Three Years After the Tsunami:

Restoring Health Care in Sri Lanka Carolyn Bridget Ramwell, MSN, RN, PNP, CNS Faculty member, Department of Acute and Specialty Care, University of Virginia School of Nursing It has been three years since the Asian Tsunami devastated Sri Lanka on December 26, 2004. This tragedy claimed nearly 40,000 lives in Sri Lanka and displaced nearly one million people. And although the losses of Sri Lanka fell from the headlines as time went on, there is still much rebuilding to be done. Physicians for Peace, a nonprofit organization, is working to restore health care in Sri Lanka through rebuilding a hospital and training new nurses, since many nurses died in the tragedy. Operating in areas with profound need and scarce resources, Physicians for Peace implements numerous quality medical programs with measurable outcomes in the Middle East, Central America, South America, Africa, Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, Asia, and beyond. Available for interview is long-time Physicians for Peace volunteer Carolyn Ramwell, a pediatric nurse practitioner and nurse educator who has just returned from Sri Lanka, where she witnessed the great need for health care. Ms. Ramwell holds a BS in Nursing from Georgetown University, and an MS in Nursing from the University of Hawaii. Her work with Physicians for Peace has taken her not only to Sri Lanka, but also to Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Sri Lanka Then and NowThe immediate and ongoing impact of the tsunami on health care, particularly pediatric care Caring for ChildrenThe importance of rebuilding the pediatric ward at Matara General Hospital Teaching HealingThe effort to train new nurses in Sri Lanka Prescription for Peace: the mission of Physicians for Peace How You Can Help: http://www.physiciansforpeace.org www.physiciansforpeace.org This interview is produced for Physicians for Peace, a non-profit organization