Hospitals of Hope
Encyclopedia
Hospitals of Hope is a 501(c)(3) Christian medical missions organization who aims to improve the healthcare of the under-served, both locally and internationally. Hospitals of Hope’s goal is to use medicine as a vehicle into the hearts of people, to demonstrate Christ’s love by showing the value of each person they care for.
Hospitals of Hope sends medical, dental, and general volunteers, as well as students at various levels in their training, to serve at the Hospitals of Hope hospital in Vinto
, Bolivia
and in other countries, such as Liberia
and Haiti
. Hospitals of Hope also manufactures Clinic In A Can, self-contained medical clinics built in shipping containers.
and malaria
. He saw an eleven-year-old girl dying of untreated tuberculosis
, a farmer with a fractured femur left for dead, and a baby with congenital cataracts—which left her blind for life.
In 1998, Michael joined with other Wichita
, Kansas
community members to found Hospitals of Hope—an organization dedicated to showing Christ’s love through the medium of medical care.
Originally, the organization focused solely on Bolivia
,beginning with a small, free clinic and expanding to a 32-bed, level II hospital.
Hospitals of Hope staff and supporters soon realized that the organization had the potential to affect medical care not only in Bolivia but also in other countries around the world. Hospitals of Hope’s work expanded to Haiti
in 2004 with the development of the Clinic In A Can — a self-contained clinic built in a shipping container - an example of a shipping container clinic
. Since January 2010's earthquake, Hospitals of Hope has sent six more Clinics in a Can to Haiti
and three to Southern Sudan with plans to send more to other countries around the world.
In 2008, we began work in Liberia
, West Africa
, partnering with John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Monrovia
, the referral center for the entire country. We have since sent over $1.1 million of medical equipment and supplies to Liberia
and have developed a partnership with ELWA (Eternal Love Winning Africa) Hospital, where we send volunteers year-round.
built in a shipping container - an example of shipping container architecture
. These clinics are built in the US and shipped around the world, providing an important resource for medical relief in the face of disaster or in areas with poor infrastructure.
The typical Clinic In A Can consists of two exam rooms, a laboratory, and a mechanical room with a generator and water system. Clinics can be modified to contain a dental room, a radiology suite, or a surgical suite.
Hospitals of Hope has constructed ten Clinic In A Cans total. Seven clinics for use in Haiti
and three will be sent to Southern Sudan. The most recent projects were actually making two small hospitals, made of three shipping containers each, for use in Haiti
and Southern Sudan.
, Bolivia
. In those early years, their efforts were directed at providing medical care in a small clinic in Vinto
, Bolivia
, but, as the ministry grew, we decided that it was time to expand.
Hospitals of Hope broke ground for its new hospital in Vinto
, Bolivia
in January 2003. The Bolivian hospital is currently the primary site where volunteers are sent, both medical and non-medical. Hospitals of Hope has sent over 1700 volunteers on short-term missions to Bolivia
, who assist the staff in caring for patients, as well as doing construction and community outreach.
Currently, the Bolivian government has a social health and welfare
system. Health care is purportedly free but more often than not physicians are not available, and, if service is provided, no supplies or medications are available for treatment.
, Haiti
is the home of the original Clinic In A Can—a self-contained medical/dental clinic built in the back of a 48’ semi-trailer donated to Hospitals of Hope by the Love Box Company.
Hospitals of Hope has built more Clinics in a Can in response to Haiti's January 2010 earthquake. The idea for a Clinic In A Can was born of the many requests for aid that we receive from foreign nationals. Several years ago, a Kenyan man shared with Hospitals of Hope how his sister had died on the way to the hospital during her first pregnancy. She had come home to have her first baby, as is customary in Kenya
. While home, she began running a fever
, and the family decided to take her to the nearest hospital, which was ten miles away. Taking their only method of transportation, the family took turns pushing and pulling their ailing relative in a wheelbarrow. Somewhere between her village and the hospital, she died.
This story inspired Hospitals of Hope’s founder, Michael Wawrzewski, to find a solution, and the solution that he found was the Clinic In A Can — a clinic that could be built in Wichita and then shipped anywhere in the world. Hospitals of Hope partnered with Jean Eustache, a Wichita nurse born and raised in Haiti, to send the Clinic In A Can to Les Cayes
. Two of Hospitals of Hope’s long-time supporters, Kyle Stevens and Myron Smith, headed up this daunting task and, after two years of design and one year of construction, our first Clinic In A Can was completed. Since then, Hospitals of Hope has built several more Clinics in a Can, which contain exam rooms, a laboratory, a generator, and a water system, making them fully self-contained.
, through sending essential equipment, training hospital staff, and providing patient care.
In its first two years of working in Liberia
, Hospitals of Hope primarily focused on JFK Medical Center in Monrovia
, Liberia
, the main government hospital in this country of 3.5 million people. When Hospitals of Hope began work there, JFK was in need of basic equipment, but Hospitals of Hope has donated $1.1 million of medical equipment to JFK, greatly increasing its capacity to effectively treat patients.
Since then, Hospitals of Hope has shifted its focus to ELWA (Eternal Love Winning Africa), a well-respected and established ministry, which has been at work in Liberia since the 1950s and began as a ministry of SIM (then Sudan Interior Mission).
Although ELWA offers quality care and has great plans for the future, the hospital is in dire need. With only 1 doctor for every 28,000 people in Liberia
, ELWA is swamped with patients, and their limited resources are stretched thin. Hospitals of Hope is partnering with ELWA to help meet these needs. In the summers of 2010 and 2011, Hospitals of Hope sent volunteer teams to work at ELWA. In early 2011, Hospitals of Hope partnered with the Brother's Brother Foundation to send necessary equipment to the hospital.
Hospitals of Hope is also helping ELWA make plans to expand the existing hospital. The current ELWA Hospital was built in 1965 and is too small and out-of-date to meet the needs of the community.
Hospitals of Hope sends medical, dental, and general volunteers, as well as students at various levels in their training, to serve at the Hospitals of Hope hospital in Vinto
Vinto
Vinto is a town in the Cochabamba Department in central Bolivia. It is the seat of the Vinto Municipality, the fourth municipal section of the Quillacollo Province.- Medical Care :...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and in other countries, such as Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
and Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
. Hospitals of Hope also manufactures Clinic In A Can, self-contained medical clinics built in shipping containers.
History
Hospitals of Hope began when a young physician assistant, Michael Wawrzewski, took a number of short-term mission trips overseas. He was moved to action when he saw that many around the world lack basic medical care and die from easily preventable or treatable diseases such as diarrheaDiarrhea
Diarrhea , also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having three or more loose or liquid bowel movements per day. It is a common cause of death in developing countries and the second most common cause of infant deaths worldwide. The loss of fluids through diarrhea can cause dehydration and...
and malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
. He saw an eleven-year-old girl dying of untreated tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, a farmer with a fractured femur left for dead, and a baby with congenital cataracts—which left her blind for life.
In 1998, Michael joined with other Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
community members to found Hospitals of Hope—an organization dedicated to showing Christ’s love through the medium of medical care.
Originally, the organization focused solely on Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
,beginning with a small, free clinic and expanding to a 32-bed, level II hospital.
Hospitals of Hope staff and supporters soon realized that the organization had the potential to affect medical care not only in Bolivia but also in other countries around the world. Hospitals of Hope’s work expanded to Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
in 2004 with the development of the Clinic In A Can — a self-contained clinic built in a shipping container - an example of a shipping container clinic
Shipping container clinic
A shipping container clinic is a type of shipping container architecture using intermodal containers as the structural element of a medical clinic that can be easily deployed to remote regions of the world...
. Since January 2010's earthquake, Hospitals of Hope has sent six more Clinics in a Can to Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
and three to Southern Sudan with plans to send more to other countries around the world.
In 2008, we began work in Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
, partnering with John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
, the referral center for the entire country. We have since sent over $1.1 million of medical equipment and supplies to Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
and have developed a partnership with ELWA (Eternal Love Winning Africa) Hospital, where we send volunteers year-round.
Clinic In A Can
A Clinic In A Can is a self-contained medical clinicShipping container clinic
A shipping container clinic is a type of shipping container architecture using intermodal containers as the structural element of a medical clinic that can be easily deployed to remote regions of the world...
built in a shipping container - an example of shipping container architecture
Shipping container architecture
Shipping container architecture is a form of architecture using steel intermodal containers as structural element, because of their inherent strength, wide availability and relatively low cost.-Advantages:Strength and durability...
. These clinics are built in the US and shipped around the world, providing an important resource for medical relief in the face of disaster or in areas with poor infrastructure.
The typical Clinic In A Can consists of two exam rooms, a laboratory, and a mechanical room with a generator and water system. Clinics can be modified to contain a dental room, a radiology suite, or a surgical suite.
Hospitals of Hope has constructed ten Clinic In A Cans total. Seven clinics for use in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
and three will be sent to Southern Sudan. The most recent projects were actually making two small hospitals, made of three shipping containers each, for use in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
and Southern Sudan.
Bolivia
After its founding in 1998, Hospitals of Hope began work in and around CochabambaCochabamba
Cochabamba is a city in central Bolivia, located in a valley bearing the same name in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and is the fourth largest city in Bolivia with an urban population of 608,276 and a metropolitan population of more than 1,000,000 people...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
. In those early years, their efforts were directed at providing medical care in a small clinic in Vinto
Vinto
Vinto is a town in the Cochabamba Department in central Bolivia. It is the seat of the Vinto Municipality, the fourth municipal section of the Quillacollo Province.- Medical Care :...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, but, as the ministry grew, we decided that it was time to expand.
Hospitals of Hope broke ground for its new hospital in Vinto
Vinto
Vinto is a town in the Cochabamba Department in central Bolivia. It is the seat of the Vinto Municipality, the fourth municipal section of the Quillacollo Province.- Medical Care :...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
in January 2003. The Bolivian hospital is currently the primary site where volunteers are sent, both medical and non-medical. Hospitals of Hope has sent over 1700 volunteers on short-term missions to Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, who assist the staff in caring for patients, as well as doing construction and community outreach.
Currently, the Bolivian government has a social health and welfare
Welfare
Welfare refers to a broad discourse which may hold certain implications regarding the provision of a minimal level of wellbeing and social support for all citizens without the stigma of charity. This is termed "social solidarity"...
system. Health care is purportedly free but more often than not physicians are not available, and, if service is provided, no supplies or medications are available for treatment.
Haiti
Les CayesLes Cayes
Les Cayes , is a town and seaport in southwestern Haiti, with a population of approximately 45,904 people . Estimates from 2008 place the population at close to 70,000 people...
, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
is the home of the original Clinic In A Can—a self-contained medical/dental clinic built in the back of a 48’ semi-trailer donated to Hospitals of Hope by the Love Box Company.
Hospitals of Hope has built more Clinics in a Can in response to Haiti's January 2010 earthquake. The idea for a Clinic In A Can was born of the many requests for aid that we receive from foreign nationals. Several years ago, a Kenyan man shared with Hospitals of Hope how his sister had died on the way to the hospital during her first pregnancy. She had come home to have her first baby, as is customary in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. While home, she began running a fever
Fever
Fever is a common medical sign characterized by an elevation of temperature above the normal range of due to an increase in the body temperature regulatory set-point. This increase in set-point triggers increased muscle tone and shivering.As a person's temperature increases, there is, in...
, and the family decided to take her to the nearest hospital, which was ten miles away. Taking their only method of transportation, the family took turns pushing and pulling their ailing relative in a wheelbarrow. Somewhere between her village and the hospital, she died.
This story inspired Hospitals of Hope’s founder, Michael Wawrzewski, to find a solution, and the solution that he found was the Clinic In A Can — a clinic that could be built in Wichita and then shipped anywhere in the world. Hospitals of Hope partnered with Jean Eustache, a Wichita nurse born and raised in Haiti, to send the Clinic In A Can to Les Cayes
Les Cayes
Les Cayes , is a town and seaport in southwestern Haiti, with a population of approximately 45,904 people . Estimates from 2008 place the population at close to 70,000 people...
. Two of Hospitals of Hope’s long-time supporters, Kyle Stevens and Myron Smith, headed up this daunting task and, after two years of design and one year of construction, our first Clinic In A Can was completed. Since then, Hospitals of Hope has built several more Clinics in a Can, which contain exam rooms, a laboratory, a generator, and a water system, making them fully self-contained.
Liberia
Hospitals of Hope is committed to helping bring change in LiberiaLiberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, through sending essential equipment, training hospital staff, and providing patient care.
In its first two years of working in Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, Hospitals of Hope primarily focused on JFK Medical Center in Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
, Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, the main government hospital in this country of 3.5 million people. When Hospitals of Hope began work there, JFK was in need of basic equipment, but Hospitals of Hope has donated $1.1 million of medical equipment to JFK, greatly increasing its capacity to effectively treat patients.
Since then, Hospitals of Hope has shifted its focus to ELWA (Eternal Love Winning Africa), a well-respected and established ministry, which has been at work in Liberia since the 1950s and began as a ministry of SIM (then Sudan Interior Mission).
Although ELWA offers quality care and has great plans for the future, the hospital is in dire need. With only 1 doctor for every 28,000 people in Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, ELWA is swamped with patients, and their limited resources are stretched thin. Hospitals of Hope is partnering with ELWA to help meet these needs. In the summers of 2010 and 2011, Hospitals of Hope sent volunteer teams to work at ELWA. In early 2011, Hospitals of Hope partnered with the Brother's Brother Foundation to send necessary equipment to the hospital.
Hospitals of Hope is also helping ELWA make plans to expand the existing hospital. The current ELWA Hospital was built in 1965 and is too small and out-of-date to meet the needs of the community.