Poland Child Mortality Rate

The mission of the Children’s Medical Care Foundation (CMCF) is to ensure that the most advanced pediatric medical knowledge transcends borders and reaches a wide range of infants and children suffering from sickness and disease.  CMCF’s goal is for all infants and children to have equal access to the best medical care available.

The Children’s Medical Care Foundation’s philosophy is to provide ”Packages of Medical Knowledge” in the form of Fellowships to Pediatric Specialists and nurses from participating medical centers and universities to train in the latest techniques and procedures at top medical centers in the United States, Poland and Western Europe.  CMCF is committed to building “International Medical Bridges” between countries through the open exchange of medical knowledge, building lasting relationships and alliances to transcend borders and reach a wide range of infants and children suffering from life threatening illnesses and diseases.

CMCF objectives assure that geography is not a boundary for medical knowledge.  CMCF aims to:

• Improve the health of infants and children in their native country through supporting innovative Fellowships that will expand access to the best medical care available.
• Coordinate participation of physicians at international pediatric conferences, symposia and speakers forums.
• Support sending subscriptions of medical journals and Neonatology and Pediatric Surgery textbooks to assure that geography is not a boundary for medical knowledge.

Over the last 33 years, Children’s Medical Care Foundation (CMCF) has financially sponsored 285 Fellowships, nearly 50% of which were allocated to Polish anesthesiologists, neonatologists, pediatric surgeons, oncologists, hematologists and immunologists for supplemental training at some of the most highly regarded medical and research institutions throughout Western Europe and the United States with the goal of having their newfound medical knowledge and skills find their way directly to their hospitals of origin and to the children they treat.

When CMCF began in 1981, Poland’s infant mortality was an alarming 25 deaths per 1,000 live births.  As of 2012, due in very large part to CMCF’s long term strategy of elevating the nation’s standard of care through knowledge sharing and collaboration, that number now stands at 6.4 deaths per 1,000 live births.

The education provided by CMCF in effective neonatal resuscitation has most likely reduced brain injury in many Polish neonates.  In the long term, CMCF’s newborn resuscitation program has most likely reduced rehabilitative costs required for newborn asphyxia and its associated cerebral palsy.  Overall, the estimated cost savings of one child avoiding cerebral palsy would be $200,000 per year.  When put within the context of medical care and educational endeavors of CMCF, the savings to the government of Poland has been in the millions of dollars.

In addition to educational endeavors, a strong research relationship has been established between the University of Missouri and the neonatologists of Jagiellonian University in Krakow and University of Medical Science in Poznan.

Centers for Excellence

CMCF promotes the establishment of “Centers for Excellence” in Poland where doctors from Ukraine and other countries in Eastern Europe can receive training in various pediatric specializations from former CMCF Fellows, many of whom now head key medical institutions in Poland.

The first evaluation of the impact of CMCF’s activities in Poland and Ukraine was completed in 2013.  CMCF facilitated contacts for Natalia Romuzga’s (Claremont Graduate University) in her efforts to complete the first evaluation research on various CMCF funded programs, successes and limitations in Poland and Ukraine.  This research provides valuable data on the long term impact of CMCF’s efforts.  (Read More)

CMCF takes pride in the Polish physicians who have received a helping hand with training have been able to accomplish.  Their hard work has resulted in the realization that “International Medical Bridges” and the resulting collaborations have benefited vast numbers of children throughout Eastern Europe.  Our partnerships have been instrumental in changing the medical culture of Poland over time and will, with diligence, and persistence, do the same for the rest of Eastern Europe, as well.