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Haiti

MEDICAL TEAMS INTERNATIONAL DOCTORS SAVING LIVES IN HAITI

(PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 19, 2010)- Medical Teams International volunteer doctors and nurses are performing orthopedic surgeries and treating hundreds of people each day at the 350-bed Kings Hospital, just outside Port-au-Prince.

Three doctors, two nurses and an emergency logistician leave on Wed., Jan. 20 to join the six doctors and three nurses already in Haiti. Doctors leaving tomorrow include: Marie Angele Theard (Oregon Anesthesiology Group), Steve Boyer (Oregon Emergency Physicians) and Bob Gibson (Portland physician). Nurses are Carol Caudle (Willamette Falls Hospital, OR) and Kris Repp, (self-employed emergency RN, Renton, WA.) Dr. Theard was born in Haiti but lives and practices in Portland.

The team leaving on Wed. will fly to Port-au-Prince on a private jet supplied by Tec Trucks, who owns Volvo and Mac truck dealerships on the West Coast. Dave Thompson, Tec Trucks president, made the decision to donate the flight after his employees donated the funds to pay for the fuel. (Media only: You can see/film the team leave at 7:25 a.m. Jan. 20 at the Aurora, Ore, airport. I-5 south to 282 A, Arndt (L) to Airport (R), 1/4 mile to 1st orange gate, passcode 1227 to Hangar 4.)

One of the volunteers leaving on Wed. is Andrew Davidson, president and CEO of the Oregon Association of Hospital and Health Systems (OAHHS). Davidson is an expert in health logistics and operations in diverse health care delivery settings. In addition, OAHHS, and its counterpart the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA), has committed to raise more than $560,000 in cash and medicines to help Medical Teams International respond to the Haiti crisis. (Media only: Davidson will be available at the hangar at 7:20 a.m. to comment on this unique NW Hospital Partnership with Medical Teams International before he departs for Haiti.)

People can give an automatic $10 gift by texting HOPE to 253-83; on-line at www.medicalteams.org, calling 1-800-959-4325; or mailing a gift to P.O. Box 10, Portland, OR 97207.

For media only. Medical Teams International has 30-second PSAs - radio and TV - now available for use. If you want to raise awareness for Haiti and have free broadcast time available, please contact Chiqui Flowers at 503.624.1035 or cflowers@medicalteams.org. She will email the PSAS to you as soon as possible.

Since 1979, Medical Teams International has shipped more than $1.3 billion in antibiotics, surgical kits and lifesaving medicines to care for 45 million people in 100 countries around the world. More than 2,600 volunteers meet the needs of people worldwide each year. Donations can be made by calling (503) 624-1000 or by logging on to www.medicalteams.org.

Contact:

Marlene Minor/Portland/National

503-341-6620 (media cell)

mminor@medicalteams.org

Lee Keller/Seattle, WA

206-799-3805

lee@thekellergroup.com