Ukrainian Village Corp. donates $12,000 to help infants in Ukraine

DETROIT - Representatives of the Ukrainian Village Corp., near Detroit, donated $10,000 so that Ukrainian infants could survive a trip to the hospital, now a very risky business.

The check was presented at Henry Ford Hospital on January 25 by the members of the Ukrainian Village board for the hospital's "Ukrainian Project," geared to help the Regional Clinical Hospital in Lviv. An additional $2,000 was raised for theproject in February.

The Ukrainian Village is a seniors' housing and apartment complex in the Detroit suburb of Warren.

Meeting with the Henry Ford Health System's corporate vice-president Richard D. Wittrup, and the assistant vice-president, Alan R. Case, members of the Village board, President Stephen M. Wichar Sr., First Vice-President, Justine Malaniak Nelligan, Third Vice-President Stefania Dub, Treasurer Juliana Maziak, Manager Christine Shumejko - and a resident member of the UV, Rozalia Slywka - toured the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Ford Hospital, and were shown the type of equipment ordered for the infants' transport.

The doctor working directly with the Lviv hospital and director of Ford's NICU, Dr. Sudhakar G. Ezhuthachan, and Clinical Nurse Specialist Christine Newman, explained that a warming isolette - known as a neonatal transport system - will be sent to Lviv to keep sick babies warm in transit.

Dr. Ezhuthachan explained that with poor roads and long distances, a child's health is at risk just in getting to the hospital for help. According to recent statistics, the birth rate in Ukraine has been dramatically decreasing, partly due to deaths during the early neonatal period.

The spirits of the Ukrainian Village board members and staffers were high, with representatives promising continuing efforts. Mrs. Dub, with a twinkle in her eye, said she just might organize a rummage sale at the Village.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, March 17, 1996, No. 11, Vol. LXIV

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