Passport Health Announces Partnership with Engineers Without Borders-USA

BALTIMORE—04/06/2010– Extending its commitment to provide transnational volunteer organization members with pre-travel education, immunizations and medications, Passport Health (www.passporthealthusa.com), the nation’s largest provider of travel medical services and immunizations, today announced a partnership with Engineers Without Borders-USA (EWB-USA). www.ewb-usa.org.

“We are thrilled to be able to work with an organization of such prestige and that does so much good throughout the world,” announced Fran Lessans, CEO of Passport Health. “Our goal is to keep all travelers, including volunteers, healthy throughout their mission.”

Passport Health provides a comprehensive suite of services tailored to the international traveler. “We are excited to work with Passport Health to provide our members with individualized health planning resources for their projects,” said Cathy Leslie, EWB-USA Executive Director. “It is important to be prepared as our projects are often in remote locations which may require proactive measures, this is why we decided to offer Passport Health as an additional resource for our members.” The recommendations are specific to each traveler. “You have to know where they are going, their planned activities, where they will stay, time of year, altitude and their health history. Only then can you recommend the immunizations and vaccinations that the client needs,” added Lessans.

EWB-USA is a nonprofit humanitarian organization comprised of professional and student engineers and other disciplines, who volunteer to work with local communities and NGOs in over 45 developing countries around the world. EWB-USA volunteers, in partnership with host communities, design and implement sustainable engineering projects such as water, renewable energy, sanitation and bridges to support community-driven development programs around the globe. In addition to providing engineering services, EWB-USA volunteers raise all the money for travel and equipment which they install with community participation. EWB-USA has over 250 chapters conducting hundreds of projects worldwide.

EWB-USA project teams are comprised not only of engineers but also public health specialists as well as other disciplines. For chapters that choose the services, Passport Health Travel Medicine Specialists will work closely with them and brief them on country-specific recommendations.

“Every EWB-USA travel team member should have the proper immunizations and EWB-USA chapters must also have a site specific health and safety plan prior to any travel. We encourage our chapters to prepare as much as possible, and Passport Health is a service that can assist in these safety measures,” concluded Leslie.

Some of the current EWB-USA projects include the Minnesota Professional chapter where members are designing and implementing a water supply and distribution system in Sulnco, Honduras for 3,550 people. The Greater Cincinnati Professional chapter is completing its water supply system for its third orphanage in Rwanda while the Las Vegas Professional chapter is providing clean water and sanitation for an orphanage in Ghana. Northeastern University is implementing a water supply and distribution system in Bbanda, Uganda for 1,500 people, while the Central Houston Professionals is installing a similar water supply system for the 3,000 residents of Uraqueni, Bolivia. The University of Arizona chapter has a rain water catchment project in Mali and a water supply system for thirty villages in Ghana.

If you would like to volunteer, contact an EWB-USA chapter in your area to find out what skills they need for their current projects. You can also join EWB-USA or donate to a project of your choice.

***


Jorge Eduardo Castillo
410.727.0556
jorge.castillo@passporthealthusa.com