Health Volunteers Overseas

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Health Volunteers Oversea is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization with the aim to improve the health care of developing countries by training and educating local health care providers. ^[1]

1 History
2 Today
3 References
4 External Links

[edit] History

The idea for the organization began with an article published in the December 1984 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association by Dr. Ralph Crenshaw, a Portland, Oregon-based private practice doctor. In the article, Dr. Crenshaw urged fellow medical practitioners to "make a substantial difference to your colleagues in developing countries." In 1986, the Orthopaedics Overseas Board of Directors became the first division of the newly created Health Volunteers Overseas. A group of anesthesiologists went to Ethiopia for the first volunteer trip later that year.

Since then, the organization has sent more than 6000 health volunteers overseas to 25 developing countries in Africa, Latin America, The Caribbean, east and South Asia, Oceania and Eastern Europe. ^[2].

[edit] Today

Health Volunteers Overseas receives funding from private sources including many health professional organizations such as the American Dental Association and the American College of Physicians, individual and corporate donors. The organization's 2006 budget was more than $8 million. That year, 427 volunteers conducted assignments in 25 different countries. Volunteers train and provide mentorship to local medical practitioners in a variety of medical techniques. Volunteers also occasionally donate and provide training on equipment and medications. ^[3].

Health Volunteers Oversees works with local medical practitioners in the following countries: