Mission agency launches new home care kits
5/14/2001 News media contact: Linda Bloom · (646) 369-3759 · New York
NEW YORK (UMNS) -- The United Methodist Board of Global Ministries has launched a new hands-on project that assists families caring for the sick at home.
The "Healthy Homes, Healthy Families" kit provides items ranging from bed sheets to vitamins for infection control and basic care. The board's Health and Welfare Ministries department and United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) are cooperating on the project with Interchurch Medical Assistance Inc. (IMA), a nonprofit organization owned by 12 American relief and development groups.
Noemi Fuentes, an executive with the board's Health and Relief Unit, said the idea for the kits grew out of recognition that increasing numbers of people are caring for those suffering from HIV/AIDS at home. Although the kits will be used globally, a particular emphasis will be placed on Africa, "where the HIV/AIDS pandemic is incredible," she added.
The kits also can be used for the home care of people suffering from tuberculosis, malaria and other infectious diseases, Fuentes said.
Donated products required for each kit are one new bath towel, one new hand towel, one pair of standard household rubber or latex gloves, two new twin flat sheets, laundered, one large plastic container of Talcum powder, one cloth apron and one bath-size bar of soap.
Items should be sent in a box to IMA at College Avenue, P.O. Box 429, New Windsor, MD 21776-0429. At the same time, the congregation, group or individual preparing the kit must send a check for $100, payable to the General Board of Global Ministries, Advance No. 982315-1, to the board at 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115.
The money covers shipping and additional items for the kit, including medical items added by IMA, Fuentes said. Each kit is assembled into a plastic bucket, which is sealed for sanitary purposes. Some items are reusable. The rest are sufficient for a month's care for one patient.
More information about the kits is available by calling (212) 870-3683.
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