AGENDA for Saturday October 26, 2019 at Wyndham Orlando Resort International Drive

Updated COVID-19 and VOSH Humanitarian Clinics Advice

VOSH/International recently consulted its US and International Chapters about the feasibility and timing to restart our humanitarian clinics. While the vaccination process continues with different levels of success depending on availability and acceptance, it is evident that vaccine inequity and the availability and reliability of data in several countries are issues we need to consider.

Even if already vaccinated, our chapters are still concerned about the wellbeing of our volunteers and patients. Some chapters, are organizing clinics locally where they are better able to comply with the existing safety requirements and respective state/country regulations.

The COVID-19 pandemic is being experienced quite differently depending on state, region, country, vaccine availability, vaccine acceptance, and the spread of SARS-COV-2 variants. Most VOSH chapters are not holding clinics or traveling internationally in 2021.

Thus, VOSH/International is slightly moderating its overall guidance against clinics and travel issued in late March 2020 and renewed in January 2021. This will be reviewed and communicated on a quarterly basis.

If a VOSH Chapter choses to hold a clinic or travel internationally, we highly recommend that the chapter performs due diligence to comply fully with the requirements established by the visited country, ensures all VOSH volunteers are aware of and follow strict safety guidelines and all existing protocols and regulations of the country, and keeps the principle of “do no harm” embedded in all its decision making. As always, the wellbeing and safety for VOSH volunteers and our patients is of utmost importance and central to any decision-making process. We have published our updated clinic guidelines with best practices to be observed in this new context. VOSH chapters in specific countries are using protocols that need to be considered as well. You can download VOSH/International clinic guidelines here.

*VOSH/International is formed by autonomous US and international chapters that are fully and only responsible for their activities, fundraising and decision-making. VOSH/International can only provide recommendations based on our best knowledge and information at the time.

Also please keep checking the following sites with official and most recent updates:

World Health Organisation: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

US CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/when-to-delay-travel.html

US Government Travel Advise: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/COVID-19-Country-Specific-Information.html

Thank you for your hard work and dedication to improving vision and eye health throughout the world.

John Daniel Twelker, OD, PhD, FAAO, FVI

President, VOSH/International

July 2021


Thursday October 24^th and Sunday October 27th
9:00-6:00pm	Poster “A New Paradigm for Optometry: Natural Disasters and WHO Emergency Medical Teams” by Marina Roma-March, OD, VOSH-TWECS
9:00-3:00pm	Poster “Proposing an Alternative: Analyzing Patient Perspective on Recycled Versus Ready-Made Glasses as a Global Refractive Error Solution” by Marina Roma-March, OD, VOSH-TWECS
Friday October 25^th
1:00-3:00 pm	Poster “Quantifying the clinical experience of volunteer optometric clinic trips” by Katie Foreman, OD, FAAO and Tracy Matchinski, OD, FAAO, ICO and VOSH/International
Saturday October 26th
2:00-3:00pm	“Developing global optometric human resources: early lessons from the VOSH Corps program” Rapid fire session led by Tracy Matchinsky, Justin Manning, Bob Molter and Dan Twelker, Room W232, Level 2, Orange County Convention Center
3:00-4:00pm	“Global Optometry’s role in public health” led by Jeffrey Weaver and Howard McAlister, Room W232, Level 2, Orange County Convention Center