Summer Gansu Support Group Program Policies & Procedures
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Gansu Support Group Program
"The main goal for the Support Group Program is set up as a communication and education platform for every CHD patient, family, and volunteer by providing family visits, effective physician-patient communication, and education seminars." - Volunteer Information Packet.
The Gansu Trip Program is a four day trip to the city of Lanzhou that allows volunteers to build relationships with AHI’s patients and their families. Over the course of the program, volunteers visit the patients at different stages of their journey with AHI. While in the city, volunteers will visit the children in the hospital, prior to and following the surgery. They may also have the unique opportunity to be in the operating room while the patient undergoes surgery. During the family visit portion of the program, volunteers accompany members of the China team to the homes of potential future patients. In addition, the Gansu trip often features a patient reunion that occurs on the same day as the family visits, during which volunteers meet previous patients.
AHI believes that its relationships with its patients do not end once the child has successfully recovered from surgery. In keeping with this belief, the Gansu Trip Program as a whole fosters lifelong connections between patients, their families, and AHI volunteers.
Prior to the trip, please prepare by understanding AHI's mission statement and methodology. By doing so, you will enhance your own experience in the Support Group Program as well as further AHI's mission. Other helpful links to help you prepare for your volunteer opportunity include AHI's newsletter and patient stories.AHI welcomes and encourages all volunteers to apply for the Support Group Program.
This video gives a more in depth look at the process of the Gansu Trip and our volunteers in action. (The video contains footage of a heart surgery and may be unsuitable for children or those who get dizzy at the sight of blood.)
This video gives a more in depth look at the process of the Gansu Trip and our volunteers in action. (The video contains footage of a heart surgery and may be unsuitable for children or those who get dizzy at the sight of blood.)