Help Save Lives in India, Support Citizen-Led Project to Improve Emergency Medical Services
Galveston-Trivandrum Sister City Society is raising funds online through www.SupportSisterCities.org
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 7, 2006
GALVESTON, TEXAS - Imagine a life without the safety net of 911, ambulances, or emergency paramedics. Who would people call for help when a loved one suddenly falls ill or there?s a car accident? In Trivandrum, India the lack of these services costs lives and causes needless suffering every day.
To aid their sister city, the Galveston-Trivandrum Sister City Society is raising funds to purchase an equipped and stocked ambulance, two motorcycles to allow rescue workers to travel where the ambulance cannot safely go, training for paramedics, and installation of a 911 emergency medical services (EMS) system. They need approximately $50,000 to fund their project, and are seeking to raise it online through www.SupportSisterCities.org. Go to the project now online.
The establishment of an EMS system will lead to a more cost-effective medical system with improved patient outcomes and community healthcare. "If we can show the value of this essential service of saving lives in Trivandram, people will wonder how they lived without EMS for this long," said George P. Abraham, the medical director of Troy Hospital and an advisor to the project. Abraham manages other healthcare projects in Kerala and plans to travel to Trivandrum to set up the EMS system.
"When the ambulance and EMS paramedics reach the victims and begin to save lives, the citizens will realize the value of 911 emergency services and will demand expansion," said Abraham. They are working in partnership with the Association of Kerala Medical Graduates, a group of US based physicians from Kerala, India.
People can easily learn more online about the Save Lives in India by Training Paramedics project and another initiative to provide medical books for students and nurses in Trivandrum at www.SupportSisterCities.org. Developed specifically for the sister cities network, this innovative website helps connect people with community improvement projects around the world. Site visitors can ask questions about the project directly to project contacts in Galveston through the website, and track progress made as the project moves forward. They can also easily notify friends and colleagues about the project or make a tax-deductible donation with a credit card.
SupportSisterCities.org is powered by Global Giving and administered by Sister Cities International?s Network for Sustainable Development. For more information visit www.SupportSisterCities.org or e-mail support@sistercities.org.
Local Contact: Rajan Koshy, Chairperson, Galveston-Trivandrum Sister City Society
1214 Church Street, Galveston, Texas
Phone 409.762.5621, RKoshy9622@aol.com
Media Contact: Ami Neiberger-Miller, Communications Director, Sister Cities International
Phone 202.347.8630 ext. 8251, amiller@sister-cities.org
About Sister Cities International
Representing more than 2,500 communities in 137 countries, Sister Cities International (www.sister-cities.org) is a citizen diplomacy network creating and strengthening partnerships between the U.S. and communities abroad. Begun in 1956 after a White House summit where U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower called for people-to-people exchanges, sister city partnerships are tailored to local interests and increase global cooperation at the grassroots level. Sister Cities International promotes peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation by focusing on sustainable development, youth and education, arts and culture, humanitarian assistance and economic growth programs.
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