Global Rescue Mission Brief: June 2017

[Global Rescue]

Every day, Global Rescue personnel are involved in medical, security, and travel operations all over the globe. Here is a snapshot of some of our recent activity.

- GLOBAL RESCUE IN NEPAL -

The 2017 Nepal climbing season has been extremely busy, with a record number of permits granted and hundreds of climbers attempting to climb some of the world’s greatest peaks. Global Rescue has already completed 70 missions helping climbers on Everest and other Himalayan mountains, and the season hasn’t ended yet. Here are just a few of the missions we have performed this year in Nepal:

• A member was making his summit push on Mt. Everest when a rock that had become dislodged by climbers ahead of him struck him in the chest. He descended to Camp II before being evacuated to a hospital in Kathmandu. A member of Global Rescue’s deployed medical team oversaw his care at the hospital and stayed with him until he was discharged and returned home.
• A climber suffered a fractured and dislocated ankle while hiking above 3,000 meters in Nepal. Global Rescue evacuated and provided medical transport for the member back to the United States.
• A trekker found himself trapped in a mountain pass due to heavy snowfall. Although the member was not injured or ill, the grave danger posed by the harsh weather conditions and altitude necessitated an immediate extraction by Global Rescue.
• While at the base camp of Dhaulagiri, the world’s seventh tallest mountain, a climber suffered a life-threatening asthma attack. Global Rescue evacuated the member to a nearby medical facility, and a GR specialist remained with her throughout her hospitalization.

During the 2017 season, we have also provided advisory and evacuation services to climbers suffering from:

• Frostbite
• Acute Mountain Sickness
• High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE)
• High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE)
• Snow Blindness
• Dehydration
• Lung inflammation
• Asthma exacerbation
• Abdominal Pain
• Strep Throat
• Fatigue

- MEDICAL -

ALASKA – A member was climbing in Alaska when he fell and suffered a broken foot and dislocated ankle, leaving him unable to walk. He was transported to a local medical facility for stabilization before being brought home.

AUSTRIA – A competitive skier suffered a compound fracture of his tibia and fibula while training in Austria, requiring evacuation to a local medical facility. He was then medically evacuated back home to the United States.

AUSTRIA – A member complained of heel and ankle pain while skiing in Austria. Global Rescue’s medical operations staff advised the member on treatment, and called ahead to a local medical facility to make sure the member’s injury would be treated properly. The member later returned home to the United States following discharge from the facility.

BAHAMAS – The Global Rescue Ops team advised the dean of an international school regarding a student who had become ill, without proper access to necessary medications. Ops selected a nearby hospital, recommended the student be evaluated there and confirmed the student’s diagnosis.

COLORADO – A member suffered a severe knee injury while traveling in Colorado. Although she did not require medical evacuation, Global Rescue arranged for her travel back to her home in business class on a commercial airline, as well as her ground arrangements in her home city. Global Rescue also recommended an orthopedic surgeon to treat her upon her arrival at home.

COSTA RICA – A member complained of suffering from five days of severe abdominal pain. The member, who previously suffered an internal infection, required medical attention while traveling in Costa Rica. Global Rescue located and investigated a nearby facility and determined it would be able to handle the member’s ailment. After a short hospital stay, the member was discharged with good vitals and lab results.

BAJA (MEXICO) – A member suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle accident while traveling in Mexico. The member had to be field rescued from the site of the accident to a local medical facility, and was then medically evacuated to his home hospital of choice in the United States.

MEXICO – While traveling in Mexico City, a member suffered a detached retina. Global Rescue medical personnel were able to advise and arrange surgery for the member, who is now on the path to full recovery.

MYANMAR – While traveling in Myanmar, a member began to suffer serious gastrointestinal issues. The member’s tour guide reached Global Rescue, and our operations staff was able to locate a doctor who would make a house call from a nearby medical facility to provide treatment.

RUSSIA – An employee of one of Global Rescue’s partners began complaining of abdominal issues while training in Russia. The employee ended up requiring an emergency appendectomy, after which Global Rescue provided medical transport back to the employee’s home in the United States.

SPAIN – While traveling in Spain, a member suffered a broken leg after being struck by a large metal trunk. Global Rescue secured air and ground ambulance transport from her location in Spain back to New York City, where she underwent surgery. Global Rescue also arranged air and ground transportation for the member’s return home from New York.

SYRIA – Medical operations personnel from Global Rescue advised the doctor of a member who fell into a coma as a result of malaria while in Syria.

- SECURITY -

ENGLAND – The Global Rescue Intelligence Services Team handled requests from our clients to locate and confirm the safety of employees who were in Manchester, England, at the time of the May 22 terror attack at an arena in the city.

MOROCCO – A member who was traveling solo in Morocco lost her U.S. passport. Although she was told by local authorities that she would be granted the proper documents for travel, she reached out to Global Rescue’s security operations team, which had concerns about the validity of those documents. Ops instead provided instructions for obtaining an emergency passport from the U.S. Consulate in Casablanca, and then researched flights to bring her to Italy, where she is currently enrolled as a student.

- INTELLIGENCE SERVICES -

The Global Rescue Intelligence Services Team (GRIST) customized a travel risk assessment for a large university with an international footprint that is planning to send students abroad to several countries, including Bolivia, Uganda and India.

GRIST also created a travel risk assessment for a globally oriented nonprofit that was planning to send some 50 staff members to Dakar, Senegal, just before national elections were set to take place – often a harbinger of political unrest. GRIST provided an immediate response, as well as a more thorough follow-up report.

A multinational corporation requested advice and intelligence from Global Rescue regarding some 50 employees currently stationed in South Korea, anticipating the possibility of future evacuations.