NIFA News: Supporting M2H more than ever!
To help bring Mission to Heal to the attention of more potential volunteers and donors in the upcoming year, NIFA has initiated a national campaign to highlight Dr. Geelhoed’s cause and encourage support from perioperative nursing community. Won’t you join us?
Mission to Heal News
Things are popping at Mission to Heal! Check out the many stories and photos on their website and Facebook page.
New CEO
The organization has brought on a new Chief Executive Officer, Bart Kruijsen, MBA. Bart is based in The Netherlands and has travel and work experience in more than 65 countries. His focus is advancing the legacy of Dr. Geelhoed into the organization, and he will also oversee the deployment and funding of the new Mobile Surgical Units in Africa.
2020 Missions Announced
Mission to Heal has announced its 2020 schedule of missions in Uganda, Kenya, Somaliland and The Philippines. Read more . . .
Documentary Teaser Available
When M2H went to Mongolia last year, they were joined by a documentary film crew, Maniglia Media, that had run their own Kickstarter project to pay for the filmmakers’ travel. The team gathered countless hours of valuable footage.
The 
resulting project is called: “Surgery on the Sixth Ring of Saturn.” It’s a film designed to bring awareness to the global healthcare burden by profiling Mission to Heal’s work and objectives. Now they are fundraising to finish the project! Click on the image at left to check out the film’s teaser, and visit the film’s website to learn more about how you can get involved.
Again, we hope you will consider volunteering with and/or donating to Mission to Heal.
Graduate Spotlight: Tina Modillas
This month we checked in with Cristina Modillas, a 2009 graduate of NIFA’s RNFA program and a hiker who loves to trek in third-world countries.
We profiled Tina in our December 2017 issue, after she had worked her first medical mission. Now she is part of the Mission to Heal team, in the role of Mission Lead, Asia, and we asked her the following questions:
Where and when was the last mission you served on?
The last mission I participated in and led was in October 2019 in Dingalan, Quezon Province, Philippines.
What are the responsibilities of the Mission Lead position?
As a Mission Lead, I am responsible for setting up and coordinating with our local host country. I also make sure that the Mobile Surgical Unit is up and running . . . make sure we have all the supplies that we need and, above all, make sure our volunteers are safe, amongst other responsibilities.
How do you feel about your new role?
Being a Mission Lead carries great responsibilities. Despite the high level of stress, the outcome of the things that we do to help the needy is very rewarding. I would like to take this opportunity to reach out to others by asking them to join us in our future missions.
Read more about Tina’s background here and learn about volunteering with M2H here.
Test your knowledge of Thoracic Surgery procedures with this month’s all-new crossword puzzle.
When you’re ready to check your answers, follow this link to see how well you did. Good luck!
NIFA – Office Hours
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Practice Resources
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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this newsletter are strictly those of their respective authors and do not necessarily represent the views of NIFA. NIFA does not give any express or implied warranty as to the accuracy of statements made by our contributors and does not accept any liability for error or omission. It is the responsibility of all perioperative personnel to work within and adhere to their facility bylaws and individual scope of practice.
Operating with limited supplies in a local clinic or in one of their Mobile Surgical Units (MSUs), as shown in the photo above, M2H works with local health care workers, helping them provide a higher degree of medical care and thereby improve their communities’ self-sufficiency.