establish relationships with medical schools and their respective medsoc’s around the UK (Leeds, Liverpool, Exeter/Plymouth, Lancaster); establish contact database; conduct presentations
    • Eventually create GMH Ambassader/Reps positions from past participants in partner medical schools who can promote program to younger students
    • Establish FB group for all potential students to ‘meet’, chat and ask questions to past participants
  • Medical equipment acquisition and donation program – volunteer: Kate Atkinson
    • Contact medical equipment sales companies and manufacturers + hospitals for donations of target items and repair/maintenance equipment
    • Arrange for storage warehouse
    • Arrange shipping to Ghana in conjunction with shipments from Canada
    • Tie into medical elective program – participants receive target list and bring whatever items from it they can with them
    • Coordinate packing parties to prep equipment donations for shipping
    • Establish an annual routine with regular contacts
  • Creating volunteering opportunities for international health care professionals – volunteer: Dr. Hannah Brotherstone (“HannahBro”)
    • Will work with Ghana Health Services to forge established, legitimate opportunities for health care professionals to volunteer for a period of several months in the Upper Regions of Ghana
    • Will promote this volunteer opportunity
  •  GMH Ambassador program development – volunteer: Michelle Peters
    • Strengthening this network to create a knowledge sharing platform for the purpose of 1) advancing the communication and collaboration between hospitals in northern Ghana, and 2) expand on the medical training of hospital staff
    • Involves a technology platform, early research stage (goal is to have pilot running in Ghana in 2016).

vicki wells

Victoria Wells is the Volunteer Coordinator for UK volunteers.

In addition to supporting our volunteers in the development of the above described projects, Vicki will be establishing an administrative hub in the UK and obtain UK charitable status.

Ghana Medical Help