Volunteers needed as Global Partners' Ethiopia relationship expands

Gundersen Health System's Global Partners program is expanding their partnerships in Ethiopia through the development of a new partnership with Dilla University and Dilla University Referral Hospital in Dilla, southern Ethiopia.

Global Partners is recruiting volunteers interested in making at least two trips over the next several years to help get these new partnerships off the ground. The program has plans to send a pilot volunteer team to Dilla in the fall.

Our partners in Dilla have prioritized three specialty areas* they intend to focus on, but Global Partners will be recruiting from a more extensive list (provided below) of specialty areas. Providers, nurses and support staff from these areas are needed.

• Biomedical engineers and maintenance of medical equipment*
• NICU Care*
• Emergency Medicine and Critical Care*
• Laboratory, microbiology and pathology
• Internal medicine and tropical disease
• General surgery, anesthesiology
• Ophthalmology
• Pharmacy
• Psychiatry, behavioral health

Dr. Ezana Ayele, president of Dilla University Referral Hospital, explains the positive impact that this new partnership with Global Partners will have on their university and hospital:

"Dilla University Referral Hospital is providing for care for a population of nearly six million, and it's the only site of practice for nearly 1,200 health sciences students. This planned partnership with Gundersen Global Partners will enable us to reach our goal of providing quality of care and health education, and further development of our staff's professional competency."

Liz Arnold, director, Global Partners, adds, "We are optimistic that this opportunity aligns well with Global Partners' focus on sustainability, as we will be able to do a lot more teaching and training of students and health professionals within this setting – as well as continue direct services like we did at Project Mercy (also in Ethiopia)."

Global Partner's commitment to Project Mercy will remain strong as they develop new relationships with the university and hospital in Dilla. Discussions are currently underway to determine when the next Global Partners team will return to Project Mercy, likely spring or fall 2020.

Those interested in volunteering should contact Global Partners at (608) 775-9883 or [email protected].