wfn.org | Mission agency launches new home care kits

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

TITLE:Mission agency launches new home care kits

May 14, 2001 News media contact: Linda Bloom·(212) 870-3803·New York
10-31-71B{237}

NEW YORK (UMNS) -- The United Methodist Board of Global Ministries has
launched a new hands-on project that assists families caring for the sick at
home.

The "Healthy Homes, Healthy Families" kit provides items ranging from bed
sheets to vitamins for infection control and basic care. The board's Health
and Welfare Ministries department and United Methodist Committee on Relief
(UMCOR) are cooperating on the project with Interchurch Medical Assistance
Inc. (IMA), a nonprofit organization owned by 12 American relief and
development groups.

Noemi Fuentes, an executive with the board's Health and Relief Unit, said
the idea for the kits grew out of recognition that increasing numbers of
people are caring for those suffering from HIV/AIDS at home. Although the
kits will be used globally, a particular emphasis will be placed on Africa,
"where the HIV/AIDS pandemic is incredible," she added.

The kits also can be used for the home care of people suffering from
tuberculosis, malaria and other infectious diseases, Fuentes said.

Donated products required for each kit are one new bath towel, one new hand
towel, one pair of standard household rubber or latex gloves, two new twin
flat sheets, laundered, one large plastic container of Talcum powder, one
cloth apron and one bath-size bar of soap.

Items should be sent in a box to IMA at College Avenue, P.O. Box 429, New
Windsor, MD 21776-0429. At the same time, the congregation, group or
individual preparing the kit must send a check for $100, payable to the
General Board of Global Ministries, Advance No. 982315-1, to the board at
475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115.

The money covers shipping and additional items for the kit, including
medical items added by IMA, Fuentes said. Each kit is assembled into a
plastic bucket, which is sealed for sanitary purposes. Some items are
reusable. The rest are sufficient for a month's care for one patient.

More information about the kits is available by calling (212) 870-3683. 
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United Methodist News Service
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