November 5, 2009, Georgetown, OH… For the past 6 years, OB/GYN physician, Dr. Barbara Patridge has traveled to South America on a medical mission. Each year, Brown County General Hospital and the BCGH Pharmacy Department have provided low cost equipment and medical supplies. “The hospital has been wonderfully supportive to this mission,” said Patridge.

When Dr. Patridge leaves in January for Brazil on the Church of Christ “Project Amazonas: Christ, Life and Health.” Mission, she will be taking along a donated piece of equipment. The equipment came to her through the assistance of Charlie Dietrick of the Cardiopulmonary Department. He made some calls and found Ford Greene, owner/operator of Greene Respiratory Services located in Milford. When told of Dr. Patridges’ mission Mr. Greene offered to donate to Dr. Patridge a much needed pulse oximeter to take with her on her trip.

A pulse oximeter is a medical device that indirectly measures the oxygen saturation of a patient’s blood and changes in blood volume in the skin. It is often attached to a medical monitor so staff can see a patient’s oxygenation at all times. Even though this device became widely used in the United States in the 1980’s, in Central Brazil there are none in the medical clinics where Dr. Patridge volunteered. “There is very little in the way of equipment in the areas where I work. No ventilators, pulse oximeters, or anesthesia machines.” she said.

Dr. Patridge joined the Amazonas Mission in 2003. She was the first American MD to participate. She said that on the first trip she traveled by boat from village to village offering general family practice services. “Last year, I performed 51 surgeries in 7 days ,” Patridge said.

Dr. Patridge leaves on January 15th for a week and a half of traveling through Central Brazil helping the people of this impoverished area of our world.

For additional information on the Central Brazil Mission go to www.cbm.org.br.

From left to right: Ford Green, Dr. Barbara Patridge and Charles Dietrick.