CURE International

CURE International is a Christian nonprofit organization based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.[1] CURE's efforts are focused on providing medical care to children suffering primarily from orthopedic and neurological conditions. The organization's stated mission is "healing the sick and proclaiming the kingdom of God." The organization operates hospitals in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Niger, the Philippines, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

CURE International
Founded1996
FounderC. Scott Harrison, Sally Harrison
TypeInternational child healthcare organization
FocusInternational Healthcare
Location
  • Grand Rapids, MI
Area served
Africa, Asia, Central America
MethodSurgery, advocacy, treatment
Key people
Justin Narducci, President/CEO
Revenue
$35 million
Employees
900
Websitecure.org

History

The organization was founded in 1996 in central Pennsylvania, near Harrisburg, by C. Scott Harrison and his wife, Sally.[2] Ten years earlier, Harrison had traveled to Malawi, Africa to perform spine surgery and teach higher level orthopedic surgery skills to local surgeons. When his tenure as CEO and President of Kirschner Medical was over, Harrison created the Crippled Children's United Rehabilitation Effort[3] (CCURE or C²URE, later CURE), hoping to meet that need. CURE's first hospital opened in 1998 in Kenya. Harrison stepped down as President in 2012.[4]

In 2006, CURE acquired Oasis Hospital in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.[5] The hospital was established in 1960 by the American missionary couple Pat and Marian Kennedy, who were a part of the missionary organization TEAM (the Evangelical Alliance Mission). The hospital has a focus on maternal health and is the oldest hospital in Al Ain. The hospital became the first non-government hospital in the emirate of Abu Dhabi to receive the Joint Commission International Accreditation in 2007 and was re-accredited in 2010 and 2013.[6]

CURE established a program to treat infant clubfoot called CURE Clubfoot Worldwide, in 2006.[7] This program then began to expand beyond CURE hospitals and partnered with other national hospitals and established clinics in countries that CURE International did not have a presence in, like Rwanda,[8] Mozambique[9] and India.[10] In 2019, CURE Clubfoot separated from CURE as a new independent NGO, and was renamed Hope Walks.

CURE created a separate division for management of international hospitals, called CURE Healthcare Management Services, in the late 2000s.[11] Capabilities ranged from initial strategic analysis of a project to construction, staffing, outfitting and management. Clients included hospitals not owned by CURE International, in countries such as China,[12] Indonesia[13] and Angola.[14] In 2012 the division became a separate company, renamed CURE Management Services, or CMS, and continued to operate for a few years.[15] The company is no longer active.

On July 1, 2019 CURE acquired International Aid Inc., which became a distinct but wholly owned subsidiary of CURE International. Both organizations merged resources, teams, and offices into a shared West Michigan presence at a warehouse building in Spring Lake, Michigan, with the main office located in Grand Rapids, MI.[16]

Hospitals
The CURE Ethiopia Children's Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Ethiopia: The CURE Ethiopia Children's Hospital, established in 2008, is a pediatric orthopedic teaching hospital in Addis Ababa.

Kenya: The first CURE hospital opened in 1998 in Kijabe. The AIC-CURE International Children's Hospital is a 30-bed hospital that serves approximately 8,000 children per year, also operating mobile clinics to remote regions.[17]

Niger: The CURE Hôpital des Enfants au Niger opened in Niamey in the summer of 2010.[18][19]

Tebow CURE Hospital
The Tebow CURE Hospital in Davao City, Philippines

CURE and the Tebow Foundation announced plans to build a children's hospital in the fall of 2011 in the Philippines, the country where ESPN broadcaster Tim Tebow was born. The Tebow CURE Hospital in Davao City, on the island of Mindanao, will hold 30 beds and will specialize in orthopedics. Construction began in January 2012 and was completed in late 2014, with a grand opening in May 2015. [20]

2014 deaths

On 24 April 2014, three CURE physicians were killed by an Afghan security guard, among them one American, Dr. Jerry Umanos, a pediatrician.[21] Dr. Umanos' wife, who forgave the gunman, commented on her husband's "love for the Afghan people" and "desire to be the hands and feet of Christ".[22][23]

Former hospitals

United Arab Emirates: The Kanad Hospital (formerly CURE Oasis Hospital),[24] located in Al Ain, was established in 1960 to bring American medical care to the UAE. The hospital delivers 3,500 babies and treats over 122,000 patients annually. CURE acquired the hospital in 2006. CURE International and True Sojourners entered into an agreement that transitioned the Kanad Hospital in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates between the parties, effective October 1, 2020.[25]

Dominican Republic: The Centro de Ortopedia y Especialidades CURE International, established in 2003, was located in Santo Domingo. It served approximately 700 outpatients per month. The hospital also sent surgical teams into Haiti and responded to the 2010 Haiti earthquake by sending in one of the first surgical teams into that country.[26] The hospital ceased doing surgical operations in 2018.[27]

Honduras: In 2013, the CURE Internacional Hospital de Ortopedia Pediátrica, located in San Pedro Sula, closed due to increasing insecurity in the country, and a lack of funding from the government. During its four years of operation, approximately 20,000 children were treated with orthopedic corrections.[28]

On August 2, 2011, three representatives of CURE Hydrocephalus testified in front of the U. S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights. Dr. Benjamin Warf, former medical director of CURE Uganda, Dr. Steven Schiff, who conducted research at CURE Uganda, and Jim Cohick, Senior Vice President of Specialty Programs at CURE International, spoke on the issue.[29][30]

References
  1. "The Mission of CURE". CURE. 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2014. As a Christian organization, we can help them through this difficult time. For the last 2,000 years, what they are looking for has been called the "kingdom of God." It is something to obtain in the future, but it also something here now. It is a reference to Jesus but is also within those who follow Him. Helping people find that kingdom of God is the other half of what we do. So the answer to my question is simple: CURE International, healing the sick and proclaiming the kingdom of God. That's our mission!
  2. Vaidya, Anuja; et al. "26 Spine Surgeons Involved in Humanitarian Efforts". Becker's Spine Review. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  3. "Crippled Children's United Rehabilitation Effort". Archived from the original on 2000-10-19. Retrieved 2018-11-16.
  4. International, CURE. "CURE International Appoints Dale Eugene Brantner as New Chief Executive Officer". CURE. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
  5. Hamdan Award for Volunteers in Humanitarian Medical Services
  6. "Oasis Hospital - Welcome from our CEO". Archived from the original on December 9, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  7. Partner Organisation of the Month: CURE Clubfoot Worldwide February 13, 2013
  8. What do you know about clubfoot? June 3, 2019
  9. "The Mozambique Clubfoot Program". MIHER. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  10. Nonprofit Successfully Opens Healthcare Clinics in Every Indian State August 16, 2017
  11. Discovering Rabia Balkhi
  12. How did the top international medical centers get trained? April 24, 2011
  13. CURE Indonesia December 12, 2013
  14. Vital Capital Closes Financing for Luanda Medical Center September 29, 2014
  15. Internet Archive: cms-health.com
  16. CURE/IA Announcement Retrieved December 11, 2019
  17. AIC CURE International Children's Hospital Archived 2012-04-25 at the Wayback Machine CMB International, Retrieved November 2, 2011.
  18. SES Deploys SATMED E-Health Platform to Improve Quality of Healthcare in Niger BusinessWire. April 22, 2016. Accessed May 27, 2016
  19. How satellite helps power quality health care in Niger CURE website. May 2016. Accessed May 27, 2016
  20. "Tim Tebow foundation to build hospital". ESPN. Associated Press. 15 November 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  21. "American Father, Son Among Victims in Kabul Hospital Shooting". ABC News. 24 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  22. Curry, Colleen. "Wife of US Doctor Slain in Afghan Hospital Forgives Gunman". ABC News. Retrieved 25 April 2014. "I know Jerry would also like everybody to know about his love for the Afghan people," she said. "And we don't hold any ill will towards the Afghan people in general or even the gunman who did this." Mrs. Umanos, who said she also spent several years working in Afghanistan, made it clear that her husband was a religious man. "Jerry always wanted us to serve underserved populations and Afghanistan was just one of them. He always had a desire to be the hands and feet of Christ," she said.
  23. Mitch Smith, Andy Grimm and Rosemary Regina Sobol (24 April 2014). "Chicago doctor among 3 Americans killed in Afghanistan". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 25 April 2014. "Jerry always wanted to serve under-served populations" his wife said. "Afghanistan was just one of them. He always had a desire to be the hands and feet of Christ. He had a love and commitment that he expressed for the Afghan people because of that love for Christ.
  24. International, CURE (21 September 2020). "Oasis Hospital Renamed Kanad". CURE. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  25. International, CURE (21 September 2020). "CURE International Transfers Kanad Hospital in Al Ain, UAE to True Sojourners". CURE. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  26. "Born for this Moment - CURE International's response to the Haitian earthquake". CURE International. June 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  27. "CURE Dominican Republic". CURE International. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  28. "Cierran Hospital de Ortopedia y llevarán equipo a Dominicana". latribuna.hn. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  29. New Treatment for Hydrocephalus Topic of Health Subcommittee Hearing Congressman Chris Smith, retrieved April 2, 2012
  30. Hydrocephalus Treatment in Uganda C-SPAN, retrieved April 2, 2012.
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