Eugene Bell Foundation

Edit links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Eugene Bell Foundation
Formation1995; 29 years ago (1995)
FounderStephen Winn Linton
TypeNGO
Legal statusFoundation
PurposeHumanitarian assistance in North Korea
HeadquartersWashington, D.C.
Websitewww.eugene-bell.org

The Eugene Bell Foundation is a U.S.-based

multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, the foundation currently sponsors 12 treatment centers, drawing patients from the western half of North Korea. The foundation primarily offers material support and medical expertise to North Korean medical staff and facilities in North Korea. The foundation is primarily financed through South Koreans and ethnic Koreans abroad.[1] According to the foundation's home-page, "Eugene Bell USA is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization established in 1995 by Dr. Stephen Winn Linton".[2]

History

Stephen Linton founded the Eugene Bell Centennial Foundation in 1995 to provide teaching and research to North Korea. The foundation was named in honor of the 100th anniversary of the arrival of Eugene Bell, his ancestor, to Korea as a missionary.[citation needed]

From 1996 to 1998, the foundation provided grain and other food aid to North Koreans. At the request of the North Korean government, the foundation began to focus on medical aid in 1998, spending the next ten years setting up a monitored supply chain that provided diagnostic and operating room assistance to medical facilities across North Korea.[3]

By 2008, drug-resistant tuberculosis, in particular

multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, had emerged as a significant and untreated threat, prompting the North Korean government to invite Eugene Bell to aid patients with the disease. As of 2014, the Eugene Bell Foundation is providing aid to 12 treatment centers in the form of medicine, diagnostic equipment, and treatment consultation.[4]

In 2013, 885 patients received care at Eugene Bell-supported multidrug-resistant tuberculosis treatment centers, a number expected to rise to 1,500 by the end of 2014.[citation needed]

Treating patients in North Korea

The Foundation has developed a unique medical aid model, which combines regular visits by American personnel with daily treatment by North Korean health professionals.,

South Hwanghae Province, and Kaesong
.

The medical director of the Eugene Bell Foundation, Dr. KJ Seung, published the Foundation's findings about the extent of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in 2013.[7] The study indicates that incidence of drug resistance is much higher than previously known and recommended a rapid expansion in international aid.[8]

Relationship with the North Korean government

The Eugene Bell Foundation works closely with the North Korean Ministry of Health and relies on local North Korean nurses and doctors to provide care at treatment centers.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ Morning Edition (Radio). Educational Broadcasting System. December 17, 2009.
  2. ^ "Eugene Bell Foundation". Eugene Bell Foundation.
  3. ^ "History". Eugene Bell Foundation.
  4. ^ "MDR-TB in North Korea". Partners In Health.
  5. ^ "Seoul approves first private-level aid provision to N. Korea under new administration". Yonhap News Agency.
  6. ^ "Giving Until it Hurts". The Washington Post. March 9, 2009.
  7. PMID 23935457
    .
  8. ^ Kang, Tae-ho. "Battling Tuberculosis in both South and North Korea". The Hankyoreh.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eugene_Bell_Foundation&oldid=1210808278"