This month President Twelker's Insights focuses on equality, diversity and inclusion, we welcome two new SVOSH chapters in Haiti and Kenya, feature an article on how COVID has impacted the work of our SVOSH chapter in Sinaloa, Mexico, report on our COVID-19 PPE donations, feature resources in French, highlight World Refugee Day and US Cataract Awareness Month and share a couple of interesting publications and resources.
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The current health crisis has uncovered the deep inequalities present in our health systems and societies across the world. President Twelker reflects on the way VOSH navigates these unprecedented times and challenges us to think about what else can we do to live by our values of equality, inclusion and diversity.
Read the whole article
here
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Two new SVOSH Chapters join VOSH/International
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We are delighted to announce that two new SVOSH chapters are joining VOSH/International. These new SVOSH chapters are at the schools of optometry of the Université d’état d'Haiti, Haiti and the Musiro Mulinde University of Science and Technology in Kenya.
We want to extend a warm welcome to SVOSH-UEH-FMPEO and SVOSH-MMUST-OVS. Bienvenue! Karibu!
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Supporting our international chapters in times of COVID-19
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VOSH/International is supporting its international chapters with small donations to help them with their COVID-19 PPE preparedness or of their healthcare partners’ most in need. This is a small gesture of solidarity with our fellow optometrists abroad.
To date donations have been made to our international student chapters in Sinaloa, Mexico (SVOSH-UAS) for their own use in their clinics, Venezuela (SVOSH-IUO)to support the Venezuelan College of Optometrists, Nicaragua (SVOSH-UNAN) for their own use in the clinics, Peru (VOSH-Eurohispano) for their own clinics, Dominican Republic (VOSH-Fumvision-Dominican Republic) for their own clinics and the Philippines (SVOSH-MCU) to support the campaign of fellow Junior Integrated Philippine Association of Optometrists.
We are still processing some donations.
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Celebrating the achievement of VOSH-CT leadership
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VOSH/International would like to congratulate Dr Matthew Blondin and Attorney Audrey Blondin for their leadership and solid commitment to provide eye health for all everywhere.
They r
eceived their Masters of Public Health Degrees
from the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington. What great role models they are!!.
Read the whole article
here
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Prevent Blindness National Eye Summit -registration is open
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The Focus on Eye Health National Summit is a key US annual event to discuss vision and significant public health issues such as equity, surveillance, access, prevention, service integration, and program development. This year the Summit will be held online, and its theme is
"An Eye to the Future.”
US VOSH chapters are particularly encouraged to attend.
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COVID-19 impact on eye health care in Sinaloa, Mexico.
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In this interesting article -available in English and Spanish- Emiliano Teran Bobadilla, faculty adviser of the SVOSH chapter at the Universidad Autonoma de Sinaloa in Mexico (SVOSH-UAS) describes the impact COVID-19 had on the operations of the school of optometry there.
Read the full article
here
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The Community Eye Health Journal (international edition) offers up‐to‐date and relevant information for eye care workers of all levels in the countries where the burden of eye disease and blindness is greatest. This time the Journal focuses on COVID-19 and eye care services.
You can access the Journal
here
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Telemedicine and how it can change eye health
. Based on the experience of Orbis, this DEVEX article focuses on how eye health medicine is growing during this COVID-19 pandemic with this trend unlikely to change afterwards. Read the article
here
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Eye health care news from Africa in French
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The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) also publishes news in French. You can access the newsletter
here
.
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VOSH-Southeast offers free readers for future clinics
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VOSH-Southeast packaged over 12,000 readers in packs of 126 with 17 each of +1.00, +1.25, +1.50, +1.75, +2.00, +2.50 and +3.00 with cases.
They will make one box only available to groups requesting them by mail to
maxobrusso@gmail.com
. Include your shipping address, Your chapter will be responsible for shipping charges
.
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Technology Transfer Program survey for US VOSH Chapters
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TTP collects, restores and ships used optometric equipment and news lenses and frames to needy clinics, teaching institutions, hospitals and NGOs in low and middle income countries. Please help us learn more about your chapter's TTP needs and ability to help with tasks such as picking up and/or storing donations while in transit to their intended recipient. TTP has a considerable amount of equipment to loan to VOSH Chapters for your clinics.
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World Refugee Day
Nearly 80 million women, children, and men around the world have been forced from their homes as refugees or internally displaced people. They are among the most vulnerable and face additional threats due to the COVID-19 pandemic but are also working on the frontlines of the response as nurses, doctors, scientists, teachers and in other essential roles in their host countries. Read UN’s Secretary General
Policy Brief on COVID-19 and People on the Move
calling on governments to ensure that they are included in all response and recovery efforts. More information on World Refugee Day
here
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US Cataract Awareness Month
Cataract is the leading cause of blindness in the world. There are close to 22.3 million Americans age 40 and older with cataracts. More than half of all Americans will have cataracts by age 80. Prevent Blindness offers tips about prevention and information about surgery
here
.
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The Midyear Meeting is around the corner
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The meeting will be held via Zoom on Saturday June 27th from 8:00 am to 4:40 pm (Pacific Summer Time). The
program
is full of interesting sessions. There is still some availability. You can register
here
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