Written by Dr. Coleen Stice, MD Chairwomen of the GPiH Medical Committee
In September, the Agbelouve clinic in Togo received support from two U.S. teams dedicated to enhancing its surgical capabilities. Bill Wright from PowerQuest's specialized construction team arrived first, equipping the new surgical building and the existing clinic with state-of-the-art oxygen, electrical, and medical vacuum lines. This upgrade enables safer and more advanced surgical procedures.
The following week, Dr. Stice’s surgical team joined them, and both groups collaborated closely to finalize important project details. The surgical team, composed of Dr. Josh Urban (orthopedic surgeon), Dr. Roalene Redland (general surgeon), Annette Grosse-Rhode (surgical nurse), Erin Martin (orthopedic PA), Michaela Palensky (surgical nurse), Kyara Koehler (surgical nurse), Professor Toni Steward (surgical technician instructor), Sudah Agarwal, and Dr. Stice (plastic surgeon), accomplished an impressive array of tasks.
Together, they organized and inventoried supplies, assembled and sterilized surgical instrument sets, installed autoclaves, and set up oxygen and vacuum lines while training clinic staff in their maintenance. They also opened a resuscitation room, installed a new delivery table, consulted with Togolese Dr. Richard Simlawo on patient cases, and collaborated with his team in the clinic’s procedure room. Beyond their hard work, the team enjoyed trips to a local orphanage and shopping in Lomé, and they’re eager to return to Togo as soon as another trip can be organized.
This visit marked a meaningful step in strengthening the clinic’s services and ensuring higher-quality care for the community.
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