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The Canadian Red Cross has had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Moataz Al-Atassi, Secretary General of Homs Branch from the Syrian Arab Red Cresent (SARC), during his visit to Canada.  For two days, Dr. Atassi met with the Canadian Red Cross to discuss the Syria crisis and explained the reality faced by SARC staff and volunteers to provide humanitarian assistance in Syria.

When it’s as beautiful outdoors as it has been this summer, it’s a great time of year to enjoy nature. Before you set out for the great outdoors, are you prepared in case of an emergency? Whether you’re hiking, camping or enjoying other backcountry adventures, know what to do in case of emergency when medical care isn’t close by.

The message read “Today, August 4, we transported our dear Mr. Smiley and his brother to Dhulikhel Spinal Cord Injury”. It was sent by Red Cross nurse Kirsty Robertson of Toronto who is part of the current Canadian Red Cross team working at the field hospital in rural Dhunche, Nepal. She was eager to share Mr. Smiley’s happy outcome, as it has been a team effort.

Natasha Osmond, a perioperative nurse from Halifax, recently returned from Dhunche, a rural community in Nepal, where she worked at the Red Cross field hospital. On this, her first overseas assignment, Natasha was responsible for patient safety, legal aspects of nursing, and management of nursing activities related to surgery. 

According to Kassahun Shambo, an emigrant from Ethiopia, being a newcomer to Manitoba can be a frustrating experience. Shambo remembers walking with a friend, another newcomer to Canada, who slipped and injured himself on a patch of ice. The men didn’t know what to do, so they went to a local shopping mall and asked people where they could get medical help.

Today marks three months since the first of two earthquakes devastated Nepal. With more than 100 aftershocks, many people have lost their lives, homes and livelihoods. The earthquakes impacted 5.6 million Nepalese with more than 853,000 homes damaged or destroyed.

Gary Tinker did not know what to expect when he arrived at the Evraz shelter on July 1. He and his family had just spent nine hours on a bus ride from Pinehouse, Saskatchewan. Like the 1,500 residents from his community, he was given little time pack before leaving.

Medical help can sometimes be far away if you’re living in rural and remote First Nations communities in British Columbia. In the past, getting on-call emergency assistance to people in need could be a major challenge. The First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) is working with the Canadian Red Cross to change that.