Medina hospital donating ER equipment to health center in Virgin Islands

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 20 December 2019 at 1:07 pm

Medina site makes an upgrade and gives used glidescope to health center

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Kaitlyn Miller, Emergency Room director at Medina Memorial Hospital, and Emergency Room physician Dr. Joseph De James discuss the hospital’s donation of a glidescope to the Virgin Islands. De James has also worked for 19 years at a health center in the Virgin Islands, where he will deliver the medical equipment.

MEDINA – When the category five Hurricane Irma hit the Virgin Islands in 2017, many of the country’s health resources were destroyed.

Thanks to a doctor who works in the Emergency Room at Medina Memorial Hospital, a health center in the country will receive some much-needed medical equipment

Dr. Joseph De James, who not only works in the ER at Medina Memorial Hospital, has also worked at the Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center in the Virgin Islands for 19 years.

Recently, Orleans Community Health received a grant from New York State to purchase a new glidescope, which according to Cindy Perry, director of education, marketing and outreach, is a device used for airway management in emergency situations.

De James will deliver the donated glidescope to the health center in the Virgin Islands.

“It will be a lifesaving piece of equipment,” De James said.

Rebuilding the health system’s resources has been a difficult challenge for the Virgin Islands after the devastation left by the hurricane, the doctor said. Most of the economy is based on tourism that they are slowly rebuilding. After losing continual access to health care and support networks, there has also been a spike in ER visits. The donation of this equipment will help the residents of the island, as well as tourists, De James explained.

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