Members of LBJ Medical Center administration surround Dr. Linda Halderman (Center, in surgical “scrubs”) as they stand in front of a 40 foot container sent from Project SAVE, a volunteer organization located in Chico, California that collects and organizes shipments of medical equipment and supplies worldwide. She is flanked on the left by Dr. Jim Marrone, Pat Kalasa, Dr. Alo Anesi, Rick Nader (LBJ Acting CEO). On the right is former CEO and current special consultant Patricia Tindall and Sinasina Joe Langkilde. On both ends are members of the LBJ security team tasked with guarding the donation, estimated to be worth $300,000. [photo: tlh]
A
massive
shipment
of
medical
supplies
and
equipment—
“items
both
simple
and
highly
technical”
according
to
LBJ
CFO
and
acting
CEO
Rick
Nader,
was
presented
to a
grateful
administration
at
LBJ
Medical
Center
on
Thursday,
Jan.
7,
2010.
The
donation,
collected
and
shipped
to
the
territory
by a
private
California
organization
called
“Project
SAVE”,
has
been
estimated
to
be
worth
over
$300,000,
and
consists
of
items
which
will
be
“quickly
put
to
use
all
over
the
hospital,”
according
to
Nader.
It
is
one
of
the
largest
private
donations—
if
not
the
largest—
received
in
the
territory
since
the
tsunami
disaster
that
leveled
villages
and
changed
lives
forever
in
September,
2009.
Following
a
light,
drizzling
rain,
the
group
gathered
in
front
of
the
40
foot
container,
being
housed
in
one
of
the
hospital’s
parking
areas
to
hear
from
Dr.
Linda
Halderman,
a
visiting
surgeon
from
Sacramento,
California,
who
was
the
driving
force
behind
the
donation.
Dr.
Halderman,
a
petite
woman
whose
tiny
size
belies
an
enormous
capacity
for
hard
work
and
good
deeds,
smiled
broadly
as
the
words
were
read
out,
“This
is a
gift
of
love
from
some
northern
Californians
who
learned
about
what
the
island
has
faced
since
September
29,
2009.”
She
was
contracted
to
serve
LBJ
later
in
the
year;
however,
the
devastation
and
life-changing
events
of
September
29
caused
then
CEO
Patricia
Tindall
to
ask
Halderman
if
she
would
consider
coming
to
American
Samoa
sooner,
in
light
of
the
tragic
tsunami
and
the
difficult
days
which
followed.
(The
backstory
is
even
more
dramatic—
when
Halderman
heard
of
the
devastation,
she
tried
to
call
every
number
she
had—
couldn’t
get
through
to
anyone.
Fearing
her
contacts
may
be
dead,
she
contacted
FEMA—
who
found
Tindall—
and
the
CEO
asked
her
how
soon
she
could
get
here.)
Dr.
Halderman
said
that
in
48
hours,
she
had
her
ticket
in
hand.
Once
here,
Dr.
Halderman
poured
herself
into
the
work
she
loves.
She
found,
as
many
before
her
have
found,
that
the
local
staff
must
often
“make
do”
without
some
basic
surgery
items
and
simple
supplies.
As
someone
who
believes
deeply
in
the
good
which
can
come
from
volunteer
organizations
and
“everyday
people”,
she
went
to
her
extensive
list
of
contacts
and
solicited
help.
In
email
correspondence
with
Samoa
News,
she
said
a
few
days
ago:
“The
container
is
here...
it
has
made
its
way
from
Chico
to
Oakland
to
Pago
Pago!
She
went
on...
“I
visited
the
Pago
Pago
Harbor
yesterday,
trying
to
sneak
a
peak
at
the
container
(as
if
I’d
know
what
it
looks
like
among
hundreds
stacked
high
on
the
shore).”
Calling
it
“one
of
the
most
beautiful
harbors
in
the
world”
she
said,
“although
I
couldn’t
identify
which
40-foot
container
was
northern
California’s
Christmas
present
to
American
Samoa,
I’m
pretty
sure
it
could
only
add
to
the
harbor’s
beauty.”
It
was
through
her
work
with
California
State
Senator
Sam
Aanestad—
for
whom
Dr.
Halderman
serves
as
senior
policy
advisor—
that
Project
SAVE
was
contacted.
The
senator’s
staff
was
in
touch
with
the
volunteer
organization
in
Chico,
California
that
collects
and
organizes
shipments
of
medical
equipment
and
supplies
worldwide.
It
is
funded,
according
to
her,
by
the
generosity
of
private
individuals,
and
does
not
accept
government
funding.
In a
statement
given
at
the
presentation
of
the
container
to
LBJ,
it
was
noted,
“Through
Project
SAVE,
and
at
the
request
of
California
State
Senator
Sam
Aanestad,
this
shipment
is
presented
as a
gift
from
the
people
of
Northern
California
to
the
people
of
American
Samoa.”
The
donation
was
sent
on
behalf
of
the
medical
and
nursing
professionals,
hospitals
and
clinics
across
California,
whose
donations
represent
hundreds
of
thousands
of
dollars
worth
of
medical
supplies
given
without
publicity,
governmental
involvement,
and
(in
most
cases)
recognition.
But
for
a
donation
of
this
size,
recognition
is
in
order,
and
,
according
to
Dr.
Halderman,
these
are
the
groups,
organizations
and
individuals
“without
whom
this
donation
would
never
have
happened:”
1.
Project
SAVE
of
Chico,
California--a
nonprofit
organization
affiliated
with
California’s
Enloe
Medical
Center.
Under
Executive
Director
Janice
Walker,
Project
SAVE
volunteers
collected
and
organized
the
entire
shipment
of
medical
equipment
and
supplies.
2.
The
Enloe
Foundation,
another
charitable
affiliate
of
the
Enloe
Medical
Center,
in
Chico,
as
represented
by
Vice
President
Bob
Adams.
Through
the
Enloe
Foundation,
Mr.
Adams
arranged
the
donation
that
paid
the
entire
cost
of
shipping--reportedly
$7,000.
3.
Benevolence
Beyond
Politics,
Inc.,
the
company
that
provided
logistics
support
for
the
massive
shipment,
as
directed
by
founder
Eric
Charles.
4.
Ms.
Kathy
Hilke,
Capitol
Office
Administrator
for
California
State
Senator
Sam
Aanestad,
and
Preston
Dickinson,
District
Representative
for
Senator
Aanestad.
Kathy
and
Preston
learned
of
the
difficulties
faced
by
American
Samoan
patients
and
felt
compelled
to
help.
Said
Dr.
Halderman,
“I
cannot
overstate
their
involvement
in
this
donation.
They
are
people
of
faith
whose
actions
reflect
the
Image
in
which
they
were
made.”
5.
California
State
Senator
Sam
Aanestad,
an
oral
surgeon
who
represents
the
people
of
northern
California.
Dr.
Aanestad
doesn’t
direct
his
staff
members
how
to
be
of
selfless
service,
Dr.
Halderman
said.
“He
just
sets
the
example
and
smiles
when
we
put
people
before
politics.
He
enabled
me
to
serve
in
American
Samoa
after
the
tsunami
and
has
been
an
unfailing
support
for
my
work
here.”
6.
LBJ’s
Director
of
Property
Management,
Joe
Langkilde,
who
has
done
a
great
deal
of
work
on
this
end
to
prepare
for
the
receipt
of
this
shipment.
Dr.
Halderman
said
of
him,
“there
aren’t
many
people
on
this
island
who
could
have
kept
this
complicated
process
running
so
smoothly.”
She
called
Joe
the
‘behind
the
scenes’
hero
who
deserves
much
credit
for
his
role
in
getting
critical
equipment
to
where
it’s
needed
most.”
In
accepting
the
donation,
acting
CEO
Nader
said
of
Dr.
Halderman,
“without
her
passion—
and
her
compassion—
this
donation
would
not
be
here.
She
had
the
contacts.
She
made
it
happen.”
