INSIDE
CALIFORNIA UNIVERSIT Y Volleyball & Football
PAGE 6&7
Steve Labate’s Experience PAGE 10 Soccer Dominates
PAGE 11
Get to know your Vulcans PAGE 12
CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
OCTOBER 7, 2011
VOL. 31, NO. 7
Cal U makes birthing kits to save lives in Africa By Lisa Pfaff Staff Writer
African nations consist of twenty-eight of the top thirty countries in the world with the highest infant mortality rates, according to the CIA World Factbook. The African country of Angola has the highest infant mortality rate in the world, at nearly 176 per 1,000 live births. Poor birthing conditions do not only affect children, but also contribute to maternal mortality rates. Professor Suzanne Palko and Dr. Cheryl Hettman, chairperson, department of nursing, are working to keep infants and new mothers alive and healthy in economically developing nations of Africa through the Birthing Kits Project at California University of Pennsylvania. “It is estimated over half a million people die from infection each year due to unsanitary birthing,” Prof. Palko said. The two faculty members are involved with an international non-profit organization called Zonta. The organization is a philanthropic opportunity for professional and businesswomen working to advance the status of women worldwide. “Our Zonta Club of Washington County as well as other Zonta chapters are doing a birthing kits project, so we felt it would be a great thing to take to our campus,” Dr. Hettman said. Each kit is enclosed in a quart sized zip lock bag that contains plastic sheeting to provide a clean birthing surface, cord that will used to tie the umbilical cord, a single edge razor blade for cutting the umbilical cord, gauze, soap, and latex gloves to aid in a clean delivery. All of the materials for the kits were strictly donations. “The need is so great in third world and developing countries that we can appreciate how difficult it must be for women to give birth in these conditions,” Dr. Hettman said. Another university faculty member, Adraine Howell, provided a monetary donation through the non-profit organization, “Black Diamonds,” to purchase umbilical tape for the kits. Various local hotels, including Double Tree Hotel at the Meadow Lands, donated a large amount of hotel sized
Photo courtesy of: Dr. Cheryl Hettman Student volunteers assemble birthing kits in the Natali Student Center on Oct. 4. The “Birthing Kits Project,” to benefit infants and mothers in the economically developing nations of Africa, was organized by Prof. Suzanne Palko and Dr. Cheryl Hettman, chairperson, department of nursing, for Zonta International.
bars of soap for the kits. Over 150 faculty members, students, and other volunteers, including members from the Zonta Club of Washington County, participated in the fundraising event. Even the children in the California University campus daycare got involved by doing a fundraiser to donate bars of soap for the kits. “Eighty six percent of women that deliver in the world give birth in a developing country. Many will give birth in the dirt, on the side of the road. By putting together small quart sized bags, it is amazing that these kits, costing less than a cup of coffee, will help prevent infections and death,” Prof. Palko said.
Continued on Page 2
Photo courtesy of: Dr. Cheryl Hettman Cal U faculty, students and other volunteers gather in the Kara Alumni House on Oct. 1 to package birthing kits to be sent overseas. Volunteers at Cal U assembled nearly 700 kits for the initiative.
F O R N E W S , S CO R E S , A N D V IDEO ON DEMAND, VISIT THE C AL TIMES NEW S SITE ON-LINE - WWW.C ALTIMES.ORG