“Flight for Life” is a program of the Philadelphia-based Gift of Life International, a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, that funds medical projects in developing Countries. Specifically, “Flight for Life” promotes the creation or the enhancement of cardiac surgery programs for the benefit of children with heart disease, particularly those of low income families. The care provided to the children is free. The officers of our Organization and the medical team are volunteers. The medical team is led by Dr Russo, former Director of Cardiac Surgery at two University Medical Centers in the USA, and it includes experienced nurses, perfusionists, and other medical specialists as needed. Our projects provide financial and logistic support to our partner hospitals abroad through grants and medical equipment. In addition, we teach cardiac surgical techniques, perioperative care and, whenever possible, modern health care management. At the onset, our projects offer substantial financial and technical support, but our long term goal is always to make sure that our partner programs eventually achieve independence and self sustainability, while providing high quality pediatric cardiac surgery care. Finally, we work with local government and private agencies to secure sources of reimbursement to hospital and physicians, so that families can continue to enjoy subsidized and free care even after we have completed our project.
Projects
Since our 1993, we have initiated projects in the following Countries:
- Riga, Latvia (completed)
- Baranquilla, Colombia (completed)
- Cluj Napoca, Romania (completed)
- Bucharest, Romania (completed)
- Tanzania, Africa (ongoing)
- Chennai, India (ongoing)
- Kenia (scheduled to start in 2011)
