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13 НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ • Липень-Cерпень 2022 weakest,” she says. A trip to Poland would not be the first time she had engaged in a humanitarian mis - sion – she has conducted several medical missions in marginalized villages and orphanages throughout Ukraine. During her most recent trip, Lisa volunteered most of her time in a massive refugee transit center in southern Poland. Everyone, from Polish President Andrzej Duda to ho - tel receptionists and Uber drivers, refers to Ukrainian refugees as “guests.” The support of the Polish gov - ernment and people has been immeasurable in aiding war-struck Ukraine. Along with Canadian and Polish officials, International Medical Relief (IMR) and World Central Kitchen stepped in to help operations in transit centers. “They are not trying to reinvent the wheel,” says Lisa in describing the operations of IMR in Poland. “They come in and serve under the direction of existing healthcare systems.” IMR is an international non-prof - it, non-governmental organization based in Colorado that provides free health and dental care worldwide. Volunteers have carried out missions in 78 countries and provided disaster relief in 19. Anyone would imagine a space with the capacity to host more than 10,000 people to be bustling and loud. At the time Lisa was there, more than 7,000 ref - ugees were present – but they were so shocked and withdrawn that the center wasn't very noisy at all. “It was not like I would expect or have ever seen in the U.S., for sure. And that will just always resonate with me,” Lisa added as she described the amenities and services that were available to Ukrainians there. From comfortable places for children to play and study to a well-stocked pharmacy, the Polish government had organized and was running the center with astonish - ing complexity and scale of operations. Lisa’s team included medics, nurses, dentists, and oral surgeons of all ages and from across the U.S. who worked long 12-hour shifts side by side. A team of vol - unteer interpreters helped them. As the only Ukrain - ian-speaking medical staffer, Lisa had the unique experience of learning many of her patients' stories first-hand. Learn more about her experiences and stories on our website: http://unwla.org/news-an - nouncements/lisa-prytula-medical-relief-for-dis - placed-ukrainians/. Many of the refugees crossing the border had quite serious or chronic conditions but had to travel any - way – their families could not leave them behind. Among the acute medical conditions treated were respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses. Cases of pneumonia, bacterial and viral infections, and bron - chitis called for antibiotic treatment. Because people endured horrible conditions hiding in their cellars be - fore traveling to Poland, there was a lot of dehydra - tion, diarrhea, vomiting, and weight loss. Some had been on their journey for many weeks before they got to Poland, suffering injuries and wounds along the way. Medical care on the road wasn’t available to everyone, and some patients had infected wounds that needed to be cleaned and packed. Because the clinic had a well-stocked pharmacy, med - ics were able to restart individuals on medications that they may have been taking at home. Lisa noted that many of her patients felt renewed once they re - started their meds. From new glasses to a new supply of glucose strips for diabetic patients – every small step brought medical relief to those in acute crises. The healthcare center where Lisa volunteered served patients of all ages, from two-month-old babies to people well over 90. Some women even learned about their pregnancy in the refugee clinic. “We were delivering some beautiful news at probably the hard - est time of their lives. There were many newborns, infants, and breastfeeding moms,” says Lisa. Her team worked hard to move mothers and their babies into hotel rooms. “We wanted those babies out of there, to protect them from respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses, which would be devastating to a newborn,” she adds while acknowledging how wonderfully the community and hotel management responded by aiding young mothers. Both government and individual efforts continue to help Ukrainian refugees. The fastest and most flexi - ble way to support these efforts is to donate money. Lisa concluded her presentation with gratitude to her healthcare colleagues, friends, family, and other indi - viduals who have generously donated over $20,000. These funds helped purchase medications and med - ical and other much-needed supplies for the Ukrain - ian community in Poland. Lisa recommends focusing on raising funds for other necessary equipment – for example, UNWLA’s drive to supply Ukrainian hospitals with much-needed wound vacs and external fixators. “I saw many examples of unsolicited medications and supplies that were expired or weren’t useful, like an entire crate of extra-large latex gloves. This really just clogs the supply chain. Ukraine and the EU have ad - vanced healthcare systems. And they have very rigor - ous standards, just like we do in the U.S. So, to best support humanitarian aid and relief, let's not send un - solicited supplies and instead think about how we can raise more money.”
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