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international missions
As our world continues to become increasingly connected through globalization and technological advancements, many low and middle income countries have been left behind in the international community. Societies around the world have also seen greater socioeconomic and healthcare inequities — even in emerging market nations. Our role as a nonprofit organization allows us to bridge the gap between local community organizations and governments in order to better understand the needs of international communities left behind and deliver more efficient services accordingly. The Wealth by Health Foundation brings forth health care assistance across borders to areas experiencing substantial determinants to health.
OUR FOCUS
Our aim is to continuously provide impoverished populations with basic necessities and emergency aid and empower individuals and communities by equipping them with the necessary skills, tools, and resources to deal with and manage their own challenges. Our position in the global community is only possible through strengthened partnerships with local community organizations. While we spend many days during our mission trips rendering vital quality health services in areas of medical, dental, vision, and acupuncture (+ eastern medicine) to provide immediate relief for patients experiencing pain, we believe the greatest long-term impacts comes from educating the local medical community so that there could be a larger number of skilled healthcare professionals to cover the population’s health needs.
Specialized Healthcare Providers
In low income countries, nonprofit organizations are often rural communities’ only means of aid because of deficient government infrastructure and resources. The Wealth By Health Foundation leverages specialized knowledge from our team of healthcare providers and volunteers to attend to the needs of populations in international remote communities. Many of our healthcare providers have long established trusted relationships with governments and local community organizations of low and middle income countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar, and India. With this network of key actors who share a common vision, we are able to set strategic plans to increase vital resources for impoverished populations, find innovative solutions to tackle new challenges, and increase the capacity of rural communities to provide urgent care.
Oral Surgeon Dr. Jimmy Shern, DMD, welcomes the Cambodia Ministry of the Interior to learn about our dental operations.
Cambodia - Siem Reap - Bombpenh reach village
The Wealth by Health Foundation's ongoing partnership with the local community in Bombpenh Reach Village in Siem Reap, Cambodia allows our team of healthcare providers and volunteers to have an in depth understanding of the community’s underlying health issues, provide free quality health services, and improve the existing healthcare system through a variety of means. In our most recent visit to Siem Reap in 2019, we provided free dental, vision, and acupuncture treatments to 1,214 patients in Bombpenh Reach Village.
Children comforted with stuffed toys during a dental procedure.
School children arriving at Bombpenh Reach Village for dental treatment rendered by a Wealth By Health dentist.
The weeklong mission also involved equipping the local community with basic dental hygiene knowledge in order to achieve greater long term health impacts in the village. According to the World Health Organization’s Global Health Workforce Statistics, the number of skilled health professionals in Cambodia is well below the minimum threshold to sufficiently cover the population’s health needs. By continuing to educate the community with basic health hygiene and empower a greater number of local aspiring healthcare providers, we can improve the quality of life for more individuals below the poverty line.
india - sikkim - Zurmang Namgal tse monestary
Zurmang Namgal Tse Monestary in Sikkim, India
Dental team serving Tibetan monks in a pop-up facility at the Zurmang Namgal Tse Monestary.
Sikkim is a small Himalayan state in India situated on hilly terrain with poor transport infrastructure. Sharing international borders with Nepal, China and Bhutan, Sikkim is highly vulnerable to numerous transboundary diseases, especially from the transporting of animals for agricultural purposes, posing a higher risk for a number of health issues.
While the government works to build strengthen public programs, many challenges arise from a community accustomed to traditional systems. Wealth By Health Foundation works to facilitate greater progress in Sikkim’s health system by contributing our comprehensive up-to-date healthcare techniques, increasing access to vital medicines, and sharing knowledge through our specialized team of healthcare providers.
At the request of Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche, the monk at the Zurmang Namgal Tse Monestary of Sikkim, our healthcare team travels to India to bring medical, dental, vision and acupuncture services to the doorstep of the impoverished community in Sikkim.
In addition to providing immediate medical relief, it was also important for us to emphasize the importance of comprehensive healthcare in order to create informed citizens and local community health professionals to increase access to healthcare on the long-term. Local community members and health staff are able to learn about preventative health and shadow our licensed healthcare providers to expand knowledge on innovative medical techniques and disease prevention tips to implement in their community.
In our most recent mission in 2020, 1,045 patients received health checkups and treatments in areas of medical, dental, vision, and acupuncture.
2021 Myanmar Medical Mission
Sitagu Cakkhudana Hospital, Tharyarwaddy District
*postponed due to travel restrictions amid the pandemic*
The Wealth by Health Foundation’s healthcare team of physicians, dentists, surgeons, ophthalmologists, and acupuncturists will be visiting the Sitagu Cakkhudana Hospital in Myanmar to provide extensive care through comprehensive health checkups and up-to-date treatments in several health areas.
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Dental: dental hygiene education, dispensing toothbrushes and toothpaste, oral surgery, tooth extractions, dental restoration (fillings), teeth cleanings, and interim prosthetics.
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Vision: comprehensive eye examinations on patients of all ages, corrective lenses to patients with presbyopia and myopia, prescription sunglasses
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Eastern Medicine: acupuncture, heal medicine, massage therapy, utilizing a natural healing system to treat underlying physical ailments
Our physicians of different specializations carry out preventative health seminars and provide CPR training and certifications for individuals in the local community. Through clinical and academic exchange with local physicians, we hope to form lasting partnerships and build a more robust healthcare community in remote populations.
For individuals, corporations, or partners who would like to sponsor an international mission trip, please contact us at medicalmissions@wealthbyhealth.org for more information.