Business Analysis: Doctors Without Borders

As you all know, I have spent all of my professional career at ALSAC/St. Jude. Throughout this time, I have witnessed some amazing things that until this past month I think I have taken for granted. And I am not just referring to the miracles our doctors perform every day for our patients.

In the wake of a natural disaster, people are forced to realize they may not make it out alive; this was the thought of over one hundred and eighty patients who were at Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina hit. Sheri Fink’s Deadly Choices at Memorial tells the story of what doctors and nurses had to do when the hospital, which was being used as a shelter, lost all power and had to evacuate all one hundred and eighty patients in August of 2005. Usually most people have time to think about their choices so they are certain they are making the correct one, but in a time of crisis the doctors and nurses on staff at Memorial had to make harsh decisions about who of the one hundred and eighty patients they would evacuate, who would go first, who would go last and who would have to stay behind. Fink’s article makes

In one swift movement, she grabbed the phone as it fell towards the floor. She went to turn off what she assumed was her alarm but was instead faced with a call from a number she didn’t recognize. She glanced at the time in the corner of the screen to see she had another three hours before her alarm would go off. She sighed and attempted not to sound groggy as she answered. “Hello?” The voice that replied sounded like that of a young male. “Good Afternoon, am I speaking to Iris Lowell?” She confirmed that he was. “My name is Jared Shepard and I work with Doctors without Borders. A couple of months ago you submitted an application to come work with us. I’m calling to let you know that we’d love for you to join us in Yemen.” Jared went on to discuss the specifics such as meeting with officials for debriefs, when she would leave if she accepted, how long she would be there for. Iris listened intently, asking questions and trying not to come across as overly excited, but the truth was that she was ecstatic. This was something she had wanted to do since she began studying medicine and now she was getting a chance to go out and help people who needed it more than anything. She seemed to have forgotten that she should be asleep, resting for the long night ahead of her. Her current place of employment was pushed to the back of her mind as it wouldn’t be a

It was June 12, 2016, one of the deadliest mass shootings at Orlando, FL. It wasn’t like any other day; after a tragic event I was called into work around 5:30am. I finally reached ORMC amidst of all the chaos, there wasn’t any pleasant welcome, every face mimicked a variety of emotions with some worried and sad, while others confused and suspicious. I was floated to the trauma unit to accommodate victims after surgery. I could sense the sturdy whiff of blood as I walked into the unit which I was not so familiar with. Even though my heart was aching by witnessing the sufferings of those innocent victims, I had a strong impulse to help and give my all. I took my assignment sheet and walked into my patient’s room. As he slowly opened his eyes, the nurse repeated the questions:

It is a warm summer evening at Grady Hospital. It is my first day as an emergency room volunteer. I’m nervous and eager, hoping to see something exciting. However, it is surreally quiet. Suddenly, there is word of an ambulance en route. Minutes later the paramedics burst into the trauma slot pushing a man on a stretcher. His head and face are covered with gauze that is soaked through with dark blood. It is a flurry of well-orchestrated movement as the attendings and residents start to resuscitate him. They pull back the bandages to reveal a deep gash that is bleeding profusely. With much effort his vital signs are stabilized and he begins to regain consciousness. Later, after the excitement had passed, I learned what brought him here. He is diabetic and couldn’t afford to properly manage his condition. He had fainted due to hypoglycemia and hit his head. He had almost lost his life because of the unfortunate financial realities of modern healthcare. In that moment, I came to appreciate the very real cost of disease and the incredible role physicians have in ameliorating it. This formative experience was the beginning of my path to medicine.

Reason being they are unique for they are an organization traveling all over the world sharing hope and care for the unfortunate and is funded by individual people who support the cause of what is offered through a nonprofit organization. This organization is a worldwide support for delivering medical emergency aid affected by conflict, epidemics and disasters whereas the exclusion of health care. the unique concept of the Doctors without Borders in 1971 they founded though two journalist Raymond Borel and

Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care, the words of Theodore Roosevelt written in the radiology department at Good Samaritan Hospital, where I work as a Radiologic technologist. These words are a constant reminder of why I choose to pursue a career in medicine. Growing up in Haiti, I was an underweight, mal nourished child with a weak immune system. Sick days seemed to occur every other day. In a country with limited resources, I remember traveling with my parents to different towns in search for medicine and the right physician. We would walked miles, but no miles was ever long enough to stop my parents from getting their son the proper treatment. At a young age my parents showed me the true meaning of altruism and empathy, necessary skills needed to make a great physician. Living in poverty can have major consequences on one’s health. I witness this in my own health and those surrounding me. To survive these harsh conditions, as a community we had to stick together, we had to care for one another. We shared everything with our neighbors, from clean drinking water, food supplies, to natural herb treatment and medicine. From observing the change in lives in the community when treatment was provided, I quickly learned to values the benefits of good Health and medicine.

As a volunteer at Methodist Dallas Medical Center, I saw a glimpse of the disparities and problems that exist in the US. I saw patients in the emergency

Medical Mercy Canada (MMC) is a non-religious, non-partisan registered Canadian volunteer organization. The organization provides support to impoverished persons and refugees along the Burmese borders, Nepal and Ukraine. Since 1991, MMC has extended its service to medical assistance, education, supplies and funds for local initiatives to facilitate self-sufficiency. MMC is established with a vision to create healthy communities by caring for and sharing with those in need. The mission is to improve the quality of life in impoverished areas through humanitarian projects with local participation. And, the purpose is to provide education, health care, knowledge and skills to refugees along the Burmese borders and impoverished villagers in Ukraine

For an organization whose motto is “speed saves lives,” it makes sense that there are a vast array of costs that come with the unique efficiency of MSF. After reading the section of Peter Redfield’s Life in Crisis entitled “Vital Mobility”, I was amazed by what MSF has been able to accomplish. All semester long I have learned of the intricacies of humanitarianism, how nothing is as simple as it seems. Often, I wonder why can’t it be simpler? Why do we let politics get in the way of good? Is there not a more effective way of helping distant strangers? Redfield’s focus on the mobility and efficiency of MSF seems to counteract how the rest of the humanitarian world works. No other organization can “[boast] of its ability to mobilize emergency aid to almost any part of the planet within forty-eight hours” (71). In no other way is foreign aid made to look so simple. MSF’s focus on efficiency, their

WellStar Health Systems is currently the preeminent and largest health care provider in Metro Atlanta. WellStar Health Systems is a not-for-profit institution that is composed of 5 hospitals and an abundance of physician groups. Physician specialty groups included within WellStar are: ENT, Psychiatry, Endocrinology, Pulmonary Medicine, Infectious Disease, General Surgery, Rehabilitation, Pathology, and Rheumatology. WellStar’s organizational design is composed of internal and external factors that define the organization’s size, organizational structure, and processes. Internal and external factors are the basis for influencing managerial conclusions in decision-making. These factors vary from organization to organization and are the

I was gifted a ticket, to anywhere. Past, present, future, anything my mind could imagine, this ticket could get me. Although there was a certain lure to watching the sunset on a beach in Jamaica, or spending copious amounts of money shopping in New York, I found myself using my once in a lifetime opportunity to travel to South Sudan working as a nurse for Doctors Without Borders. However once there I discovered my passion, and drive, and ambition that went beyond working in a hospital. My future awaited me.

We may not be able to help everyone who has medical problems, but we can try to help as many as we can. We can at least help a few people, and it can make a huge difference in those people’s lives. I liked the story that our guest speaker, Drew Worsham

Imagine an entire community of individuals, from doctors to massage therapists, that does not answer to any political entity or religion, yet still manages to collectively provide free healthcare services to millions of individuals in need every year. Medecins Sans Frontiers, or popularly known in the US as Doctors Without Borders, is an international NGO that does just that. The organization began in 1971 when a group of French doctors and journalists recognized the dire need for assistance in healthcare during times of war, famine, and flood in Nigeria and Pakistan. Since then, it has expanded and provides aid to over 60 countries in underserved regions across Central America, South America, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia as

TYPE A PROJECT--MSF is a neutral and impartial humanitarian organization that aims first and foremost to provide high-quality medical care to the people who need it the most. It does not promote the agenda of any country, political party, or religious faith, and, as such, endeavors to communicate its history, background, and capabilities to all parties in a given situation so that it may gain the necessary access to populations in need..On any given day, more than 30,000 doctors, nurses, logisticians, water-and-sanitation experts, administrators, and other qualified professionals working with MSF can be found providing medical care around the world..In 2012, MSF medical teams carried out more than 8.3 million outpatient consultations; delivered more than 185,000 babies; treated more than 1.6 million people for malaria; treated nearly 350,000 severely and moderately malnourished children; provided some 284,000 people living with HIV/AIDS with antiretroviral therapy; conducted more than 78,000 surgeries, and vaccinated 690,000 against measles and 496,000 against meningitis