Ukraine

I am on the train about to enter the Ukraine.  We spent the the last 2 days in Krakow as the team gathered.  I found that I had previously deployed to Haiti with Doug, a PA and one of the team members.  Humanitarian response can be a small community.  It is great to see someone that you have worked with previouslly. Leanna is on her third deployment to the Ukraine. Mishel is a PA who was born in the Ukraine and moved to the US as a child.  Liubov is our Ukrainian team coordinator and has lead many teams for the Global Care Force.  A great team.

I should elaborate some on the Global Care Force.  This is another organization which was started by Gary Morsch (as was Heart to Heart International).  While both provide humanitarian care to those in need, they do it in different ways.  Heart to Heart International does it through provision of medications, hygiene kits and medical care for those affected by disaster or disease outbreaks.  But they don’t provide care in conflict zones.  Global Care Force does provide that care in those conflict zones.   While I was the Chief Medical Officer of Hear to Heart International, I felt uncomfortable in working with another humanitarian care organization in the same area that Heart to Heart was operating.  Now that I am retired from Heart to Heart, I felt comfortable in volunteering with Global Care Force in the Ukraine.  They are both great organizations, they just do things in different ways.

One other thing that is kind of nice about deploying with the Global Care Force, I have no other explicit responsibilities than to provide excellent patient care for those who are affected by this war.  And that is kind of a refreshing change.  Thanks for following along with me on this journey.  God bless.