Heart to Heart working to create a healthier China

CHENGDU, Sichuan, P.R.C./May 26, 2006 – Heart to Heart International Inc., a leading humanitarian organization working in the People’s Republic of China, today introduced its 2006 volunteer delegation at a VIP reception in Sichuan Province. This delegation, comprised of more than 20 volunteers, will enhance Heart to Heart’s year-round educational programming throughout the province.

“Though China is growing by leaps and bounds economically, its healthcare system has struggled to keep up,” said Dr. Gary Morsch, Heart to Heart’s founder and president. “Our alliance with the Sichuan health bureau has ensured Sino-American cooperation to build a healthier China, starting right here in Chengdu. We brought a talented group of volunteers here to help us take exciting steps in this direction.”

Heart to Heart uses these volunteers in an effective, train-the-trainer model for the following programs:

• Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP): Heart to Heart plays an active role in helping infants take their first breath in Sichuan. Through the NRP, our volunteers and onsite staff equip and teach vital resuscitation techniques developed by the America Academy of Pediatrics. Since 2000, this program has helped to cut Sichuan’s infant-mortality rate in half.

• Mobile Eye Treatment Center: Heart to Heart has teamed up with ophthalmologists from the Dean A. McGee Eye Institute of the University of Oklahoma to train rural physicians on cataract surgical techniques and provide post-operative care. This year, Heart to Heart is on track to provide 4,000 cataract surgeries.

• Pre-Hospital Emergency Training: Heart to Heart has recently developed a training curriculum that addresses the treatment and care of major trauma victims through pre-hospital emergency response. Initiated last year and embraced by health officials, this hands-on training program is expected to bolster Sichuan’s emergency medical system.

Heart to Heart volunteers will also work at a deaf school and retirement center near Chengdu, improving the quality of life at these institutions through various service projects and activities.