Thank you from the medics at the Regional Pediatric Infection Diseases Hospital in Saratov
Children’s Hospital #2 in Voronezh received 100 hazmat suits for health workers, sponsored by the RCWS
Installing donated equipment at the Tolyatti Children's Hospital No. 1
Donated equipment for the Regional Children's Hospital in Yekaterinburg
Photo credit: Rusfond. Coronavirus
COVID-19 Russia Relief Fund
In spring 2020 in response to the epidemic, RCWS established the COVID-19 Russia Relief Fund to help save young patients, protect medics treating infected patients and to equip hospitals with critically needed protective gear. Due to new waves of pandemic during 2021 and 2022, our partner Rusfond recommended new requests from the pediatric hospitals and assisted with delivery of medical equipment and supplies to approved hospitals.
RCWS sponsored the purchase of 100 hazmat suits for medical personnel at the Children's Hospital #2 in Voronezh (totaling $13,800). During March-May 2020, 80 children diagnosed with COVID-19 were treated at the Children’s Hospital #2 in Voronezh. The youngest patient was 4 month old.
With our donors support, in spring 2020 RCWS transferred $16,955 to help the following three hospitals: the Regional Children's Hospital in Yekaterinburg, the Tolyatti Children's Hospital, and the Regional Pediatric Infection Diseases Hospital in Saratov.
The Regional Children's Hospital in Yekaterinburg is a large multidisciplinary complex, with a capacity of 727 beds. Annually over 18,000 children and 6,500 women are treated at this hospital, over 3,500 surgical inpatient procedures are performed, and 130,000 children receive consultations. In 2010, the Perinatal Center was launched, delivering an average of 5,000 babies annually. Over 5,000 children with bronchopulmonary diseases are observed and treated at the hospital each year. Thanks to our efforts, the hospital received the Airvo2 system delivering oxygen and respiratory support to patients, totaling $5,724.
The Tolyatti Children's Hospital No. 1 is a multidisciplinary medical facility with 308 beds, treating up to 10,000 children annually. The hospital has 12 departments, including Pulmonology and an ICU. To help stop the spread of COVID-19, the hospital has requested five healthcare facility air re-circulation UV irradiators to disinfect the air, as well as 630 29-oz skin antiseptic units with dispensers, totaling $5,623. The requested equipment was delivered and installed.
The Regional Pediatric Infection Diseases Hospital in Saratov provides diagnostics and treatment of children with acute respiratory and airborne infections, among others. The hospital needed re-usable FFP3 respirator masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect their health workers. The 530 re-usable FFP3 masks (totaling $5,608), were sponsored by the RCWS and delivered to the hospital.
With a surge in the coronavirus cases in Russia, including the more contagious Delta variant, the RCWS continues to assist the regional pediatric hospitals in need of equipment and supplies to help save young patients and protect medics treating infected patients.
In May 2021, RCWS allocated $4,898 to the Tolyatti Children’s Hospital #1 in Samara Region towards the following equipment: 1 defibrillator to run the electrocardiogram tests and provide emergency assistance; 1 infusion pump for medicine dosing and administration; 3 metered dose infusion sets; 20 nebulizers for inhalation procedures; 1 electric mucus suction pump for sputum removal from the respiratory tract. Tolyatti Children's Hospital #1 is a multi-disciplinary 24-hour hospital with a capacity of 308 beds providing medical care to over 10,000 children annually. Tolyatti Children’s Hospital #1 designated 40 hospital beds for treating children with pneumonia and infected with COVID-19.
As part of the COVID-19 Russia Relief Fund in spring 2021 the RCWS provided $5,675 towards a steam autoclave for medical waste recycling and utilization at the Children’s Hospital #2 in Voronezh.
In May 2021, RCWS awarded $4,729 to the Children’s Clinical Hospital in Kazan towards 1 video laryngoscope; 10 pulse oximeters to measure blood oxygen level; 10 nebulizers for inhalation procedures. The Children’s Clinical Hospital in Kazan provides medical care to over 840,000 children living in the Republic of Tatarstan.
Republican Children's Clinical Hospital, Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan Annually about 20,000 children are hospitalized, over 65,000 children receive consultations and approximately 6,000 surgeries are performed at the Hospital. The Hospital is assisting newborns with low and extremely low body weight. Due to a sharp surge in COVID-19 cases, the Hospital asked for assistance in purchasing two pharmaceutical refrigerators (for storing medications for patients with coronavirus infection, as well as blood products and substitutes), bactericidal recirculator to disinfect the air in the wards and stop the spread of infection (the hospital building is old and all the rooms are multi-bed: designed for a large number of patients with parents), oxygen humidifiers to facilitate respiratory function, as well as pulse oximeters to measurer blood saturation. In 2021, RCWS awarded $7,000 to the Hospital to cover 2 pharmaceutical refrigerators, 9 Bactericidal irradiators for air recirculation Dezar-3, 4 Bactericidal irradiators Dezar-7, 10 Oxygen humidifiers, and 30 Pulse Oximeters.
Regional Children's Clinical Hospital, Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Region The Hospital consists of 44 specialized medical departments with capacity of 660 beds, including 6 intensive care units, and provides specialized medical care to children and women in labor of the Sverdlovsk region and the Ural Federal District. The Hospital urgently needed the infusion pumps to equip the intensive care units and treat patients with coronavirus infection. Infusion pumps are used for long-term accurate administration of microdoses of medication. In 2021, RCWS awarded $7,000 towards 3 Infusion Pumps for the Hospital.
Voronezh Regional Children's Clinical Hospital #1, Voronezh The hospital includes 18 departments, treating more than 19,000 patients a year from the Voronezh and neighboring regions. In September 2021, the hospital urgently opened a 160-bed unit for patients with COVID-19, accepting children ages 3 and older. To ensure adequate quality of care with the increasing flow of patients, the hospital required oxygen concentrators for patients in need of oxygen support. In 2021, RCWS provided $7,000 to cover 4 Oxygen concentrators, 12 children’s oxygen masks, and other medical supplies.
In 2021, RCWS allocated a direct donation of $15,000 from GlobalGiving for the COVID-19 Russia Relief Fund towards the requests from three pediatric hospitals:
Medical Research Center for pediatric hematology, oncology, and immunology named after Dimitri Rogachev , Moscow - $4,964
Pediatric Clinical Center named after K.A. Rauchfus, St. Petersburg - $5,067
Children's Hospital #1, Kazan - $4,969
Irkutsk Regional Children's Clinical Hospital, Irkutsk Due to the continued spread of coronavirus infection, the Irkutsk Regional Children's Clinical Hospital requested equipment to disinfect the air, provide personal protective equipment for doctors and antibiotics to treat patients. In 2022, RCWS allocated $4,795 towards the two Air recirculation machines, 400 FFP2 masks, 170 SARS-Cov19 Express test, and antibiotics.
Psychoneurological Hospital for children with damage to the central nervous system and special needs, Moscow The hospital provides assistance and on-site consultations to children's clinics, orphanages, specialized preschool institutions and school-orphanages of the Moscow region. The hospital urgently needed additional supplies for administering the COVID-19 tests. In 2022, RCWS allocated $3,225 to cover 150 SARS-CoV-2 testing reagents.
Regional Children's Clinical Hospital, Department of Palliative Care, Rostov-on-Don, Rostov region Children with the most severe diagnosis are being treated in the Department of Palliative Care. To minimize the risk of spreading the coronavirus infection and assist children with severe complications due to COVID, the Department needs gloves for medical professionals and catheters. In 2022, RCWS awarded $2,150 to cover 4,000 medical gloves and 3 Central Venous Catheters.
Children's Clinical Hospital, Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan The hospital is a large medical center with a capacity of 700 beds. Annually about 20,000 children are hospitalized, more than 6,000 surgeries are performed, over 65,000 children receive consultations. The hospital also assists newborn children with pathology of the respiratory system with very low and extremely low body weight. To treat such patients, the hospital required inhalation therapy equipment: nebulizers with a pediatric adapter and a control unit regulating the inhalation time. In 2022, RCWS awarded $4,830 towards 2 Nebulizer AeronebPro, 2 Control units with a limitation of inhalation time AG-AP 1500-IN for a nebulizer. Approximately 600 children a year will benefit from this project.
Children are at greater risk for severe complications from COVID-19 than previously thought. Among the young patients are also children from the local orphanages.
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“GIVE BEAUTY BACK TO THE CHILDREN” - PEDIATRIC MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY FUND
Thousands of Russian children are burdened by unsightly facial deformities as a result of congenital defects, tumors, cleft lips, cleft palates, and other traumas. Only several hospitals in all of Russia have specialized surgeons to undertake cases that often require a series of surgeries and highly advanced medical technology. Consequently, treatment is often a luxury, few families have access to even when it is a dire necessity for a child’s physical and psychological well-being.
The Russian Children’s Welfare Society has been involved in several medical assistance projects helping to properly equip hospitals, promote training of Russian doctors in the latest medical advancements, and treat children in need.
In 2010, RCWS launched “Give Beauty Back to the Children,” in partnership with Professor Vitaly Roginsky, Head of the Moscow Center for Maxillofacial Surgery (MCMS) and Lev Ambinder, Head of the Russian Aid Foundation (Rusfond). MCMS is one of the most innovative facilities in Russia providing treatment and rehabilitation for children with facial deformities.
Thanks to the join efforts of Rusfond, MCMS and RCWS, the “Give Beauty Back to the Children” program has forever altered the lives of over 2,200 children suffering from facial deformities. In 2020 through this partnership we assisted 82 children, in 2021 RCWS assisted 79 children and in 2022, through our partnership with the MCMS and Rusfond, RCWS assisted 97 children from low income families and orphanages in need of complex maxillofacial surgeries. The average cost per surgery is in the range of $2,500-$5,000. Thanks to our donors’ support and the help of advanced medical micro technology, Professor Roginsky and his staff have witnessed the transformation of as a result of these surgeries.
To learn more about Professor Roginsky and his remarkable medical career, please click here.
We would like to share few stories of little patients whose lives have been changed thanks to this project.
Damir, 8 years old
Diagnosis: Multiple congenital malformations: median cleft, hypertelorism, heart disease, kidney duplication, hypoxia lesion of central nervous system.
Damir’s parents, a young couple could not be happier when the ultrasound showed that they were expecting twins. Unfortunately, the following screening showed that the boy had many health issues. After he was born and discharged from the NICU, Damir and his parents went to numerous hospitals in their native Izhevsk, but the only doctors ready to undertake such a complicated case were to be found in Moscow. Oct 11, 2011 when Damir was only 1 year old two teams of neurosurgeons, maxillofacial surgeons and anesthesiologists operated on the little boy for 20 hours.
In 2015 Damir reunited with those surgeons on stage when they were presented Best Doctors Award for performing 4 simultaneous surgeries to remove craniocerebral hernia and facial deformities.
Damir’s name means “Gift to the World” and his story is a reminder that modern medicine, human kindness and aid can create miracles.
Diagnosis: Congenital bilateral cleft lip and palate.
Lena’s mother writes: “We welcomed Lena to our family from the correctional orphanage where I work. She could not talk at all. We went through 2 surgeries in 4 years since we became one family. Lena’s previous harsh diagnosis - Intellectual Disability has been waived; now Lena is ahead of her peers at school, she plays violin and draws! Thanks to 2 courses of speech therapy covered by our donors have completely changed our girl – she mastered sounds and is communicating more freely. Lena’s therapy is ongoing.
April 1st 2009 our family welcomed our second daughter – Lena Krymykhina who was 3 years old at a time. Lena’s biological mother gave her up while still at the maternity ward. One of the reasons she sited Lena’s medical diagnosis: Congenital bilateral cleft lip and palate.
Lena could no talk, was avoiding adults and other children, and was diagnosed with Intellectual Disability. At the time Lena entered the orphanage where I happened to work as a speech therapist, she required extensive treatment; could barely talk and was able to eat only soft food and very slowly.
Once I shared our story with a local doctor we knew; he suggested to contact Moscow Center for Maxillofacial Surgery. Suddenly everything changed! First, Lena had an appointment with the orthodontists who created her treatment plan. Next was reconstructive pyloroplasty surgery. It was after this surgery when Lena, looking in the mirror, believed that she does not look different from other children. Several speech therapy courses followed; Lena started speaking much better and began her studies at regular school (rather than special needs), which was a great achievement for our girl. Lena went through a transformation from a distant loner to a beautiful bright girl, our pride. In addition to a regular school, Lena also attends musical school and plays violin.
Recently, Lena had 2 more surgeries: bone plastic and otoplasty surgery.
Lena is a good student; she received a Governor’s award for her academic achievements; doing very well in her violin classes. However, Lena still has health issues and needs help – she still requires orthodontist treatments and speech therapy.”
To learn more about maxillofacial procedures and hospital needs, please click here.
Lev Ambinder, Head of the Russian Aid Foundation (Rusfond)
Krasnoyarski Regional Clinical Center for Maternal and Child Health, Krasnoyarsk
In 2022, RCWS awarded $10,000 to the Krasnoyarski Regional Clinical Center for Maternal and Child Health located in Krasnoyarsk. This is the leading healthcare facility in the region, which includes the Children's Hospital and the Perinatal Center.
The hospital’s new Department of Bone Marrow Transplant, established in 2023, required additional equipment - reinforced mobile stands and consoles necessary to combine infusion pumps into a single system. Such infusion pumps are used for long-term and controlled administration of medications during the treatment of cancer patients. The capacity of the Department will allow up to 40 bone marrow transplants per year. It will help treat children with cancer diagnosis who urgently need help. In order to ensure the effective and safe administration of medicine that patients receive during the treatment of leukemia, automatic infusion stations were needed, which are not covered by the state funding. RCWS aid covered: special equipment to ensure the simultaneous operation of 8 infusion pumps, to administer medication necessary for the treatment of children (2 pcs.); reinforced mobile stands to ensure safe use of infusion pumps (2 pcs.).
Sechenov Medical Academy, Department of Pediatrics, Moscow
The Sechenov Medical Academy is one of the oldest and best-recognized hospitals in Russia. Built in 1891 to treat abandoned children in Moscow, it is a teaching center for medical students and provides free medical treatment for patients from throughout Russia. The Pediatric Department is a multi-profile department with 250 in-patient beds and an out-patient capability providing medical help to children up to 18 years of age with systemic ailments of conjunctive tissues and arthritis. In 2019, RCWS awarded $10,000 to cover highly-needed new lab reagents to aid in early diagnosis and treatment, allowing Sechenov Medical Academy to provide improved medical care to over 200 of its young patients.
In 2021, RCWS granted $10,400 to sponsor the highly needed infusion device, which intravenous infusions carried out for a prolonged time with accurate dosing of medicines. The sponsored medical equipment would help the doctors to detect and correct pathological changes in their patients.
Charitable foundation to assist sick and abandoned children “Deti.Msk.Ru”, Moscow
The organization assists the Russian Children’s Clinical Hospital. In 2018, RCWS provided assistance to the Russian Children’s Clinical Hospital (RCCH) via equipment and enhanced medical technologies. RCWS sponsored a new surgical drill (the Acculan 3Ti and supplies totaling $12,708) that was highly needed to treat epilepsy and other medical conditions for over 150 children annually from different regions of Russia.
One of the fund’s areas of activity is the “House of Hope,” the first and only free home-hotel for ill children and their families where they can live after being discharged from the hospital while still requiring outpatient treatment. “House of Hope” had to close because its heating system was not functional. In 2019, RCWS provided $11,994 to replace the heating system, benefiting 70 recuperating children and their families annually.
In 2020, RCWS awarded $10,746 towards the genetics testings of seriously ill children suffering from rare and complicated pathologies.
Children's Hospital of the City of Moscow No12
The Children’s Hospital of Moscow provides medical assistance to over 41,000 children (29 schools, 56 kindergartens, 2 orphanages and 3 colleges) who live in their district. The hospital offers both prophylactic care and targeted treatments. The Hospital services almost 75% of children living in southern Moscow. The RCWS helped the Hospital acquire equipment for the treatment and preventative care of children with congenital cardiac defects. This equipment elevated the quality of diagnosis by allowing for more accurate cardiac, transcranial, abdominal, and vascular ultrasounds. Since the average lifespan of a transducer is 10 years, the Hospital will be able to examine around 85,000 children and greatly improve the lives of those found to have cardiac pathologies.
Additionally, RCWS sponsored a hematology analyzer, Pentra MS 60, which tests and quickly provides a full hematological status of a little patient across 26 parameters and requires a significantly smaller volume of blood (almost twice as little) in comparison to other machines, making the experience of blood drawing much less traumatic for children. In spring 2017, RCWS awarded additional funds to replenish most needed supplies for Pentra MS 60 that the Children’s Hospital could continue offering accurate diagnoses, treatment and preventative care to their patients, ranging from newborn to 18 y.o.
In 2020, RCWS awarded $13,098 to cover supplies for the hematology analyzer Pentra MS 60 as well as to purchase a electrocardiogram machine that will allow to conduct 11,000 exams annually assisting in early diagnostics of children with cardio pathologies.
MEDICAL TRAINING PROGRAM
In 2017, RusFond and RusFond USA worked with the RCWS to provide specialized training in the treatment of Epidermolysis Bullosa for eight Russian medical professionals at the Birmingham Children’s Hospital in England, one of only two centers to run a specialist pediatric service for this disease. EB is a very rare genetic connective tissue disorder that affects 1 child out of every 50,000. Children with EB are known as “butterfly” children because their skin is as fragile as the wings of a butterfly and tears at the slightest scratch. When provided with proper medical treatment, children with EB can live from 50-70 years versus only 12-15 years without treatment. Regular pediatricians cannot provide the routine care and follow-up that children with EB require so this exchange will arm the Russian doctors with the required knowledge and give them the opportunity to live happy, productive lives free of restrictions.
Besides seriously affecting internal organs and bodily systems, EB has a long list of secondary complications that requires interventions from medical specialists in addition to daily care. The visiting team was shown videos of children with EB undergoing procedures in Birmingham, including surgery and the exquisite care and expertise required to insert feeding tubes without rupturing the children’s skin. They also learned how to properly dress EB patients’ wounds, spoke to youngsters afflicted with the condition, and visited the burn, dental and eye departments. Armed with the specialized knowledge from their training in England, these 8 medical professionals want to set up a specialist clinic to treat EB at St Petersburg Children’s Hospital No 1.
