On January 28, a Canvasback ENT team led by Dr. Jim Reese from Sonora will be flying to Chuuk where they will work for two weeks. The team will consist of six other members, including Dr. Jim Sadoyama, audiologist Donna Reese, physician's assistant Buk Manson, and nurses Helen Lowenberg and Shelley Gunther.

Canvasback worked from 1992-95 in the Chuuk islands, providing medical and dental care to the isolated outer islands, and ophthalmology and orthopedic work for the hospital on Weno. Most recently, the Canvasback team made a 3-day stop in Chuuk and provided $115,692 worth of eye services, including cataract surgery, argon laser treatment, and dispensing of eyeglasses.

This is a seasoned ENT team that has served before in the islands. In 1997, the team worked on the islands of Kosrae and Pohnpei, providing $158,055 worth of services. In two weeks, the team screened 274 patients, did audiogram testing and performed  42 surgeries, including 15 tympanoplasties to repair perforated ear drums. In the U.S., Dr. Reese performs one or two of these in a month; in the islands he was performing up to four per day.

In a recent e-mail from Chuukese medical officer Kino Ruben,  he stated, "We have some IV liter solutions, but I am not sure the medical store room people will let us use (this) for irrigation, especially after we were out of IV solutions for many months this year and last year . . . We have only one operating table available at this time. The other one is broken. Many of the anesthesia meds are either out, expired, or might not be enough by end of January (promethazine, atropine and muscle relaxants like tubocurare).  We do not have a respirator in Chuuk."

Canvasback's ENT team is busy gathering supplies and equipment for the work. Everything that will be needed for the surgeries and post-op will have to be taken over with them.  We would also like to leave medicine and equipment for the hospital. Desperately needed are:

100 bottles cortisporin suspension otic drops
bp/temp monitor
pulse oximeter
sinus endoscopy equipment (wizard micro dissector and associated instrumentation)
drill and burs for otologic surgery

Please contact us if you can help with supplies and if you are interested in volunteering for the next ENT team. 

Jacque Spence

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