HealthCare Volunteer

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HealthCare Volunteer is a non-profit organization that connects volunteers with a health-related volunteering opportunity.[1][2] The organization provides medical, dental and surgical services to needy patients, and impoverished people worldwide, through indirect and direct patient-care programs.[3][4] The company also provides a social networking application, that allows health volunteers to connect with each other and create new volunteer teams. The organization has matched over 13,000 volunteers to nearly 2,100 organizations worldwide.[2]

[edit] History

Founded by Neilesh Patel, and Elliot Mendelsohn in November, 2005, HealthCare Volunteer has a large listing of health-related volunteering opportunities serving the non-profit sector.[2] Volunteers include physicians, dentists, medical students, and dental assistants, who donate their time to provide services including free surgery and dental care.[2] The organization has direct patient care programs in over 10 countries including India, Ecuador, Kenya, Tanzania, Liberia, Cameroon and Paraguay. In 2007, Patel was selected as a YouthActionNet Fellow in recognition of the organization's efforts.[5][6] In 2008, Patel was awarded the UCLA Charles E Young Humanitarian Award for his work in global health.

Patel and Mendelsohn have also established HealthCare Tourism International, the first non profit medical tourism accreditation service.[7] Patel started his first non-profit StudentsHelp.org (www.studentshelp.org) at age 17, which helped provide computer services and technical support to needy people around the world. http://www.studentshelp.org/student.html

[edit] References

  1. ^ PR Newswire (2007). Young Leader in United States Chosen to Receive a Global YouthActionNet Fellowship From the International Youth Foundation and Nokia. WorldNow and KRNV. Retrieved on November 11, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d YouthActionNet (2007). Neilesh Patel biography. YouthActionNet. Retrieved on November 11, 2007.
  3. ^ Medical News Today (2007). HealthCare Volunteer Launches Successful Health/nutrition Volunteering Pilot Program In Zimbabwe. MediLexicon International Ltd. Retrieved on November 12, 2007.
  4. ^ Entrepreneur27.org (2007). Interview with Neil Patel of HealthCare Volunteer. Entrepreneur27.org. Retrieved on November 12, 2007.
  5. ^ Nokia (2007). International Youth Foundation and Nokia honor 20 global youth leaders as YouthActionNet(TM) Fellows. Nokia. Retrieved on November 12, 2007.
  6. ^ YouthActionNet (2007). Winners of the YouthActionNet Awards, August 2007. YouthActionNet. Retrieved on November 12, 2007.
  7. ^ Molly Merrill (2007). First nonprofit medical tourism accreditation service launched. Health Care Finance News. Retrieved on November 12, 2007. The organization has gained attention, and Patel was recently quoted in the New York Times on the subject of dental tourism.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/02/07/fashion/07SKIN.html?scp=1&sq=neil+patel&st=nyt http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080303/LIVING02/803010311/1004/LIVING

[edit] External links