Surgical Mission Trips

Global Surgical and Medical Support Group (GSMSG.org) Aids Ukraine with Medical Mission Trips to Lviv, Ukraine

At the request of Dr Aaron Epstein, President of Global Surgical and Medical Support Group (GSMSG.org), a leading NGO currently very active in Ukraine, three surgeons (Ginzberg, Holcomb and Wolf) traveled to Liviv Ukraine and worked with the civilian Emergency Clinical Hospital. GSMSG has sent teams of civilian doctors, nurses, and ancillary healthcare providers who are mostly prior US Special Operations veterans to conflict areas around the globe since 2015 often to support US Department of Defense teams on the ground. They have been in Ukraine since day 2 of the war and have trained > 5000 civilians and military personnel in Stop the Bleed and Tactical Combat Casualty Care. Our team traveled from across the US and met in Rzeszow, Poland, where we then traveled by van to cross the border into Ukraine arriving in Lviv Ukraine.

During this mission, we gathered information and evaluated the needs of Lviv Emergency Hospital and a local burn center which serves as a large and high acuity safety net hospital for the entire country of Ukraine. After initial care in the east they receive complex civilian casualties for definitive care. While in Liviv we rounded on injured patients, went to the Operating Room, gave lectures, (in person and via zoom) as well as discussed administrative details regarding mass casualty triage, equipment and staffing. Dr Wolf went to the local Burn center and rounded on patients. During this time we met with the Chief of Surgery (Dr Hnat Herych), the Chief of Anesthesia and Critical Care, (Dr Natalia Matolinets ) the CEO (Dr Oleg Samchuk) and his staff, as well as the Mayor of Liviv (Andriy Ivanovych Sadovyi), the Ukrainian Minister of Health (Dr Viktor Liashko) and the European WHO Director (Dr Hans Kluge).

In addition to discussing their specific equipment needs, the Hospital CEO specifically requested further lectures focused on lessons learned in Combat Casualty Care, as well as establishing a visiting surgeon program whereby trauma surgeons experienced in combat wounds from the US would spend up to 2 weeks at a time sharing their experience with the clinicians working in Liviv.

After evaluation and extensive discussion, we agreed on establishing the following:

1. Development of Telemedicine infrastructure and consultative services for the region to expand as necessary throughout the country, eastern front hospitals, and clinics that are still standing. Teledoc Corp. has donated multiple telemedicine and video conference units ready for deployment currently located in Zywiec Poland. This capability will first be used for the series of lectures organized by Dr Roxie Horbwyj and Dr Warren Dorlac. This can rapidly expand to use in the OR and ICU to facilitate care of complex individual cases.

2. Utilizing the Security, logistics, and administrative support in Ukraine by GSMSG teams, establish a 2 week rotation schedule with Trauma Surgery, Orthopaedics, and Burn Surgery. GSMSG have located housing and personnel to support this mission. Surgeons have volunteered and are ready to deploy.

a. These senior surgeons will also assist as requested in administrative and systems processes.

3. GSMSG needs 450,000 to fund travel, room and board to support a 6 month mission for the personnel required to safely accomplish this effort.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Enrique Ginsburg, MD, Professor of Surgery, University of Miami
John Holcomb, MD, Professor of Surgery, University of Alabama
Stephen Wolf, Professor of Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch
Aaron Epstein, MD. President, Global Surgical and Medical Support Group

For more information contact Dr. Holcomb at jbholcomb@uabmc.edu

Team departure dates (via Poland to Ukraine)

Team4 10-Jul - 25-Jul
Team5 24-Jul - 8-Aug
Team6 7-Aug - 22-Aug
Team7 21-Aug - 5-Sep
Team8 4-Sep - 19-Sep
Team9 18-Sep - 3-Oct