Letter from our Executive Director

We did it!

In the fall of 2017, the staff and Board of Health Bridges met to plan for 2018. We set some pretty lofty goals. We wanted to make a big impact in 2018. Well, here we are some 14 months later, and I can say we did it.  In 2018, thanks to your faith and support - we were able to:
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• Provide, in collaboration with in-country providers, health and hygiene education, dental care, and targeted health services to over 1,500 children in underserved communities around Perú.
• Advance a 5-year agreement with the Peruvian College of Obstetrics to bring neonatal resuscitation training to all 30,000 midwives throughout Perú. Since 2013, we’ve completed over 300 NRP workshops for over 4,500 professionals in 23 of the 24 states in Perú, trained almost 200 trainers.
• Advocate for children with disabilities and their families through our Ines Project. To date over 150 youth and families have been enrolled in the Ines Project.
• Test a web-based health monitoring system for use with orphanages and homes for former street youth, advancing the monitoring and delivery of holistic care and integrated health.
• Partner with a number of Peruvian organizations to provide evidence-based trainings on emergency medicine, trauma-informed care, early childhood attachment and security, and CPR for over 1,500 physicians, nurses, and midwives working in underserved areas.
• Construct a Tuberculosis (TB) Treatment Room with the Peruvian Ministry of Health in an underserved area of Alto Cayma, Perú - helping to expand the screening, treatment, and ongoing management of TB.
• Develop a large-scale community based project with the Peruvian Ministry of Health Francisco Bolognese Micro-network to investigate the impact of a collaborative, team-based approach to the prevention and treatment of anemia in children under 5 and pregnant women in low resource environments.
• Coordinate service learning experiences for over 200 health profession students (pre-health, medical, nursing, physical therapy, public health) from seven universities and colleges in the U.S., U.K. and Canada.
• Produce ​a documentary based on the mission, vision and values of our collaboration model (look for the release in early spring of 2019).

​In every sense of the word 2018 has been a big year . . . and, I know 2019 will be even bigger.

Thank you for your continued support.

Dr. Wayne Centrone
Executive Director and Board President

2018 HBI Year in Review.pdf
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Health Bridges International advocates with marginalized communities, building bridges of collaboration, to serve and improve the health needs of all.

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FINANCIAL SUMMARY

Over the past 12-years through the support of more than 3,000 donors and more than 6,000 donations, Health Bridges has invested almost $3 million toward advancing the health and well-being of underserved communities.

"HBI has changed my life. Their work is amazing. In so many ways - they are leading the way for building the kind of world we all want. I'm so proud to be a part of the HBI movement.”
​- 2018 Team Perú trip participant

The joy and peace this experience brings me is hard to put into words. If I had to choose between this type of a vacation vs the typical vacations we think of, I would choose to spend my time with HBI-without a doubt.
​- Anita Boelter, multi-year Team Perú participant

"HBI is not an organization of projects. They are an organization of relationships. That is going to change the world."
​​- 2016 Team Perú participant

A Few Highlights from 2018

Transforming a Community

 For over 20 years we have partnered with the Peruvian organization Union Biblica. This year we expanded our partnership and took over the operations and administration of two of Union Biblica's homes for abandoned boys. We call this project Girasoles Sanos or Healthy Sunflowers, and we hope it will become a model for serving the diverse needs of children living in orphanages and homes around the world.
Learn more about our Girasoles Sanos Program.

Created a Model Program

Anemia is one of the biggest public health challenges in the world. There is no one model for treating and preventing anemia. We are working on developing such a model. Anemia prevention and treatment requires collaboration and partnerships. We are building a model based on scientific evidence and cultural humility.
Learn more about our Anemia Prevention and Treatment Project.

Instilling Hope

According to the World Report on Disability, approximately one billion people in the world are living with a disability, with at least 1 in 10 being children and 80% living in developing countries. We've developed a collaborative approach to help families  gain the knowledge and skills they need to advocate for the complex and diverse needs of their children living with disabilities.
 Learn more about our Ines Project. 

"I have found the fuel for my passion in working with HBI. I feel so fortunate that every day I get to make a difference in the lives of so many people. HBI is a true gift.”

- Carmen Elena Zavala Thompson, Perú Program Manager

2018 in Pictures

Our Team

Board of Directors                                                                    HBI Staff

Dr. Wayne Centrone | President
​Dean Boyer | Vice President
​Dr. Natasha Polensek | Secretary ​
Lee Centrone | Treasurer
Dr. Robert Gehringer | Medical Director ​
Margaret Hendrix ​
Stephen Manning, Esq.
Patrick Flanagan, Esq.
Tracey Chernay
Monte Roulier

​Dr. Wayne Centrone | Executive Director ​​
Dr. Robert Gehringer| Medical Director
Benjamin Grass | Director of Operations
Lic. Karen Falkenstein | Nursing and Evaluation Director
Carmen Elena Zavala Thompson | Program Manager, Perú
Dr. Roberto Hermógenes Tarazona Ponte | Senior Health Advisor, Perú 
Lic. Epifania "Fany" Cotos Duran | Lead Nurse Care Coordinator, Perú​
Lic. Gabriela Bautista Diaz | Ines Project Nurse Care Coordinator, Perú​

Thank you for your continuing support. You are an integral part of the HBI Community. Each of you helps to bring possibility, resilience, and determination to our efforts. Together we build bridges of hope, and we cannot do it without you.

- The HBI Team