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Dr. Bauzá and Department of Surgery staff prepare to pack up a conference room table full of donated supplies to be sent to Puerto Rico |
Staff in the Department of Surgery, led by faculty member and Puerto Rico native Graciela Bauzá, MD with the help of staff coordinators Lisa Streb, Phyllis Baska, and Susan Massaro, worked together to collect and donate much needed supplies to hurricane victims on the island. The group prepared and sent care packages supplies containing items such as toiletries, baby wipes, over the counter medications, and first aid supplies to communities in need who lost everything.
This project was just one of several ongoing humanitarian projects in the department to help Puerto Rico and one of numerous projects that are part of a larger effort led by a group of Puerto Rican physicians (and non-physicians) in Pittsburgh (listed below). The medical team has been working with the group “Pittsburgh Stands with Puerto Rico” to provide assistance and medical supplies via connections with the local charities Global Links and Brother’s Brother Foundation. Their donations have helped Puerto Rican hospitals and clinics such as ASEM (Centro Medico)-Pediatrics, Obstetrics, Trauma University Hospitals, San Jorge Children's Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bayamon Regional Hospital, Dentistas Misioneros de Puerto Rico, Clinics-Salud Integral de La Montana, and ProHealth Vieques y Culebra. In addition, members of the team have all led separate efforts in their respective departments and communities to send much needed items to different areas.
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Supplies from the Pittsburgh Surgery group successfully arrive in Puerto Rico where residents could collect needed items |
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Pittsburgh-Puerto Rico Humanitarian Medical Team
Graciela Bauza, MD (UPMC Trauma Surgery)
Belinda Rivera, MD (UPMC Critical Care Medicine)
Tamara Feliciano, MD (Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC (CHP), Pediatric Gastroenterology)
Lilinete Polsunas, MD (Combined Pediatric/Anesthesiology Resident, CHP)
Maricel Castaner, MD (Radiation Oncology, Allegheny General Hospital)
Christopher Emond, MD (Tri-State Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, Inc.)
Viviana Ferrer-Medina, PsyD (Carnegie Mellon University, Psychology)
Efforts are ongoing as there is still a lot to rebuild. Those interested in helping may do so via numerous organizations working with the medical team:
Caravana NaviDar
Brother’s Brother Foundation
Global Links
Pittsburgh Stands for Puerto Rico
United for Puerto Rico
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Pittsburgh Stands with Puerto Rico has collected and sent at least three planes full of donated goods to Puerto Rico |