Planned Activities

• To continue building and developing the Pak Koh Health Center.  The immediate goals are;

1. To build the ground floor of the clinic complete with 7 new rooms (estimated cost of 1.5 million Thai Baht - $42,875 CDN)
2. To build a new Dental Room complete with 2 dental chairs and portable X-ray on the 2^nd floor (estimated cost of 2 million Thai Baht - $62,500 CDN)
3. To continue developing the HELP House for HELP volunteers
4. To continue furnishing the Pak Koh Health Center with updated diagnostic and treatment instruments and medical devices

• To continue to provide medical and dental services at the Pak Koh Health Center, with Thai MD's and DDS's accompanying our medical and dental volunteers.  2008 will continue short-term trips of 1-month every 3 months, and the goal is to have a resident physician providing free medical services for an entire year starting January 2009  (see "Volunteering")

• To provide Automatic Electronic Defibrillators, complete with advanced CPR training for the 5 larger Health Centers in the Takuapa region of Phangnga and 1 for the Takuapa Emergency Vehicle.  Dr. Allan Holmes, an emergency room physician from Vancouver Canada, who owns and operates Global Medical Services (www.global-medical.ca), will lead Dr. Gurdev Parmar in this objective.  In addition, Chief ER nurse and CPR expert from Takuapa Hospital, Ms. Chunya Kanchanakun will assist in this training objective.

•  To provide MOBILE medical and dental services in conjunction with local MD's and DDS's for the region; servicing remote areas of Phangnga that otherwise receive little medical attention.  HELP Foundation will await recommendations from PPPHO in regards to which areas require these mobile medical services, and what medical services and educational projects are most needed.  It has been suggested to HELP Foundation by PPPHO and Takuapa Hospital Director that this is a major need and would be most helpful.

• In order to accomplish all these goals H.E.L.P. Foundation will be working on new fundraising projects including  its 3rd annual fundraiser to support our ongoing efforts and planning for the future visits of other volunteer healthcare practitioners.

• In late 2008, the H.E.L.P. Foundation will launch its inaugural Disaster Medical Management Program - the first of its kind available to Canadian physicians.  The faculty will include Drs Karen and Gurdev Parmar, naturopathic physicians qualified as trainers for Basic and Advanced Disaster Life Support (BDLS and ADLS).  Dr. Allan Holmes, an ER physician who owns and operates Global Medical Services will teach the Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS).  Dr. Dave McCann, also an ER doc with lots of disaster and emergency procedures experience will round out the core faculty.  Lecturers will also be brought in to help the core faculty teach some of the basics in tropical medicine.  Brigades of volunteers who have completed this training program in Langley, BC will then complete the hands-on practical applications at the H.E.L.P. Foundation Clinic on beautiful Kho Khao Island, in Thailand.  Physicians who attend will be completely capable and ready to provide community leadership in any disaster, anywhere