HGPI Support Project for Reconstruction following the Disaster

date : 3/14/2012

In immediate response to the Great East Japan Earthquake, Health and Global Policy Institute established emergency　teams in cooperation with Project HOPE, an international medical aid organization based in the United States. Since April, 2011 HGPI has provided logistical support for the dispatch of Japanese medical professionals normally resident in the U.S. In May, at a ceremony mediated by HGPI and covered by numerous media sources, a memorandum of understanding was signed by Iwate Governor Takuya Tasso and Project HOPE for the continued provision of medical support and assistance to the stricken area, with a particular focus on Yamada Town of Iwate Prefecture.
　HGPI has also been collaborating with the leading U.S. think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) to research and discuss issues which are clearly now of greater importance than ever in disaster-affected areas, such as effective use of telemedicine, homecare, and more efficient resource allocation through improved regional collaboration among health care providers and health systems.

「HGPI Support Project for Reconstruction following the Disaster」

◆Restoration of Healthcare services after the Great East Japan Earthquake / Special Breakfast Conference
March 15, 2012 / Hotel New Otani Tokyo
We welcomed Shinji Asonuma, Vice-minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, and Shinsuke Muto, Chairman of the Tetsuyu Institute Medical Corporation, to talk about the measures for recovery assistance that have been undertaken in the year following the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster, and the future plans in this area.

◆Support Activities for the Disaster Victims by IsraAID – Kokoro no care- / Breakfast Meeting
March 13, 2012 / GARB Marunouchi
We welcomed Mr.Yotam Polizer, Japan Project Coordinator for IsraAID (The Israel Forum for International Humanitarian Aid) to speak about the support activities for disaster recovery in which IsraAID has been involved in for the last year.

◆Health Policy Summit 2012 ～Open Platform and Global Collaboration～
February 10, 2012 / Hotel New Otani Tokyo
In this Summit, numerous experts from Japan and overseas held deep discussions on health and healthcare issues, centered on a theme of “Open Platform and Global Collaboration.” In particular, being almost one year on from the Great East Japan Earthquake, there was a focus on support for reconstruction efforts, health and healthcare issues specific to stricken areas, and the fundamental improvements that have been realized.

◆Reconstruction in Tohoku: An Open Dialogue on Strategies and Partnerships
November 11, 2011／Corasse Fukushima／Co-hosted by CSIS　
Around 70 people from Japan and overseas, including government officials, healthcare providers and executives of healthcare-related enterprises, gathered in Fukushima to focus on establishing an open platform to facilitate long-term international cooperation in health and healthcare.

◆Dr. Akira Ogawa / Special Breakfast Conference
July 28, 2011／Hotel Okura
Lecture by Dr. Akira Ogawa, who, as President of Iwate Medical University, spearheaded relief efforts in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, and is now focused on creating a new post-disaster regional healthcare system.

◆Participation in “Roundtable Discussion on the Health Implications of Japan’s Triple Disaster”
July 14, 2011 / Washington DC
At the request of leading U.S. think tank CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies), the Health and Global Policy Institute (Kiyoshi Kurokawa, Hiromi Murakami, and Ryoji Noritake) participated in a Roundtable Discussion on the Health Implications of Japan’s “Triple Disaster”, a CSIS-organized symposium in Washington DC, for discussion on the lessons learned thus far and the measures that should be taken in future.

◆Mr. Hiroya Masuda / Special Breakfast Conferences
June 8, 2011／Hotel Okura
Mr. Hiroya Masuda, Governor of Iwate prefecture (1997-2007) and former Minister of Internal Affairs, spoke about the current situation in Iwate Prefecture, focusing on damaged medical facilities and the status of shelter. In addition to this, he also discussed the necessary policies and the kind of vision required for the future.

◆MOU Ceremony: Project HOPE and the Governor of Iwate
May 31, 2011 ／Iwate Prefecture
The ceremony was held to commemorate the entrance into a treaty between Project Hope and the Governor of Iwate Prefecture regarding their mutual collaboration. In attendance were representatives from HGPI who helped with the mediation, Takuya Tasso (the Governor of Iwate), Fred Gerber (Operation RISING SUN manager), as well as disaster area medical volunteers and donors.

◆Mr.George Guszcza, Project Hope / Breakfast Conference
May 20, 2011 / Marunouchi Tokyo
Project HOPE, an international medical relief provider headquartered in the U.S., originally carried out its first mission in Japan, and has subsequently returned to its “birthplace” under its disaster relief project Operation RISING SUN. We welcomed Mr.George Guszcza, one of the coordinating officers, who described the experience of the organization during their disaster relief operations.

◆Mr.Fred Gerber and Mr.Daryl Porr, Project Hope / Breakfast Conference
April 26, 2011 / Hotel Okura
Fred Gerber and Daryl Porr, managers of Operation RISING SUN, the disaster- relief program being run by American organization Project HOPE, introduced their first-hand experiences in the Tohoku area, and their impressions of Japan’s response to the disaster.

◆Coordination and support for Tohoku and Project Hope
March 2011～
HGPI commenced discussions with the U.S.-based nonprofit organization Project HOPE, which provides medical support globally, to launch a medical support project in the stricken areas. In addition to ascertaining both the immediate on-site needs and mid- to long-term requirements, collaboration was also organized with domestic stakeholders, including the government, to mobilize support.

HGPI Support Project for Reconstruction following the Disaster

Top Research & Recommendations Posts

Featured Posts