Serving At The Crossroads

Press Release	February 6, 2008
Prepared by: Serving At The Crossroads 809 General Cornwallis Dr. West Chester, PA 19382	Press contact:  Mike Tysowsky (610) 692-5211 e-mail: mtysowsky@verizon.net

SERVING AT THE CROSSROADS RECEIVES PRAISE FROM LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

Lietutenant Governor Catherine Baker Knoll presented a citation to the Board of Directors of Serving at the Crossroads at her office in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg, PA.  It was given in recognition of the service provided by the West Chester based organization, which runs a medical clinic in the Copan region of Honduras that is focused on children, women of child-bearing age and their families.  SATC has built multiple partnerships in the country, including establishing a medical network, a concept unknown in this part of the country.  Bob Sumner, president of the Board of Directors, said “asking for help or seeking support for a community initiative from others is not something the Hondurans are accustomed to doing.”

The Lieutenant Governor cited the great social needs required by folks caught up in the cycle of poverty, both here at home as well as in many of the emerging nations in Central America.  She was “gratified to see the all-encompassing strategic approach taken by Serving at the Crossroads and the involvement of many groups and organizations from Pennsylvania participating in this philanthropic effort.”

The clinic provides the community of La Entrada de Copan with treatment and medications at little or no cost to the patient.  Since opening its doors in 2005 the clinic has treated more than 20,000 patients, many of whom live on less than $2.00 per day.

Jodi King, the group’s theology adviser and social justice advocate, pointed out “it is necessary to look at the big picture, like pieces in a jig saw puzzle and to identify the activities and pieces required for developing micro-enterprises and finding ways for mothers to have jobs so they can afford to buy high protein food for their families.  In a country like Honduras, Dr. Pete Thompson, a West Chester dentist and member of the Board of Directors, said “there has to be more to quality of life like having dreams and sharing them with your family rather than having wrinkling skin and losing your teeth as you age because you live in poverty.”

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Press Release	February 6, 2008
Prepared by: Serving At The Crossroads 809 General Cornwallis Dr. West Chester, PA 19382	Press contact:  Mike Tysowsky (610) 692-5211 e-mail: mtysowsky@verizon.net

SERVING AT THE CROSSROADS RECOGNIZED BY STATE SENATE

The Pennsylvania State Senate formally recognized Serving at the Crossroads and lauded their efforts to provide medical care for the poorest of the poor in Honduras. Senator Andy Dinniman and Dominic Pileggi introduced the bill that praised the group for establishing a medical clinic in the town of La Entrada de Copan in the western part of the country. This is an impoverished area of the world recognized by the United Nations as medically underserved.

Serving at the Crossroads is a non-denominational charitable organization headquartered in West Chester that initiates projects and programs to help relieve the pain and suffering of the poorest of the poor in Honduras.  Five of the group’s Board Members traveled to Harrisburg and were introduced to the full Senate on January 29 where they received applause and accolades for their good works.  In his introduction, Senator Andy Dinniman said “these are the people from Chester County who have taken their skills and talents to a place in the world where people with little contact outside their rural communities and limited resources dared not hope for what they thought was impossible to obtain – medicines and medical attention for their families.”

In a little less than three years, the clinic has received more than 20,000 patient visits.  It provides examinations, diagnoses, treatment and medications at little to no cost to its patients.  The clinic focuses at the current time on episodic care for children, women of childbearing age and their families.  The group is currently treating two out every five people in La Entrada – a community of almost 30,000 inhabitants who reside in the hills and barrios adjacent to a crossroads that intersects with the Pan American Highway.  Taking its name from this road junction, SATC is expanding its medical services with the construction of a new, state-of-the-art clinic that will provide not only medical but dental, opthomologic and auditory services.

Unlike groups supporting brigades that send doctors to a country for one to two weeks and then return home, SATC has built sustainability into its approach by establishing a permanent clinic staffed with community doctors.  “We believe in empowerment and enabling the local physicians and dentists to run the clinic and to follow methods and approaches that work best for their communities” said Dr. Mike Tysowsky, SATC’s Board Chairman.  “SATC’s role is to provide the means - supplying money, medicines and equipment to allow them to achieve positive outcomes based upon a strategic plan.”

According to Dr. Bob Sumner, the President and founder of SATC, “Even though the initial thrust is on medicine and healthcare, the job we have to do is more than just medicine.  We also need to find ways to break the cycle of poverty by creating other opportunities, because if we don’t, we will simply have just more sick people.”

Serving at the Crossroads is looking for partners to help share in their vision and who are willing to explore cross cultural understandings needed to bridge the gap between those who have been blessed with abundance and those who have great needs, but are too proud to ask for help.

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  Press Release                                               Contact:  Mike Tysowsky
Serving at the Crossroads                                (610) 692-5211

Manos Amigas Clinic Recipient of Award for Medical Assistance to Barrios of La Entrada

Manos Amigas de Honduras is the recipient of an award from the Institute for Technology in Health Care, a foundation based in Washington, DC, for their work in using technological applications to benefit patients at their healthcare clinic in La Entrada.  The award was presented by Dr. Michael Tysowsky, chairman of the Board of Directors for Serving at the Crossroads, a charitable organization from the USA and sponsor placing the clinic in competition for the award.  The presentation was made at the Project Honduras Conference in Copan Ruinis.  This prestigious award carries with it a certificate of accomplishment and a cash prize of $1,000 (US).  Dr. Tysowsky said “it brings great satisfaction to SATC in seeing their Honduran partner rewarded for their creative efforts in making certain that healthcare reaches into every barrio of La Entrada.” He added that “seeing physicians give their own free time, working at the clinic and serving without pay, is recognition that they are truly doing God’s work.”

The award, given in recognition of an innovative solution at the clinic in solving a patient care problem with the aid of computers, was accepted by Dr. Sonia Bustamonte, president of the Board of Directors of the foundation, Manos Amigas. This award is provided in memory of Julian R. Caceres, who was the First Ambassador of Honduras to the USA, and his wife Mariana.

The award is made on the basis of a project or effort that demonstrated, practical and appropriate application of engineering, computers or technology for the solution of a problem in clinical patient care.  The award goes to recipients who are innovative, creative and committed to fundamentally improving the health and well being of the world's population.

Nearly 18 months ago, Manos Amigas opened a medical clinic in the community with one doctor and healthcare workers who went up into the barrios to conduct an enquire or survey.  In introducing themselves and the clinic, they identified people who were too poor to provide for their own medical care.  They registered the number of respective family members, their illnesses and those who were incapacitated at the time because of their medical condition.  They collected patient medical histories, created computer databases, and provided patient access cards for treatment at the Manos Amigas clinic.

Dr. Bustamonte remarked that “it seemed like just yesterday when we opened the clinic doors and now we have five doctors who volunteer, serving without pay to relieve the pain and suffering of patients in the community.  So far we treated more than 10,000 people at our clinic.”  She said that “a new, modern clinic with more medical equipment will be built soon on property the foundation owns near the edge of town that will relieve some of the crowded conditions and offer additional services like dentistry and eye examinations.”

Accompanying Dr. Tysowsky in the presentation was Dr. Robert Sumner, President of the Board for Serving at the Crossroads, who told Sonia he was certain “if Mariana & Ambassador Caceres were here today, they would be very proud of your record of accomplishment.  So it is with great honor and heart felt thanks I give this award to you on behalf of the Institute for Technology in Health Care, recognizing the benefits that you and your organization unselfishly bring to the community of La Entrada.”

 

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