Vol. 10, No. 2
June, 2000
Longer-Lasting Implants Used for Total Hip Replacement
Brachytherapy Service
Expands to New Island Hospital
Brachytherapy Expertise Benefits Patients at Winthrop’s Affiliate
New Technology Reduces Pain of Tonsillectomies
Tips for Safe Use of Insect Repellent Containing DEET
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
for Six-Bed Vascular Stepdown Unit
Children’s Health Services Program:
A Wealth of Information and Referrals
Pediatricians on Medical Mission to El Salvador
Stereotactic Technology System Expands the Parameters of ‘What is Operable’
Stroke Team Offers the Latest Treatments
Team Provides New Seizure Control Procedure
for Children
MRI Unit Receives Three-Year Accreditation from the American College of Radiology
Emergency Department Receives Adelphi University Award
Ultra-fast, Multi-slice CT Scanner Installed in Radiology Department
Installation of Winthrop’s Auxiliary Officers
Lita Reilly Elected Auxilian of the Year
Annual Junior Volunteer Awards Ceremony
Focus on Home Care:
Care without Compromise Comes Home
In the Swing of Things
Child Life Program Expands Hours and Services
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Neerja Khaneja, DO, pediatric resident at Winthrop,
examines small boys in rural El Salvador.
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 his past winter, a group of 12 members of Winthrop's Department of Pediatrics, part
of the Institute for Family Care, spent a week in El Salvador, where they provided medical care
to children in rural villages, toured a children's
hospital to learn more about the Salvadoran healthcare system, and forged bonds with their Salvadoran colleagues which they hope will foster future
collaboration.
Four of the traveling Winthrop pediatricians are natives of El Salvador. Their families in San Salvador, the capital city, generously provided lodging to the Winthrop delegation. Each day, the
doctors set out for remote villages where mothers and fathers, babies in arms, and small children in tow, lined up and waited patiently to have their children examined
and treated.
Christine Cerniello, DO,
pediatric resident at Winthrop, comforts a hospitalized
baby in El Salvador.
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"We had an enthusiastic response to the trip and even had a waiting list of residents wishing to join us," said Warren Rosenfeld, MD, Chairman, Department of Pediatrics. "I am proud that they gave of themselves."
In return, Dr. Rosenfeld said the physicians had a chance to have a unique medical experience.
"We had the opportunity to bridge the gap that exists in access to healthcare for residents of rural communities in El Salvador," Dr. Rosenfeld explained. "We also learned about the local healthcare system, and saw children in the hospital with illnesses that are treatable and in some cases,
preventable here in the United States."
Significantly, Dr. Rosenfeld believes the participants gained a sense of perspective that will carry over into their professional and personal lives. "In our day-to-day lives, we all have the ability to find fault with our system," he noted. "Traveling to a place where access to basic preventive care is lacking for so many people puts our health system into
perspective."
Warren Rosenfeld, MD, Chairman of Winthrop's Department of Pediatrics, unloads boxes of
medications donated for
distribution in El Salvador.
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The Winthrop mission was underwritten by the pediatricians with support from private sources. Catholic Charities donated 700 pounds of medication. Winthrop
voluntary physicians Steven Perrick, MD, Gerald Ente, MD, and Winthrop researcher Santiago Schwartz, PhD, also donated medication. UNICEF and the Pediatric Society of
El Salvador helped coordinate the contingent's
visits to various villages.
"This was our second healing mission to El Salvador. We are excited about working with our Salvadoran counterparts and look forward to helping them obtain Internet access, provide specialty consultations, and arrange for them to receive necessary medical equipment," Dr. Rosenfeld noted. "We hope to continue to partner with them in an effort to reduce some of the barriers that prevent children from getting the healthcare they need."
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