Service above Self: The Partnership to Save lives

We in Georgia believe, as many people throughout the world also do, that a child is truly a gift from God. Doctors have taken a Hippocratic oath to provide competent, compassionate care and to preserve human life. This commitment to protect the health of patients is dependent not only on the best infrastructure and medical equipment, but is also incumbent upon the most skilled and dedicated personnel.

A partnership was established in the spring of 2015 involving the following key players: 1) “A Call to Serve” (ACTS) International, a humanitarian and development organization based in Columbia, Missouri, and the first international organization to come to Georgia in early 1992 after the collapse of the Soviet union, 2) The University of Missouri School of Medicine, 3) the Georgian Medical Association, 4) the Rotary Club “Columbia Rotary South” District 6080 Missouri, USA, and 5) the Rotary Club “Tbilisi International” District 2452, Georgia. With our country’s love of children and the partnership’s advocacy to help save the lives of newborns, it was a natural collaboration as the partnership became fully established in Georgia.

The partnership developed an exceptional Vocational Training Team (VTT) pilot program called, “Breathing Life into Georgian Babies.” This particular program was one of the first maternal and child health training programs headed by the Rotary International as a VTT Program worldwide: it allowed the 9 Kvemo Kartli hospitals to train and equip their physicians and nurses in a special life-saving program for newborn babies called the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP). The NRP sets the international standard for excellence in the care of newborn babies within the first two minutes after birth. It is in these two minutes (120 seconds) that rapid, well-coordinated action by trained physicians and nurses can save a baby’s life if he or she unfortunately has a poor transition from womb to the outside world and struggles to breathe.

In order to improve the quality of perinatal services, the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia initiated the process of Perinatal Care Regionalization in 2015. This initiative also involved ACTS International, lead by its President, Patricia J. Blair, M.D. and the Rotary Club Tbilisi International VTT. This multi-disciplinary alliance helped to support the assessment of nine maternity wards in the Kvemo Kartli region and provide standardized training for neonatologists, nurses obstetricians, and midwives of these facilities from 2015 to 2016: a remarkable total of 172 medical personnel were trained.

In June 2017, the VTT of the University of Missouri School of Medicine John Pardalos, M.D., Medical Director of the University of Missouri School of Medicine Neonatal Department and Medical Transport Team; Teresa deLima, Nurse Practitioner; and Harrison Smith, Respiratory Therapist) traveled to Georgia to continue the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) trainings and launched new post-resuscitation / pre-transport stabilization (S.T.A.B.L.E) program trainings. This educational program provides general guidelines for the assessment and stabilization of sick infants in the post-resuscitation / pre-transport stabilization period. The S.T.A.B.L.E. program is designed to provide important information about neonatal stabilization for maternal/infant healthcare providers across all settings; from community hospitals and birthing centers, to emergency rooms and higher-level care hospitals. A uniform, standardized process of care intertwined with a comprehensive team approach can significantly improve the infant’s overall stability, safety, and health outcome.

A total of 116 medical personnel in Kvemo Kartli and Tbilisi received training in the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) and S.T.A.B.L.E program.

During their visit, the VTT members held meetings with representatives of the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia and with Tbilisi State Medical University officials to discuss the future cooperation and support of the state medical transport system and to develop a curriculum for the respiratory therapist training program for the neonatal intensive care unit.

Neonatal mortality still remains a significant health problem in Georgia, mainly as a result of three pathologies: complications of preterm birth, birth asphyxia, and newborn infections. There is an urgent need for improvements in antenatal care and neonatal resuscitation as well as in the timely detection and treatment of complications such as preterm births, birth asphyxia, and infections. Neonatal mortality is affected by the quality of in-hospital care for the infant. Skilled medical personnel are paramount for successful neonatal healthcare outcomes. Therefore, providing baseline and continuing training on an ongoing basis and translating and publishing the program is absolutely vital to our Georgian children and children throughout the world.

The S.T.A.B.L.E Program Learner Manual book has already been translated into the Georgian language by the Rotary Club “Tbilisi International” with the generous support of the program author Kristine A. Karlsen, PhD, APRN, NNP-BC and ACTS International President Patricia J. Blair, M.D. Translation will be reviewed with all key stakeholders and is intended to be published in early 2018.

To support the above training program, please consider making a donation to the Rotary Club “Tbilisi International” (Liberty Bank):

GE22LB0115132518739000 GEL

GE92LB0115132518739001 USD

GE65LB0115132518739002 EUR

David Kvirkvelidze M.D., Rotary Club “Tbilisi International” P.P.