[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 82 (Friday, May 13, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E497-E498]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING MEDGLOBAL'S HUMANITARIAN MISSIONS TO UKRAINE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARIE NEWMAN

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 13, 2022

  Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the selfless and 
heroic work of the nurses, doctors, and staff of MedGlobal, a 
humanitarian and health non-governmental organization based in Chicago 
Ridge, Illinois, on their recent medical missions to Ukraine. To date, 
MedGlobal, which is headquartered in Illinois' Third Congressional 
District, has helped train nearly 1,000 Ukrainian doctors in 8 
hospitals in Lviv, Ukraine, and brought nearly $1 million worth of life 
saving medical supplies generously donated by the American people to 
help Ukrainians in need.
  On March 9, 2022, the MedGlobal team of health care providers 
departed Chicago, Illinois, and arrived in Warsaw, Poland, the 
following day. The group brought with them desperately needed medical 
supplies and medications requested by Ukrainian doctors working at 
hospitals in Lviv. The team traveled by bus from Warsaw to the Polish-
Ukrainian border and completed a nearly 45-mile trek through Ukraine to 
reach Lviv. After a successful mission, the providers made their safe 
return on March 13.
  On April 4, 2022, another MedGlobal team deployed from Chicago to 
Lviv, and over the course of their mission provided training to 
Ukrainian doctors in mass casualties, chemical weapons, and management 
of trauma patients. After another successful mission, the team made 
their safe return on April 10.
  During each trip, Lviv endured multiple bombings from Russian long-
range missiles, causing the MedGlobal teams to seek refuge in bomb 
shelters several times in response to sirens. But this did not deter 
these individuals from taking the risk to discharge their humanitarian 
duty and complete their mission.
  Madam Speaker, I wish to thank the following individuals who took 
part in these efforts and recognize their selfless acts of courage 
bringing vital access to care to Ukrainians caught in the horror of 
war. The members of the March trip include Dr. Hena Ibrahim, Azeen 
Ibrahim, Dr. John Kahler, Dr. Riley Jones, Dr. Irina Lelik, Dr. Susan 
Buratto, and Rita Vaitauskaite, RN. The members of the

[[Page E498]]

April trip include Dr. Judah Slavkovsky, Dr. Nahreen Ahmed, Dr. 
Kathleen Galagher, Dr. Christopher Miller, Dr. John Peter McBryde, Dr. 
Tanya Bucierka, Dr. Mila Felder, Ismail Ajooka, Lauren Cohen, Tonya 
Sompalli, Erica Havelka, Tim Conley, Scott and Maria Ruden, and Jessica 
Szotak, RN. The teams were led by my dear friend, Dr. Mohammed Zaher 
Sahloul, the co-founder and president of MedGlobal and a respected 
leader in Chicago. Many of these health care providers also call my 
district home, while others live around the Chicago land region or 
other states. They reflect the very best of America, and I could not be 
prouder to represent many of them and recognize their service today.

                          ____________________