February 24th marks the second anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. GRM has been there for 722 of those days.

Responding to an urgent request by the Ukrainian government, GRM is supporting three cohorts of medical teams from the Military Medical Academy, Border GuardsUkraine and National Guards Ukraine, who are tasked with the care of war wounded patients at forward resuscitation facilities and serve as the lead medical trainers for their respective organizations.

During the program, these 15 medical professionals will explore best practice techniques, both in Europe and in the US, for managing complex traumatic injuries, including resource management, team management, and field diagnostics.

The program is tailored to the specific needs and requests of each organization.

Program Objectives

 

• Explore best practice techniques for war-related injuries at leading international medical facilities
• Implement the new skills and concepts learned, considering the local context
• Help cohorts prepare to share their new kills and knowledge acquired during rotations by implementing TTT (Train-the-Trainer) modules
• Learn the most efficient and up-to-date techniques and approaches in trauma management
• Knowledge-exchange and immersion with foreign colleagues
• Understand how a system of team trauma management works in other environments

Program Schedule

 

The training cycle as five rotations:

• Rotation #1 took place in Ukraine in January 2024 and focused on Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure to Trauma (ASSET).
• Rotations #2-4 will be held in US and NATO facilities from March – June 2024.
• Rotation #5 will take place in Ukraine and will focus on applying the new approaches, skills, and knowledge to the local context, ensuring we cover and gap in needs.

Curriculum

While the curriculum will be customized to the physicians’ needs, the following core topics will be covered:

• Resuscitation
• Trauma surgery
• Field surgery
• Mass casualty management
• Amputation
• Burn care

Rotations take place at leading institutions in Chicago, North Carolina, Philadelphia, Amsterdam, Kyiv, Budapest, and beyond.

 

Program Costs

 

With travel, equipment, and coordination, the cost of the program is $16,500 for each physician for a total of $247,500 for direct costs.

Expected Results

 

Save lives. Period.

 

Increased trauma skills for for front line medical professionals immediately means that more lives will be saved and less people will suffer life-altering injuries.

15 medical specialists will be trained on best practice techniques for complex injury management.

New knowledge and immersion at leading international centers working with military trauma.

Save more lives through capacity building.

 

The graduates will be prepared to work in a TTT format to share their new knowledge with the next cohort of Ukrainian medical professionals.

Increased knowledge in quantity & quality – the graduates will share their knowledge and provide training to future cohorts.

Establish partnerships with international medical institutions fostering multi-lateral relationships.

Contributing to the evolution of front line medical protocols.

 

“We need to make sure they don’t die, and reach the next point of evacuation.” – Oleksii, Physician

 

This month, the GRM team was invited to present at the binational conference “Race and the Borderlands” hosted by San Diego State University. This conference brings together scholars, practitioners, student organizations, and grassroots movements to collectively consider issues of human rights and racialization in the borderlands. The conference focuses on scholarly collaboration, community building, and the movement of ideas and people in the region. “Race and the Borderlands” offers an opportunity to convene key organizations and thinkers, integrate frameworks for collective action, and launch new collaborations.

Brendon Tucker, GRM’s Reynosa Project Manager, is presenting the “Health Interventions: A Novel Collaboration to Support the Health of Children Asylum Seekers” Panel, alongside Felicia Rangel Samponaro (co-director, Sidewalk School), Victor Cavazos (co-director, Sidewalk School), and Dr. Jyothi Marbin. Brendon will discuss the medical needs of asylum seekers in Reynosa, the safety challenges faced by the GRM medical team and asylum seekers themselves, and the collaboration and partnership between GRM and the Sidewalk School. We’re so proud of Tucker for representing GRM on the academic stage and speaking out about the continued dire need for medical care on the U.S. / Mexico border!

For this month’s newsletter, we want to take the opportunity to raise awareness about a critical issue affecting millions of people worldwide – global borders and the hardships that displaced people face when crossing them.

By the end of 2021, 89.3 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced due to conflict, disaster, violence, persecution, and human rights violations. This staggering number represents the highest level of displacement on record, and it is a humanitarian crisis that demands our attention. Forced migration is fraught with danger, and often means going without consistent and safe shelter, food, water, or medical attention for months or even years at a time. For many, displacement means serious injury, or even death. According to the UNHCR, the number of forcibly displaced or stateless people is expected to increase to 117.2 million in 2023. This problem is not going away anytime soon, and it’s up to us to act.

We must continue to work together to create a world where everyone has the right to health, wellness, and medical care access, regardless of their background, race, religion, or nationality. The Global Response Medicine team believes that health care is a human right, and we stand in solidarity with displaced communities around the world.

We urge you to join us in supporting their cause. To make a meaningful impact and support those in need, please consider visiting our website and making a donation today. Every contribution, no matter how big or small, will help provide vital medical assistance to displaced people, in the borderlands, and across the globe. Your donation can make a real difference in someone’s life.

You can also help further the GRM mission by starting a Facebook fundraiser in GRM’s honor, setting up a recurring donation, or spreading the word by sharing our social media posts on Facebook and Instagram.