Yates Family In Soddo

Medicine in Ethiopia is often difficult. None more difficult than watching many children and young adults suffer and die because of preventable causes. As a physician, it is easy to spend my time working hard to save the lives of the critically ill and hospitalized. As a family physician, there is the constant question, “what can I do to impact and prevent illness?” Ethiopia already has a structure in place for vaccinations and other public health projects, so figuring out my part in the greater pictures has been slow going. When we moved to Ethiopia three years ago, we had this vision of starting a community health program with Kavi and Taylor, but the demands of the hospital have not given us the full opportunity to figure out how and where to do such a project. Our RHD screening team in action Two years ago at the CMDE conference, a cardiologist, Ron Johannsen, cast a vision during his talks on Rheumatic heart disease (heart disease caused by recurrent strep throat infect...