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Bongolo Hospital

     update & needs

        as of 4/30/2015

 

BONGOLO HOSPITAL NEEDS LIST 2015-2016

 

(** = PRIORITY)

 

OVER THE COUNTER MEDICATIONS: make sure they will not expire in 12 months.

1. **Multivitamins with essential minerals like Centrum and Centrum Kids (the kind that can be cut into quarters easily, not the gum-ball shaped ones)

2.  **Benadryl (generic name is Dihphenhydramine Hydrocloride) in tablets (not capsules).  Generic is fine.

3. ** Antacids with Calcium like Rolaids or Tums

4. Adult cold medicines

5. Selsun or Selsun Blue Shampoo (make sure it has Selenium Sulfide 1% as active ingredient)

6. Ear Wax removal ear drops

 

MEDICAL SUPPLIES:

1. ** Good quality 1 inch masking tape (used to secure sterilization packages)

2.  Rolled sheet bandages made from used sheets.  Widths should be 3”, 4” and 5”.  The diameter of the rolled bandage should be 2-3”.  Be sure and secure the end of the bandage with a stitch, tape or a rubber band.

3. **infant and children’s hospital gowns

4.  Kerlix-type bandages and dressings

5.  Playtex type heavy duty rubber cleaning gloves, sizes med to x-large

6.  Cotton balls

7.  Stackable rectangular plastic hospital basins

8.  New or slightly used hand towels (bath towels can be cut in half). No white towels please. 

9. ** 60 ml. syringes (can sometime get at pharmacies) with luer lock tip

 

DENTAL SUPPLIES:

1.  Toothpaste

2. Toothbrushes for children

3. Dental floss

 

EYE CLINIC SUPPLIES:

       1. ** Artificial tears (lubricating drops)

 

* Nothing with tetrahydrazoline or naphazoline or phenylephrine listed in the ingredients, nor anything that says “red out”

  •        Zaditor for allergies

  •        Variety of reading glasses

  • Sunglasses (patients really like the wide earpiece style)

  • Muro 128 ophthalmic ointment (if you can’t find the ointment, drops are fine)

  •        Cases for glasses bought or handmade (see Pinterest)

 

 

SURGICAL SUPPLIES:

  •        **blue OR towels (obtained from hospitals)

  •        ** cloth OR drapes, linens and gowns in good shape that hospitals no longer use (most are changing to disposable ones)

  •        **OR sterilization wraps. Instructions: finished sizes wanted are 12” x 12”, 24” x 24”, 36” x 36”. 48” x 48”.  You can make them out of gently used cotton and cotton/polyester material or sheets or old cloth tablecloths. Don’s use flannel as it is too loose a weave.  Preferred colors are blue, green or white solid (others accepted though).  To make them, cut the material 1/2” larger than the size wanted.  They are to be double thickness, with the seams on the inside.  After sewing the two pieces of material, turn it inside right, then sew a seam about 1/2” around the entire square and then an “X” from corner to corner.  This way, when they are washed, they will stay in place. 

  •        OR caps: made from various colors and prints. Patterns available through Simplicity.

 

MATERNITY:

  •        Preemie (premature) onesies like the ones sold at Walmart

  •        Preemie caps: out of soft stockinet or cloth preferable.  If hand knitted or crocheted, use soft, fine baby yarn.

  •         Preemie booties or socks

  •        Preemie and 0-3 mo. Pacifiers

  •        Preemie sized disposable diapers

  •        Bulb syringes

  •        Soft, thin (it’s hot out here) receiving blankets

  •        **Adult hospital gowns

  •    **Double thickness sheets for delivery table- see instructions below

  •    **Cloth reusable incontinence bed pads, about size 34”-36”.  Look up on the Internet to find these.

 

UNIFORMS:

  •        Good quality white lab coats (Good used or new) for men and women, sizes small to XL

  •        Good used or new scrubs (solid colors preferred) men and women sizes small to XL

  •        Light blue and white gingham material for student uniforms, about 3 yards per uniform.  We will have a local tailor make them

 

MISCELLANEOUS: If you have other medical items that you think the hospital might need, contact Coleen Lofgren by e-mail at coliemark@gmail.com  or call her at 218-245-2706. If you would like to help out with the shipping of the Bongolo Hospital shipments, see instructions on how to do that.                                                                                                                                   Instructions for delivery table sheets: use flat sheets twin or full size, any color, out of cotton or cotton/polyester. Fold sheet in half so it is 48” x 66” (twin) or 48”x 81” (full).  Zig-zag around the entire doubled sheet, including the folded side, close to the edge.   Then measure half way down (33” or 40.1”) and sew across the sheet.

The needs of Bongolo Hospital are many and ongoing. Please check back often. We will update this list as soon as we receive the new one.

From Bongolo Hospital -  2015-2016 Revised instructions for shipments to Bongolo Hospital

 

Dear friends, we have finally revised our Bongolo Hospital needs list and a letter of instructions and I have sent it to the Great Commission Women, but I thought I would send it to you folks too.  You will notice some changes concerning pill bottles, rolled sheet bandages, etc. and some new items that you might want to help with: delivery table coverings and eye glass cases.  Shipments to Gabon usually go out twice a year, so I am guessing that one may go out in the fall.  Know that once the shipment leaves, the hospital doesn’t get the items until about three months later.  We DO appreciate your contribution to this ministry!  For the Bongolo Hospital Medical Team, Coleen

 

We praise the Lord for you men and women who help out the Bongolo Hospital with prayer and giving!  You are an integral part of this ministry.  In 2014 40,000 patients were seen at Bongolo.  Over 100 people per month became followers of Jesus each month through this ministry.

 

In the past, people have been able to send packages to us through boat mail and airmail, but there is no longer boat mail and airmail is very expensive and unreliable. About twice a year, a shipment goes to Gabon through the port in Ohio. It is on these shipments that we invite you to send your packages. Due to the fact that there is no place to keep these packages in between shipments, we ask you to wait to send them until a shipment is going out.  The times they go out are not always the same, so I have gathered an e-mail list of those who want to be part of the “Bongolo Supporters” and I send out an e-mail to let you know when that will be with instructions similar to those below. In that e-mail, I give the most urgent current needs that the folks at Bongolo Hospital tell me.  E-mail me if you’d like to be on the list: include your name, church and location. Feel free to share the e-mail with other churches.  

 You will note that empty pill bottles is no longer on the needs list.  We have had an overwhelming response to these, but it is obvious that we don’t need as many as we are getting. When we need more in the future, we will ask those who, in the past, brought them via car from areas close to the port. Thank you for all of you who participated in this part of the ministry!             

For the Bongolo Hospital Medical Team, Coleen Lofgren              

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  The packages should be no larger than a total of 72 inches (length + height + width) unless you have special permission.  Please limit different types of items to 3-4 per box and put each type of item in its own plastic bag for easier sorting at the hospital. Try to use a sturdy box and fill it completely.

2.  Send the boxes to: ARK Transportation %Gabon Shipment Bongolo Hospital, Suite 23, 17830 Englewood Drive, Middleburg Heights, OH 44130 by_______________.

3.  Please e-mail Gabon’s shipment coordinator, Linda Chae at linda.chae@att.net and a copy to me, Coleen Lofgren coliemark@gmail.com with the following information:

-Church and address

-Contact’s name, phone number and e-mail address

-Total number of boxes sent.  Please label each box by letter and numbers, for example, if your church is in Plain View, Iowa and you’re sending 2 boxes, you might choose PVI#1, PVI#2.  Please include the two letter state abbreviation in your label as there are a lot of churches with the same name as First Alliance Church.

-The dimensions rounded to the nearest inch and the cubic feet of each package (multiply the height, length and depth in inches and divide by 1728)

-Category of items as one of the following: personal effect, medicine, medical equipment or food. If you have medication in your package, write “med” on the outside of the package.

- List the items and quantities.  You can group items together.  For example, instead of listing 23 3” rolled bandages and 23 5” ones, just put 46 rolled bandages.  Linda C. will price the items, so you don’t have to do that.

- The Gabon field has now determined that the cost of the shipment overseas and down to the Bongolo Hospital has increased to $15 per cubic foot.  We ask you to send that amount for your packages to the Finance Department of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (8595 Explorer Drive, Colorado Springs, CO. 80920).  On the check memo write Bongolo Hospital Med Supp. /Shipping account number 09037-4340.

- If you have items you think might be useful, but are not on the list, please e-mail me or call me at 218-245-2706.

Please let other churches know about the shipment.

Once again, that you for your generous giving!                                                           (April 2015)

Read below BEFORE sending your package!

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