The Boeing Company Awards Two New Grants to Project HOPE to Extend Successful Pediatric Health Education Programs in Eastern Europe

Project HOPE CEO Recognizes Accomplishments of Programs Today at University Children’s Hospital in Krakow, Poland

Project HOPE, a global health education and humanitarian assistance organization, today is announcing two new grants from the Boeing Company, the world’s largest aerospace company, to extend two successful pediatric health education and training programs in Eastern Europe.  The University Children’s Hospital of Krakow: Southern Poland Center of Excellence, which has a history of nearly 40 years of collaboration with Project HOPE, will continue to serve as a training center for both programs.

The new grants will be used to implement the second phase of Project HOPE’s pediatric respiratory diseases management training program in Hungary and the sixth phase of its neonatal care training exchange program in Romania.

In Hungary, the rate of deaths due to pneumonia for children under the age of five is two times higher than in industrialized countries on average, and diseases of the respiratory system account for 32% of all hospital admissions in the Papa region of Hungary.  In an effort to reverse these trends, Project HOPE established the Pediatric Respiratory Diseases Management program for Papa Region of Hungary in 2012.  In Phase I of the program, 60 health care professionals were trained in the most current approaches in management of the common respiratory diseases in children, with a focus on acute care.

“We are pleased to be able to continue supporting the University Children’s Hospital of Krakow as a Center of Excellence to provide training throughout Eastern Europe,” said John P. Howe, III, M.D., President and CEO of Project HOPE, today on a visit to University Children’s Hospital in Krakow.  “We look forward to starting Phase II of the successful Respiratory Diseases Management program next month, when we will be able to extend our reach to the Veszprem region in Hungary and include training for the management of long-term respiratory diseases.”

The second Boeing grant will support the Neonatal Care Training Exchange program in Romania, which was launched in 2008 to reduce preventable deaths and disabilities of newborns and their mothers in the Brasov region of Romania.  Romania has a significantly higher infant and neonatal mortality rate than other EU countries on average.  In earlier phases of the program, Romanian doctors were trained in intensive care, infection control and ultrasonography to detect hip dysplasia and cerebral lesions.  Phase VI of the program will focus on training for cardiac and abdominal ultrasound screening.

“Early detection of developmental anomalies in newborns is crucial in introducing interventions, and neonatal ultrasonography is a valuable tool to reach this goal,” said Professor Maciej Kowalczyk, Director of University Children’s Hospital of Krakow.  “We are proud to have been selected by Project HOPE to implement the Neonatal Care Training Exchange program.”

“Boeing Central and Eastern Europe is strongly committed to corporate citizenship, and supports several programs that address important community needs and issues,” said Henryka Bochniarz, President of Boeing Central & Eastern Europe. “We are focused in supporting health and human services and education and really appreciate the great work Project HOPE does in the region”

The Boeing Company has provided support to several Project HOPE programs around the world since the mid-1990s, including the earlier phases of both the Respiratory Diseases Management program in Hungary and the Neonatal Care Training Exchange program in Romania.

About Project HOPE
Founded in 1958, Project HOPE (Health Opportunities for People Everywhere) is dedicated to providing lasting solutions to health crises, with the mission of helping people to help themselves. Identifiable to many by the SS HOPE, the world’s first peacetime hospital ship, Project HOPE now conducts land-based medical training and health education programs in 35 countries across five continents.