SAMS Foundation’s Efforts to Provide Critical Medical Care in Aleppo

 



Dr. Paul Bolger is a respected emergency physician who practices with UnityPoint Health-Trinity Medical Center, and also leads a Davenport, Iowa, wellness and aesthetics clinic. Paul Bolger, MD, supports a number of charitable organizations, including local food banks and the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) Foundation.

Established nearly a decade ago, the SAMS Foundation focuses on providing care to those most in need in Syria and beyond. A recent report from Aleppo points to the dire situation of those living under the constant threat of aerial bombardment in a city of 300,000, including 85,000 children.

Unfortunately, health care providers are a major target. Two of the largest hospitals SAMS maintains were recently damaged severely in airstrikes, to the point where they were taken out of service. As of late September, only a half-dozen ICU beds were operational in the entire war-torn city.

With more than a dozen attacks on medical facilities occurring within a three month period, physicians are now forced to select between patients in providing life-saving treatment. The SAMS Foundation is seeking resources to continue its critical work in Aleppo and prevent the tragedy from becoming much worse.