ASCP Foundation Helping to Rebuild Labs and Lives in Puerto Rico
CHICAGO (PRWEB) September 21, 2018 -- A year ago, Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico, making it one of the worst disasters in U.S. history. Maria led to an estimated 2,975 deaths in Puerto Rico. Today, medical laboratory professionals and pathologists there are gradually rebuilding their lives and labs, thanks in part to continuing support from the ASCP Foundation.
ASCP members have responded generously to several appeals from the ASCP Foundation to support rebuilding Puerto Rico’s health care system. “We are deeply grateful to all those who answered our call for support,” says ASCP President James Wisecarver, MD, PhD, FASCP. “Much more help is needed. We urge more pathologists and laboratory professionals to join us in this relief effort.”
Ines Barreto, MLS(ASCP)CM, vividly recalls the night before the hurricane, when she and her colleagues remained at their hospital in Carolina, Puerto Rico. “The hospital was on lockdown for four days,” she says. “The first night, I was able to make contact with my family. From inside the hospital, we could not see all that was happening outside. The next day, I was talking with my niece and we lost communication.”
“We didn’t know about (our) families. No communication. That was the hardest part,” she says, tearfully.
The morning after Hurricane Maria struck, Lurmag Orta, MD, FASCP, surveilled its devastation from her balcony in San Juan. Knowing her patients needed laboratory testing, she sent desperate pleas to several U.S.-based pathology and laboratory medical organizations.
Over the past year, the ASCP Foundation has responded to the call, delivering medical supplies and support to members of the laboratory team in Puerto Rico, including
• biopsy needles
• syringes
• disposable gowns
• safety needles
• 65 emergency relief grants to ASCP laboratory professionals and pathologists
We can’t thank our donors enough for their past support. Yet, much more help is urgently needed. Please consider giving to the ASCP Foundation’s General Fund today, and offer hope to the citizens of Puerto Rico tomorrow.
One hundred percent of all donations to the ASCP Foundation go to member programs and services. All personnel and administrative costs are made possible with the generous support of ASCP. Give now by visiting http://www.ascp.org/foundation.
About ASCP
Founded in 1922 in Chicago, ASCP is the world’s largest professional membership organization for pathologists and laboratory professionals. ASCP provides excellence in education, certification, and advocacy on behalf of patients, anatomic and clinical pathologists, and medical laboratory professionals. To learn more, visit http://www.ascp.org. Follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ascp_chicago and connect with us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ASCP.Chicago.
Susan Montgomery, ASCP, http://www.ascp.org, +1 312-541-4754, [email protected]
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