Bridge of Life – DaVita Medical Missions Partners with DaVita NephroLife & HBS Trust to Increase Access to Dialysis Care in...
October 08 2013 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
Bridge of Life – DaVita Medical Missions™, a nonprofit
organization dedicated to expanding dialysis and kidney care in
underserved communities, is excited to announce the completion of
its recent medical mission in India to upgrade the capacity of two
dialysis clinics with the support from local partners, India-based
DaVita NephroLife® and Human Benefit Services (HBS) Trust.
Bridge of Life first worked with HBS Trust in 2008 to deliver 19
dialysis machines and establish two new dialysis clinics in the
Rajasthan cities of Jodhpur and Phalodi. HBS Trust continues to
operate the clinics and ensures their sustainability by subsidizing
treatment for people who otherwise would not be able to receive
dialysis. Today, half of the machines initially installed have gone
offline – either worn out due to heavy use or broken with no
technician available for repairs.
Bridge of Life partnered with DaVita NephroLife to evaluate
existing equipment, identify and source new equipment, and provide
local and responsive support while saving Bridge of Life the
expenses normally used to send volunteers overseas.
Four volunteers from DaVita NephroLife oversaw the delivery and
installation of 10 machines, six of which were donated to Jodhpur
and four to Phalodi. Kishore Thomas, DaVita NephroLife’s clinical
service specialist, provided updated clinical and biomedical
training.
"Bridge of Life and DaVita NephroLife have been outstanding
partner organizations,” said Sachin H. Jain, who helped create the
dialysis program at HBS Trust. “They have committed to real
capacity-building through deep knowledge exchange and equipment
donations. Our joint efforts to expand access to quality dialysis
services in India is making a significant difference to the lives
of patients every day."
“NephroLife and HBS Trust are saving lives by making treatment
possible for patients who otherwise would have no options,” said
Lori Vaclavik, Bridge of Life’s executive director. “We would not
have been able to complete this medical mission without their
assistance and expertise.”
The new machines have increased the clinics’ current treatment
capacity, and now 15 additional patients who otherwise would not
have had other treatment options are able to receive care.
“Patients are happy with the great help and services available
to them because of Bridge of Life,” said Girdhari Singh Jakhar, a
registered nurse at one of the facilities. “The number of patients
who can now receive care and treatments has risen.”
On October 2, the Rajasthan state government in India
implemented a new initiative that provides dialysis at no cost to
every patient at government-funded facilities, which will result in
further increases in treatment capacity at these clinics.
About Bridge of Life
Bridge of Life – DaVita Medical Missions, originally founded by
DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc., is an independent 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization whose mission is to help improve kidney
health and save lives by bringing treatment, education, and hope to
underserved communities around the world. As of August 31, 2013,
Bridge of Life has conducted 31 Medical Missions in 11 countries,
installed or repaired 184 dialysis machines, trained more than 400
kidney care professionals, and increased the capacity of clinics to
provide an estimated 105,000 treatments to more than 1000
additional individuals per year. For more information about the
organization, please visit www.bridgeoflifemm.org.
About DaVita NephroLife
DaVita NephroLife is a partnership between DaVita Inc. and
NephroLife Care (India) Pvt. Ltd. that offers India's
first-of-its-kind renal disease management centre for Acute,
Chronic, and End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). DaVita NephroLife
brings together expertise in Nephrology, Dialysis, Urology,
Vascular Surgery, General Medicine, Psychology, Diet &
Lifestyle Management and Diagnostics. DaVita NephroLife also
operates two other centres in Chennai at BRS Hospital, Nungambakkam
and Kumaran Hospitals at Poonamallee High Road, which are part of
its network of 11 centers across 6 cities. DaVitaNephroLife.com
About Human Benefit Services Trust
Human Benefit Services (HBS) Trust, and its US-affiliate
International Human Benefit Services (IHBS), are independent
nonprofit organizations whose common mission is to build
sustainable health care, education, and social services
infrastructure in Rajasthan, India. Founded in 1979, the
Trust's operational entities include a 100-bed rural hospital;
mobile community-based health services; a K-10 school system; a
women's empowerment program; and dialysis centers. The trust has
successfully partnered with other global NGOs such as Bridge
of Life – DaVita Medical Missions; SightSavers International;
Medical Missions for Children; Share and Care Foundation; and
others to fulfill its mission of enhancing life in underserved
areas of Rajasthan, India. For more information contact:
shjain@post.harvard.edu.
Bridge of Life – DaVita Medical MissionsCommunications:Stephanie
Bertsch-Merbach,
303-876-6631Cell: 701-640-4930stephanie.bertsch-merbach@bridgeoflifemm.org
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