In the United States, we may grumble about the high cost of health care and the mountain of paperwork, but it is there when we need it. We don't have to bring our own bandages, medicines and food to the hospital. We have programs to help even the poorest of our citizens obtain treatment for chronic and acute illnesses and injuries. We are blessed. There are many in the world who have no access to even the most basic health care. Bortniky is a small village in the Ukraine. According to the constitution, free health care is provided for all Ukranian citizens. A local hospital serves about 10,000 people in Bortniky and surrounding villages. In reality, only the desperate go to the hospital. Overcrowding, less-than-sanitary conditions and lack of equipment limit the abilities of the staff to treat patients. Patients are required to provide everything needed during their hospital stay, including antibiotics, bandages, syringes, blankets and even food.

"If a patient has no family to bring him the necessary things, he must be turned away from the hospital," explained Dr. Pavel Zvak, director of Ukrainian Operations in the Epiphany Medical Mission.

Even if a patient can bring all the necessary supplies, there is great danger of hospital-spread infections which may worsen the patient's condition and even threaten his life. So the hospital becomes a last resort for those acutely ill or injured. There is no place to find treatment for even the most easily treated chronic diseases, such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

The charitable foundation, Epiphany Medical Missions, saw the need in Bortniky and established the Primary Health Care Center. The center focuses on family medicine, especially children's and women's health. In addition, the Mission has set up educational programs in hygiene, nutrition and natural family planning for the community and for local health care providers. This strategy is designed to prevent chronic illnesses or treat them at an early stage, so that serious health consequences (and trips to the hospital) will be avoided.

If the Center treated only the simple, chronic diseases in the population, the health of the community and the quality of life would be greatly improved. High blood pressure is one example.

It is well known that left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to serious complications, including heart disease and stroke. The cost of medication to treat this condition is tiny by U.S. standards. But in the Ukraine, it is far beyond reach. At the hospital, the entire monthly budget to provide medicine for the 10,000 people it serves is only $3. With all the acute needs at the hospital, there is no possibility that high blood pressure medicine will be purchased with that $3.

Even more heartbreaking is the effect on the health of the children. Children here, as everywhere, have dental cavities. However, lack of access to dental care frequently means these simple dental cavities become chronic oral infections, which, left untreated, seriously impair the children's health and retard their growth and development. These are severe consequences, for want of basic dental care and an inexpensive antibiotic tablet. And the story in other countries is similar. In addition to the Ukraine, Epiphany Medical Missions has clinics established in Nigeria and India, and is planning to expand to other countries where the needs are great and the resources small.

Volunteer opportunities for health professionals.

The Primary Health Care Center in Bortniky is staffed and operated by an international team of health care professionals and others, who volunteer their time and expertise. The center is financed by donations from international charitable organizations, private benefactors and contributions from local citizens.

Epiphany Medical Missions welcomes all specialties of health professionals willing to volunteer their time and expertise at the center. Some health professionals come on vacations from their jobs - it is possible to volunteer for as little as two weeks. Some come as an adventure, to see another part of the world. Whatever their reasons for coming, few leave without being changed by the experience.

Said one volunteer pharmacist, "I came to the Ukraine because it seemed like a good way to see the world. I had just graduated from pharmacy school . . . I was touched by the people there and the need I saw. I have decided to quit my job and move to Chicago and work in something with more meaning for my life."

The most critical need for volunteers is health care professionals, since, of course, the main mission is a clinic to serve the population. Volunteers of all races, religions and ethnicity are accepted. However, since this charity is supported largely by the Catholic Church, all volunteers must fully accept Catholic ethics and morals applied to the health care situation.

In addition, volunteers must:
o be available for at least two weeks,
o find a sponsor for their travel expenses, and
o know basic English.

Volunteer opportunities for others.
Epiphany Medical Missions is also in need of volunteers to:
o assist in raising funds to sponsor travel costs for volunteers, especially for those health professionals in poorer countries who would like to volunteer;
o help with various office work, communications and correspondence;
o survey hospitals, doctors and others in the medical community for equipment and medical supplies available for donation. The impact of this mission is profound. The need is great. The ability to see the immediate positive impact of your work on a community in need is a great blessing. If you are a health professional, you are needed. If you can volunteer in another capacity, you are equally needed. Volunteers make a difference.

For more information about Epiphany Medical Missions, contact: Pavel R. Zvak, M.D.
Director of Ukrainian Projects
Kamenna 59
639 00 Brno
Czech Republic
e-mail: mjbrnomen@brn.czn.cz

or:

Epiphany Medical Mission
1126 Morse, Apt I-W
Chicago, IL 60626
USA

Bio: Christine Whittaker Sofge is a freelance writer, wife and mother of two young children. She spends much of her free time volunteering for her church. Christine can be reached at sofge@yahoo.com.