"Little Mo" continues his long medical journey toward
normalcy
Eleven-year-old
Mohammad Karimi of Iran will undergo his 19th
reconstructive surgery at Ellis Health Center,
Schenectady, on July 8. Mohammad suffers from a severe
congenital facial deformity. The condition is rare and
according to one local expert, only 10-12 cases like
this are documented in medicalliterature, worldwide.
Medical teams in Schenectady and downstate have been
working with Mohammad for several years, making steady
progress through a series of 18 intricate and complex
surgeries to build him a face on the right side. In
addition, the local community has embraced Mohammed and
his mother with caring and support as they live in the
Amsterdam area for months at time.
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Ellis Medicine and Clifton Park Halfmoon EMS Donate
Lifesaving AEDs
Ellis
Medicine and the Clifton Park Halfmoon Ambulance Corps
recently donated three automated external defibrillators
to the Town of Clifton Park.
The lifesaving AEDs will be placed for emergency use
on and around the busy baseball and softball fields at
Clifton Common where more than 2,000 youth on more than
100 teams play throughout the season - attracting
families and thousands of spectators.
"The Clifton Park Town Board considers public safety
a top priority and thanks Ellis Medicine and the
Ambulance Corps for partnering with us to donate these
AEDs," Clifton Park Town Supervisor Phil Barrett said.
"The free CPR/AED training that the town is providing
the league will ensure that everyone both on and off the
fields will have the best possible emergency response in
the event of sudden cardiac arrest."
"As the closest cardiac center and the largest
provider of hospital care for the Clifton Park/Halfmoon
area, Ellis remains committed to meeting the health care
needs of the southern Saratoga County community -
whether its on the ball field or at the bedside," said
Cece Lynch, Vice President of Nursing at Ellis Medicine
Clifton Park resident April Douglas, whose children
play ball on the Common, pitched the idea of acquiring
AEDs for the ball fields after an AED saved her young
nephew's life. "Cardiac arrest can strike anyone at
anytime," she commented. "I am grateful for the extra
efforts to ensure the safety of our families in Clifton
Park."
According to the American Heart Association, each
year, more than 294,000 Americans - many with no obvious
sign of heart disease -- have an episode of sudden
cardiac arrest. CPR and early use of an AED more than
doubles a victim's chance of survival.
"Every second counts in caring for a victim of sudden
cardiac arrest," said George Vassolas, MD, an
electrophysiologist at Ellis Medicine with Schenectady
Cardiology Associates. "AEDs can revive victims of
sudden cardiac arrest before EMS personnel arrive - that
helps ensure the best possible outcome when the patient
arrives at the hospital." |