ENGEYE HEALTH CLINIC IN UGANDA CELEBRATES THIRD YEAR BY ISSUING SECOND NEWSLETTER

The Engeye Health Clinic in Uganda celebrated its third year of existence by issuing its second newsletter, and there is much to celebrate. 

During the clinic’s first three years, it has:

• Brought healthcare to a village in Uganda that had no medical resources,
• Empowered a local Ugandan team of one doctor, two nurses, a pharmacist and a clinic manager
• Hosted five medical teams of doctors, nurses, residents and medical students,
• Treated over 13,500 patients.
• Put shoes on the feet of over 900 children,
• Brought electricity to Ddegeya Village for the first time, allowing for improved healthcare and communication,
• Partnered with New York’s Union College to host two select recent college graduates for nine month rotations, and
• Constructed and equipped a laboratory to perform a variety of tests including malaria strain detection.

Engeye has welcomed three new members to assist the clinic in improving medical care and business operations.  Dr. Carlos Elguero, a dynamic family physician and assistant professor at Albany Medical College (AMC) in New York, is fine-tuning the protocols and algorithms guiding daily medical decisions in order to raise the clinic’s standard of care. Jay Shah, a medical student at AMC with an MBA in health care management, is reaching out to various institutions and organizations to help streamline Engeye’s business operations including grant opportunities and finances.  John Leisure, a marketing specialist for Charles Schwab and Fulbright Scholar, is Engeye’s new creative director, advising Engeye about all marketing activities, including presentations, information management databases, networking opportunities and overall organizational development.

The Engeye team that participated in the February 2009 mission to Uganda opened the doors to the official Engeye diagnostic laboratory and successfully established relationships with the Ugandan Ministry of Health, Uganda CARES, FINCA International and RHSP (Rakai Health Services Program).  Bryan Meltz, a documentary and editorial photographer based in Atlanta, Georgia, traveled to Uganda with the February 2009 Engeye team to document work in the clinic.  See her pictures at:   www.bryanmeltz.com.

The Engeye Scholars program (www.engeyescholars.org) was started in 2008 by Theresa Weinman and Elaine Pers Hickey in order to enrich the lives of children in Ddegeya Village through education.  Theresa was a member of the February 2009 mission to Uganda and was able to tour the schools, meet with school representatives and meet all of the Engeye Scholars personally during the mission trip.

Two Union College Minerva Fellows, Stephen Po-Chedley and Rebecca Broadwin, worked at the Engeye Clinic for a year and perfected the clinic’s ability to harness the energy of solar panels.  Steve and Becky returned to their lives in the United States in April 2009.  Two new Minerva Fellows, Monica Rowett and Tom Perry, are now in Uganda to contribute to the growth of the Engeye Health Clinic and help the Ddegeya community to thrive and eventually become self-sustaining.  The attached video was made by Steve.

Misty Richards, a member of the Engeye board of directors, is a fourth year PhD/MD student at AMC and a Fulbright Scholar who is spending a year doing research in Japan.  Misty was inaugurated as the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) National Student President in March 2009 at the National Conference in Williamsburg, Virginia.  Dr. Joia Mukherjee, an internationally known humanitarian, was the keynote speaker at the conference, where Dr. Stephanie Van Dyke, Misty Richard and Anny Su delivered an Engeye presentation that was prepared by John Leisure and Bryan Meltz.  The American Women’s Hospital Service (AWHS), a program within AMWA, has agreed to cover the salary of the Engeye Clinic’s nurse on an ongoing basis, which translates to $170.00 a month.  For more information, visit:  http://www.amwa-doc.org/.

Please visit this site to see the newsletter: 

http://www.engeye.com/pdf/Engeye_Spring09_Small.pdf

About the Engeye Health Clinic

The Engeye Health Clinic is located in Ddegeya Village in southern Uganda. The main clinic building and two volunteer houses were constructed during the summer of 2006 with funds from an inheritance from the grandmother of Engeye Health Clinic’s co-founder, Dr. Stephanie Van Dyke. Habitat for Humanity builder Gary Arnold, several volunteers, and at least 50 local villagers joined Stephanie for the initial ground-breaking and construction. John Kalule, a native Ugandan, co-founded the Engeye Health Clinic, and manages the daily operations of the Clinic.  The word Engeye means "white monkey" in Luganda, an official language of the country, and is John’s family clan name. Dr. Carlos Elguero, Dr. Stephanie Van Dyke, Jay Shah, John Leisure, Misty Richards and Anny Su comprise the board of directors for the 501(c) (3) tax deductible, nonprofit organization.  For more information, visit:  http://www.engeye.org/.