Vietnam

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RELIEF TEAMS
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Board of Directors
Chair: Brian Saunders, MD
Stephen Bickler, M.D.
A.C. D’Agustine
Harold J. Forney, M.D.
Lawrence Kohler
Susan Phife
Larry Saunders
A. Barry La Forgia

IRT Staff
Barry La Forgia,
Executive Director
Rose Uranga,
Director of Operations and Program Development
Susan Callahan,
Communications & Development
Tamra Amiram,
Program Assistant
Diana Starnes,
Administrative Assistant

Technical Advisors
Neonatology
Douglas N. Carbine, MD
Brian S. Saunders, MD
Judy C. Collier, RNC, MSN
Perinatology
Larry M. Cousins, MD
David B. Schrimmer, MD
Obstetrics
Christopher M. Lafferty, MD
Susan Faron, RNC, MSN
Midwifery
Kay R. Gilbert, CNM, Ph.D.
Public Health
Oliver J. Biederman, MD
Ophthalmology
Frank A. Scotti, MD
K. Victor Zablit, MD
Construction
Walter Butcher
Timothy Connole
Peter Dudley
James Schaible

IRT forms partnership with Project Vietnam Foundation to save Newborns in Viet Nam

IRT is joining with Project Vietnam Foundation (PVF) in a new training initiative to save newborn lives in Viet Nam.

The number of Vietnamese babies who die during their first year of life is alarming high - up to 64 deaths per 1,000 births in the rural areas. The largest contributor to these alarming figures is death that occurs during the first 28 days of life, and 2/3 of these deaths occur during the first 24 hours of life.

Vietnamese officials estimate that more than 40% of newborn death is caused by the inability of the baby to breathe. The training IRT can provide will enable doctors and nurses who deliver or care for newborns to effectively resuscitate a baby experiencing breathing difficulties at birth.

IRT will establish and equip 16 regional neonatal resuscitation training centers throughout Viet Nam. Each training center will have approximately 12 IRT-trained Vietnamese instructors, who will in turn train other practitioners who care for newborns in the provinces of their region. IRT plans to train a total of 192 neonatal resuscitation instructors throughout Viet Nam, which will provide full country coverage.

“IRT is using the same model that proved so successful in its medical training programs in Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania”, stated IRT’s Executive Director, Barry La Forgia. “Through its Project “Wellborn”, Project “Life Support”, and Project “Healthy Baby” programs in Eastern Europe, IRT has trained 565 instructors, who have trained nearly 13,000 of their colleagues to date”. These programs have led to significant reductions in mortality in these countries.

IRT is publishing in Vietnamese the textbook and training materials of the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP), with permission from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association. NRP is recognized as an international standard in neonatal resuscitation.

Project Vietnam Foundation (PVF) has been working in Viet Nam since 1996, and has established an impressive rapport and credibility with both national and provincial health authorities. PVF has focused its work on pediatric health issues, including neonatal skills training, in many of the provinces throughout the country. PVF’s long-standing presence in Viet Nam has greatly facilitated IRT’s ability to conduct this training program.

IRT’s neonatal resuscitation training program, called Project “Healthy Baby - Viet Nam”, will commence in November 2008. IRT plans to complete the neonatal resuscitation training by the end of 2010.

Project “Healthy Baby -Viet Nam” will save the lives of countless Vietnamese babies for years to come. Please click here to contribute to this vital program.