Gretchen Schulz Operations Manager Gretchen brings a passion for nonprofit work and looks forward to expanding her involvement with nonprofits both locally and globally. Most recently, she has interned with Jericho Road Pasadena, which focuses on nonprofit board development and organizational growth in the Pasadena area. In 2018, she graduated with a B.S. in Exercise Science from Azusa Pacific University. During college, Gretchen worked as a physical therapy aide as well as a research assistant within the university’s kinesiology department. Gretchen has also over 20 stamps in her passport, which she attributes… read more →
From Manhattan Island to the Bay Islands of Honduras: One Pediatrician’s Experience is a Study in Contrasts Upon arriving in Roatán to spend four weeks with Global Healing last January, Dr. Jamila Williams was struck by the beauty of the island. Surrounded by warm Caribbean waters and dotted with tropical hilltops, Roatán is the largest of the Bay Islands of Honduras, drawing tourists from around the world. In stark contrast to the lush surroundings, public health resources are extremely limited on the island, with only one public hospital and two public outpatient clinics for a population that can reach 80,000.… read more →
As soon as she met the neonatal nurses she would be training for the next two weeks at the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital (VNCH), Mary Le was impressed. In preparation for her second trip to Hanoi as a Global Healing volunteer in 2016, Mary had carefully prepared a lot of training material, including 15 slide decks. Not only had the hospital staff translated all of the training material into Vietnamese, they had also printed and bound it into books for each of the nurses who would be participating in the training. “I’d never seen anything like it,” Mary says. “Everyone… read more →
Update from February: Joel continues to have improving health with increased tolerance of activity and greatly improved breathing. He had been receiving nightly infusions of chelation therapy to remove excess iron from his body. His improvement is related to decreased iron deposition in his vital organs such as his heart and liver. Joel did have lymph node infections in his groin secondary to frequent needle placement in his thighs for the nightly infusion. Although Joel and his family were doing a vigilant job of placing the needle under clean conditions it is not surprising that infection was a risk without running… read more →
Her first morning in Roatán, Honduras, Lia Thompson stood on the island’s one paved road at 7 a.m. hailing a taxi. “I was a little overwhelmed at first,” Lia says with a laugh, “but it’s actually really easy. You just stand on the side of the road you want to go down. It’s a cool little island.” Soon enough, a cab came along and took Lia to the Roatán Volunteer Pediatric Clinic (RVPC), where she would spend the next five weeks as a Health Education & Advocacy Liaisons (HEAL) intern. A health science major at Furman University in South Carolina,… read more →
Find out what inspired Global Healing’s founder Jo Ann McGowan, and how one person can change the world through compassion and determination. Who was Jo Ann McGowan? Jo Ann McGowan was the founder and executive director of two nonprofit organizations located in Northern California, Heart to Heart International Children’s Medical Alliance and Global Healing. She dedicated the later part of her life to ensuring that no child would die from a treatable congenital heart defect, and her legacy lives on in the work of the organizations she founded. What inspired Jo Ann to take action? Jo Ann was inspired by… read more →
We started the year with great news. The latest generous donation by Helmer Scientific was delivered this past week to Tbilisi, Georgia. Helmer Scientific has donated multiple items of life-saving cold chain equipment as part of their corporate philanthropy program, “Chill the World.” This equipment is now helping make safe blood accessible and is increasing the number of blood products the Jo Ann Medical Center (JAMC) Blood Bank in Georgia can store. JAMC now has the capability to perform more cardiac surgeries and provide additional lifesaving treatments for children in need. “Helmer Scientific is pleased to partner with Global Healing… read more →
As we gear down from our trip to Honduras this past week, we want to introduce you to an incredible man working to provide pediatric surgeries in Roatán, Honduras, an island where much of the population has scarce resources and limited skilled medical attention. It’s a tragedy when children don’t have access to timely surgical care when there is a need. Fortunately, there are people who are working hard to change this. Pediatric surgeon Dr. Enrique Tomé is one of those people. He supports the amazing work done by other Global Healing volunteers by performing surgeries on an average of… read more →
Global Healing: looking to 2018. It’s Halloween, so we’ll come out and say it: change can be scary. Here at Global Healing and at our program sites around the world, lots of changes are underway. Rather than spooked, we’re excited for what’s to come. You will be, too, when you read about the new people, practices and projects we’re involved with into next year to improve care for children and mothers worldwide. NEW PEOPLE From the tiniest of patients to new mothers, our team of committed volunteers prepare local medical staff to provide healing care to children and mothers in… read more →
Our Fall 2017 Newsletter celebrates the generosity of our volunteers and supporters. As a result of their selfless acts of giving, better healthcare is available to children and mothers in need. These stories are a small way to share our gratitude for their work. Read on to learn about their impact: View on Mobile Device>>