Mission Statement
FONSI will sponsor and fund the following programs as its philanthropic mission:
I. Global Education and Awareness of Brain and Spinal Conditions and Diseases and resources for their eradication in the US as well as third world or underdeveloped countries. This will be accomplished through the following activies:
- Public, Medical and Patient Education Programs
a. Public education will be carried out through internet, media and advertising campaign both in the US and abroad. A website for FONSI will be developed and its conent will include information on brain and spine diseases, their surgical and nonsurgical treatment, and resources for care. Links with key search engines (www.neurosurgeononcall.com, www.spineuniverse.com, http://www.spine-health.com/, www.aans.com, www.cns.com, etc), patient advocacy organizations and third world nonprofit agencies will be established to build traffic to the website and promote awareness of neurological and spinal conditions. - Medical education programs will include the establishment of a clinical and research fellowship exchange program for 2 physicians a year to spend time upgrading their clinical skills and participating in neuro-spine related research stuidies at The Southern California Institute for Neurosurgery. The fellowship program will span a 12 month period and will be supported through grants from the medical industry. In addition, a nurse exchange program will be created between FONSI and hospitals in key countries served by FONSI. Last seminars, HOW I DO IT Workshops, patient clinics/consultations and quarterly visits by medical professionals associated with FONSI will be conducted in countries FONSI has targeted for upgrading medical care.
- Patient eduation programs will be launched through the creation and dissemination of patient education brochures for various neurological and spinal conditions, translated into the appropriate foreign language for each country. In addition, patient support gropus will be set up at local hospitals in countries that FONSI will visit to advance patient care, advocacy and linkage with resources for care.
II. Upgrade brain and spine care through in-kind contributions of donated medical services, supplies, technology and equpiment. Medical device, imaging, biomaterials, and supply manufacturers in the fields of spine and neurosurgery will be approached throughout the US and abroad for donations of their products to key hosptials on behalf of FONSI. FONSI will also secure donations from each supplier to include on site medical training on any donated equipment, device, or service on site at each hospital.
III. Advance physician and hospital treatment standards for brain and spine disease by the establishment of preceptor training sites in foreign countries for medical education and demonstration of surgical procedures by a team of US clinicians. FONSI will organize a team of medical and surgical specialists to travel to third world or underdeveloped countries on a quarterly basis to donate their time to see patients, teach local physicians, and perform surgery in designated hospitals to upgade care, medial standards and quality for patients uffering from neurological and spinal conditions. FONSI will identify 1-3 countries a year for the establishment of an exchange program for local physicans as well as nurses. Local neuro and orthopedic surgeons will be solicited to participate in the exchange program so as to maximize the benefit to patient, physicians and allied health providers in each country. With the support of local physicians, key hospitals in a given country/city, will be approached to host FONSI's team of medical specialists in their facility. These sites will be set up a preceptor training sales for regional demonstrations of technology, live surgery, patient consults and training on donated technology.
