*2009 Humanitarian Relief in Sri Lanka From January to May 2009 violence raged in Northeast Sri Lanka, taking a heavy toll on the civilian population and displacing hundreds of thousands. IMHO responded quickly, allocating over $500,000 for various efforts to be implemented by local partners on the ground. These efforts involved giving milk powder, nutritional support, medications, mobile clinics, surgical materials & hygiene kits, psychiatric services, renovation of a maternity ward, support for displaced medical students, prosthetic limbs & physical rehabilitation, general children’s and orphan’s support, installing toilets, and drilling tube wells. What a difference this all has made in helping those at the ground to save lives and to improve the conditions and quality of life for those who survived this terrible tragedy.
PARTNERS (since 2004):
AmeriCares Batticaloa Cancer Society Batticaloa Medical Association/ Hospital Batticaloa Mental Health Development Org. Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies (CHA) Direct Relief International Eastern Self‐Reliant Community Awakening Organization Giving Children Hope Hindu Board of Education Jaffna General Hospital Development Association Jaffna Medical Association Lions Clubs Medecins Sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders) North Lanka Cancer Patient Welfare Assoc. Operation USA Sivapoomi Sivan Arul Illam /Thooku Sri Lanka Red Cross Tellipalai Mental Health Society
Support our Work IMHO needs your support. Please consider joining our team or making a contribution today. We need to sustain our ongoing programs, such as the mobile medical clinics, nutrition program, and future primary care centers, as well as continuing to respond to other needs & crises as they arise. You may donate:
The International Medical Health Organization (IMHO)
By Mail: send a check payable to “IMHO” to IMHO Treasurer, PO Box 60265, Staten Island, NY, 10306, USA. Online: Use PayPal to make an online donation. Go to www.TheIMHO.org Direct Debit: set up a recurring donation, the amount and frequency of which are up to you
You may also support our work by planning a fundraiser, turning a party or event into a fundraiser, donating your time or professional services, spreading the word about IMHO, helping us to network with foundations/NGOs/ corporations, etc. The possibilities are endless!
2381 Hylan Blvd., Suite 13B Staten Island, NY 10306 Phone: 718.667.3535 Fax: 718.987.6247 contact@theimho.org treasurer@theimho.org
www.TheIMHO.org
Strengthening Communities. Improving Lives.
About The IMHO IMHO was founded in 2004 in the United States, by health care professionals who recognized a desperate need in bringing health care to impoverished communities in lesser‐developed regions. IMHO is a registered tax‐exempt, 501(c)(3)non‐profit, charitable organization in the United States and is a registered not‐for‐profit organization in Canada. IMHO believes that an emphasis on primary health care is essential to improving the physical, mental and social well being of individuals and communities. IMHO responds to medical needs in crises and works to develop health care infrastructure and health services in underserved areas worldwide.
“ Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”—WHO *Nutrition OUR MISSION The International Medical Health Organization (IMHO) is an international humanitarian nonprofit organization. Our mission is to improve and develop health and health care infrastructure in under‐served regions worldwide.
OUR EFFORTS: *Primary Care At its core, IMHO’s main commitment is to improving primary health care. Over the years IMHO has constructed 3 primary care clinics in Sri Lanka, which have served thousands. IMHO has also supported mobile medical clinics across Sri Lanka and assists local hospitals and clinics in providing basic, essential medicines to poor patients who lack the financial means of paying for such medicines. Finally, IMHO supports local doctors, nurses, and health workers by providing incentive allowances and other general support for these persons to work in very remote and disadvantaged communities.
One of the most basic and critically important needs of those in marginalized areas is that of proper nutrition. As such, IMHO is committed to supporting the basic nutritional needs of those that are malnourished, especially women, children, and the elderly. IMHO works through local health authorities to supply free prenatal vitamins, milk powder, and nutritional support (including folic acid and iron) for underweight, pregnant women. Similar efforts have been supported in feeding children in special needs schools and orphanages, elders homes, and more. IMHO has also sent shipments of nutrition relief to IDPs and those affected by the 2004 tsunami, years of civil conflict, and other hardships. *Emergency Relief IMHO responds in times of crisis following natural and manmade disasters, having supported relief efforts throughout Sri Lanka, Burma, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Indonesia, the Philippines, and the United States. Partnering with local implementing partners in each country, IMHO helps to get survivors access to medicines, nutrition, health care, and other basic necessities.
*Hospital & Clinic Development Developing hospitals and clinics in underserved areas where facilities and qualified personnel are lacking has been a cornerstone of the IMHO. With the overarching goal of improving and developing the health care infrastructure in these areas, IMHO has supported a myriad of efforts in helping to improve facilities & resources, train and empower local doctors, staff, & students, and provide other forms of support as needed. One of IMHO’s strengths is that it can effectively respond to the immediate needs and requests of those on the ground who know the situation intimately. These efforts have cut across many fields, including anesthesiology, cancer care, cardiology, capacity building, endocrinology, nephrology, pathology, pediatrics, surgery, and much more.
*Mental Health
In communities that are often shaped by the struggle to survive and have basic needs met, mental health care is frequently overlooked. IMHO recognizes the need to invest in long‐ term mental health care services for those in need, having established mental health units and clinics, a long‐term care facility for women with special needs in Sri Lanka, providing general support and training for mental health workers and patients, and supplying other medicines and equipment as needed.