Hospitals Of Hope

          Fire & Rescue squad in action wearing gear donated by Satanta, Kansas Fire Department and Hospitals of Hope.                 Responding to an accident on Oct. 24, 2009.           Members of the Emergency Unit in front of the hospital.           The inauguration of the Emergency Base. Fire & Rescue squad in action wearing gear donated by Satanta, Kansas Fire Department and Hospitals of Hope.

The winding mountain highway leading from Cochabamba to La Paz, Bolivia sees many accidents.  Unfortunately, it frequently takes an hour and a half for help to arrive at an accident scene, since the police and fire stations are all located within the city itself. Even when emergency personnel arrive, few of them have appropriate training in trauma care, meaning that accident victims lose precious time waiting for treatment.  

Our hospital, on the outskirts of the city, is close to the scene of most of these accidents, and we have developed a partnership with the local police and fire departments. The Brigada de Rescate y Extricacion en Carretera (Highway Rescue and Extrication Brigade), or BREC, is located on the hospital grounds, ensuring that emergency personnel can reach accident scenes more rapidly. This group, which consists of firemen, rescue personnel, and paramedics, is the first, and only, of its kind in Bolivia.

To further improve emergency care, Hospitals of Hope has donated equipment for use by emergency personnel, such as spine boards, fire hoses, and a jaws of life—only the third set in a city of 900,000.  We have also completed training sessions in emergency care for the local police.

Unfortunately, in mass-casualty events like bus accidents, our few ambulances are not enough.  We have just sent two more ambulances to serve at our hospital, and we have plans to send another.  But we need your help to do this.  Donate now to help cover the cost of repairing and shipping this ambulance.