——————————————————————————————————————————————————–

(Above) Each of the 5 days of the surgical mission Pat would greet each patient for their eye surgery and enter their infomation into their chart.

NAME AND MISSION JOB TITLE:
Patricia Morris
Administrative Assistant for Cataract Surgical Mission, Ecuador 2018

SHARE THREE WORDS TO DESCRIBE YOUR WORK 13 MONTHS INTO THIS PANDEMIC:
Supportive, Restorative & Creative

ONE SUGGESTION TO ALL OF US FOR HOW WE CAN SUPPORT UNDERSERVED AND HARD HIT COMMUNITES AROUND THE WORLD:
Brainstorm on ways to support the providers and facilities that serve the underserved virtually.
Invest in technology to facilitate virtual learning. Employ train the trainer models when able to travel again. This to edify the local providers and  build infrastructure virtually coach” live” thereafter.

As we give thanks for all we have this holiday season, we are aware of how devastating 2020 has been for so many people worldwide. It has been frustrating for Sights on Health not to deliver medical care in person despite the need being so great. We are working to find ways to assist those in need despite not being able to travel. This Gift Giving Tuesday, our nonprofit organization is raising funds to support Navajo Nation, the largest reservation in the U.S.A. stretching across 27,000 square miles into Arizona, Utah and New Mexico.

Click here to donate

The Navajo community has been hard hit by the pandemic:

• In May their community surpassed New York state for the highest Covid-19 infection rate in the USA.  Navajo had 2,304.41 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people at its peak in May, compared to the New York state rate of 1,806 cases per 100,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
• Since the pandemic began until November 22, the Navajo Nation has had 15,374 cases out of its population of 173,667 from the 2010 census with more than 600 deaths.
•  In New Mexico- Native Americans account for 23% of Covid-19 cases, 41% of Covid-19 deaths even though they compose only 10% of New Mexico’s population.
• A recent surge in positive cases forced the Navajo Nation to go on lockdown for three weeks until December 6.
• Despite the Nation having 25 healthcare facilities, plus two recently built alternative care sites at emerging hot spots, and motels in border towns serving as isolation options throughout the pandemic, patients are being discharged earlier than medically recommended due to lack of hospital beds. 
• For more details view PBS NewsHour 11/25/20 Navajo nation’s Health Care System Strained by Covid-19 here.

Sights on Health is working directly with Navajo Nation’s Health Command Center in Window Rock Arizona to purchase pulse oximeters and ship the devices in December for immediate use. Case management teams will distribute them to people with active COVID cases so they can self-monitor their oxygen saturation levels.

One unit costs $35.00

Please consider purchasing one or more devices as holiday gifts for special people in your life. Your gift will make a real difference in someone’s life. (100% of your donation will go towards the purchase of the device)

Click here to donate

Should your donation be a holiday gift in honor of a friend or family member, click here to download/print the gift card below.

Imagine 3,576 healthy tasty meals appearing day and night in various New York area ICUs, emergency departments and hospital floors overflowing with critically ill covid-19 patients and their hardworking caregivers. We hope you can because that’s exactly what you were a part of!

When you answered our call and gave so generously to our special fund drive you became a part of a support system unprecedented in our New York area.  Together we raised more than $24,000!  Sights on Health Inc is so grateful to have you as part of our team for this amazing effort. Every single delivery of meals, sometimes 170 at a time, was gratefully, sometimes tearfully, received by our frontline heroes. This initiative also provided local restaurants with a source of revenue during these difficult financial times.

Sights on Health has provided the following number of meals (breakfast, lunches, dinners):

• NYC HHC Elmhurst Hospital 995 meals
• NYC HHC Queens Hospital 830 meals 
• Mount Sinai Queens, Astoria 150 meals
• NYC HHC Henry Carter, Manhattan 106 meals
• NYC HHC McKinney, Brooklyn 120 meals
• NYC HHC Coler, Roosevelt Island 170 meals
• NYC HHC Gouverneur, Manhattan 176 meals
• NYC HHC Coler, Roosevelt Island 170 meals
• NYU Langone, NYC 120 meals
• Mount Sinai South Nassau Community Hospital, Oceanside 100 meals
• Mather Hospital/Northwell Health, Port Jefferson 313 meals
• Stony Brook University Hospital 30 meals
• Southside Hospital, Bayshore 120 meals

We count YOU among our most vital supporters and partners as we vow to continue to serve our patients through our medical & surgical missions in the near future and our Frontline Healthcare Heroes. Follow Sights on Health on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updates.

 Critical care physicians @ Elmhurst Hospital, Queens, NY

NYC Health & Hospital @ Elmhurst Hospital, Queens

Dr. George Coritsidis
Dr. Saad Bhatti
Dr. Christina Rager
Bindu Rai, R.N.
Kristina Kordesh N.P.
Brian Delaney R.N.

Mather Hospital/Northwell Health, Port Jefferson
Dr. Joseph Ng
Kenneth Roberts

StonyBrook University Hospital
Julia Colmenares, N.A.