Help Me See
Help Me See
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About this organization
Mission
HelpMeSee is a non-profit organization committed to ending the global health crisis of untreated cataracts, the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide. By developing the world's first high-fidelity Eye Surgical Simulator to provide training for the critical shortage of skilled cataract specialists, HelpMeSee is and bringing affordable and high-quality care to the neediest populations in developing countries. HelpMeSee's comprehensive solution to cataract blindness includes surgical training, patient outreach, and support for sight-restoring cataract surgery that standardize the quality of care, medical supply chain, and evaluation practices to ensure safe surgeries.
About
TRAINING CATARACT SPECIALISTS AND SUPPORTING PRACTICE READINESS: RECRUITING TRAINEE PROSPECTS:HELPMESEE ATTENDED THE FOLLOWING MAJOR OPHTHALMOLOGY CONGRESSES TO PRESENT THE SIMULATION-BASED TRAINING SYSTEMS AND TO RECRUIT POTENTIAL TRAINEES:1.WORLD OPHTHALMOLOGY CONGRESS. BARCELONA, SPAIN (WOC), JUNE 16-19 - 99 DEMONSTRATION SESSIONS. 2.INTER-AMERICAN COURSE IN CLINICAL OPHTHALMOLOGY (CURSO), MIAMI, FLORIDA, NOVEMBER 4-7 - 90 CONTACTS AND PROSPECTS FOR TRAINING IDENTIFIED.3.SOCIT AFRICAINE FRANCOPHONE D'OPHTALMOLOGIE (SAFO), LOM, TOGO, DECEMBER 3-6 - 85 CONTACTS AND PROSPECTS FOR TRAINING IDENTIFIED. HELPMESEE'S FIRST OF ITS KIND VIRTUAL REALITY SIMULATOR TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATIVE TRAINING WERE THE HIGHLIGHTS AT EVERY OPHTHALMOLOGY CONFERENCE WE ATTENDED IN 2018. A.SIMULATION-BASED TRAINING VALIDATION AND PARTNERSHIPSHELPMESEE IS DEVELOPING A NEW SKILLS ACQUISITION AND TRAINING METHODOLOGY IN EYE SURGERY AND SPECIFICALLY IN CATARACT SURGERY. THE ONGOING EXPERT REVIEWS AND VALIDATION STUDIES ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF DEVELOPING THE SIMULATION-BASED LEARNING AND TRAINING SYSTEM. THE INITIAL VALIDATION STUDY IS TO UNDERSTAND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE HELPMESEE SIMULATOR-BASED SURGICAL TRAINING PROGRAM FOR TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION SEGMENT OF THE SURGICAL PROCEDURE. IT INVOLVES THE USE OF THE TRAINING SOLUTION THAT INCLUDES TESTING OF ALL THE COMPONENTS DEVELOPED BY HELPMESEE. THESE INCLUDE THE E-BOOK, CLASSROOM TRAINING MATERIALS, TRAINING DELIVERY METHODS, TRAINING ASSESSMENTS, SIMULATOR TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT OF TRANSFER OF SKILLS TO LIVE SURGERY. THE SECOND PHASE OF THE VALIDATION STUDY WAS LAUNCHED IN 2018. THE PARTNER INSTITUTIONS INVOLVED ARE:1. WENZHOU MEDICAL UNIVERSITY IN CHINA, 2. L.V. PRASAD EYE INSTITUTE IN INDIA, 3. MAHATME EYE BANK AND EYE INSTITUTE IN INDIA, HYDERABAD EYE INSTITUTE IN INDIA, 4. BASCOM PALMER INSTITUTE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI,5. UNIVERSITY OF MADAGASCAR SIMULATION-BASED OCULAR TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION COURSE (OTCC) WAS INITIATED IN JUNE AND OCTOBER 2018, WITH ENROLMENT OF EIGHT PARTICIPANTS, THEN IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED A VALIDATION STUDY OF OTCC COMPARING THE OUTCOMES OF OUR NEW INSTRUCTOR-LED, SIMULATION-BASED TRAINING MODEL (EXPERIMENTAL GROUP) AGAINST MORE TRADITIONAL WET-LAB ONLY BASED SURGICAL INSTRUCTION (CONTROL GROUP), RESULTS OF WHICH WILL BE RELEASED IN 2019. THE VALIDATION STUDY WAS COMPLETED AT THE END OF THE YEAR WITH A TOTAL OF 20 TRAINEE PARTICIPANTS. B.MSICS E-BOOKHELPMESEE MSICS E-BOOK, WHICH WE BEGAN ROLLING OUT IN 2018, PROVIDES THE MOST DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND ILLUSTRATION OF THE STANDARDIZED STEPS IN CATARACT SURGERY USING MSICS. THESE INCLUDE PHOTOS, SURGICAL VIDEOS, 3D GRAPHICS AND CONCEPT ANIMATIONS FOR EVERY PHASE OF THE OPERATION. IT CONTAINS 48 CHAPTERS, GROUPED IN 9 PARTS, WITH A TOTAL OF 1100 PAGES, 1000 IMAGES, AND 150 VIDEOS. ONCE SURGICAL TRAINEES ACQUIRE THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROCEDURE USING THE E-BOOK, THEY CONTINUE TO LEARN THE SKILLS NEEDED FOR MSICS IN A SELF-PACED PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES ONGOING SELF-ASSESSMENTS AND FEEDBACK. AS OF THE END OF 2018, 87 OF THESE TEXTBOOKS WERE IN USE BY OPHTHALMOLOGY INSTRUCTORS AND TRAINEES. C.SIMULATION-BASED TRAINING OF INSTRUCTORS, COURSE, AND TRAINEESUSING OUR BEST IN ITS CLASS HIGH-TECHNOLOGY SURGICAL SIMULATOR, TRAINEES EXPERIENCE A VIRTUAL REALITY RE-CREATION OF THE SURGICAL PROCEDURE, PROVIDING OPHTHALMOLOGY TRAINEES WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO PRACTICE SURGERY ON A VARIETY OF SIMULATED EYES WITH HIGH FIDELITY TO THE LOOK AND FEEL OF ACTUAL LIVE SURGERY. GRADUATES OF OUR SIMULATION-BASED COURSEWARE HAVE EFFECTIVELY OPERATED ON MANY EYES, AND AS A RESULT, ARE ALREADY AT A LEVEL OF COMPETENCY IN THE MSICS PROCEDURE LONG BEFORE THEY OPERATE ON A LIVE PATIENT. COMPARED WITH TRADITIONAL OBSERVATION AND WET LAB TRAINING METHODS FOR MSICS INSTRUCTION, THE IMPROVED LEVEL OF COMPETENCY ACHIEVED BY INSTRUCTOR-LED, SIMULATOR-BASED TRAINING VASTLY IMPROVES PATIENT SAFETY AND SUCCESSFUL SURGICAL OUTCOMES.HELPMESEE MUMBAI LEARNING DEVELOPMENT CENTER (MLDC) COMMENCED INSTRUCTOR TRAINING LATE IN 2018 FOR THE TWO FACULTY WHO WILL BE DELIVERING OTCC TRAINING AT OUR TRAINING PARTNER IN CHINA, WENZHOU MEDICAL UNIVERSITY, AS WELL AS OUR MEDICAL OFFICER FOR CHINA. THE FINAL QUALIFICATION OF THOSE TRAINERS SHOULD BE COMPLETE EARLY IN 2019, AND WE EXPECT TO BEGIN OTCC COURSE DELIVERY AT WENZHOU BY THE 3RD QUARTER OF 2019.AT THE HELPMESEE TRAINING CENTER AT THE GORDON CENTER FOR SIMULATION AND BASCOM PALMER EYE INSTITUTE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI MEDICAL CENTER, WE LAUNCHED OUR OCULAR INCISION AND DISSECTION COURSE (OIDC) AS WELL AS AN EYE SURGERY ELECTIVE COURSE FOR MEDICAL STUDENTS WHO HAVE NOT YET CHOSEN OPHTHALMOLOGY AS A SPECIALIZATION. THESE COURSES HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY DELIVERED TO A TOTAL OF 57 STUDENTS, RESIDENTS AND PRACTICING EYE SURGEONS FROM THE FOLLOWING INSTITUTIONS:" BASCOM PALMER/GORDON CENTER/UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI" TULANE UNIVERSITY, NEW ORLEANS, LA" LARKIN HOSPITAL, MIAMI, FL" ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI, NEW YORK, NY" UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MCGOVERN MEDICAL SCHOOL, HOUSTON, TX" UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO MEDICAL SCHOOL" SAN JUAN BATTISTA MEDICAL SCHOOL, SAN JUAN, PR" ALBERT EINSTEIN MEDICAL COLLEGE, BRONX, NY" TUFTS UNIVERSITY MEDICAL COLLEGE, BOSTON, MA" ALBANY MEDICAL COLLEGE, ALBANY, NY" KINGSTON PUBLIC HOSPITAL, KINGSTON, JAMAICA" EYE HOSPITAL ANALIA FRANCO, SAO PAULO, BRAZILBY INVESTING IN SIMULATION TECHNOLOGY FOR TRAINING EYE SURGEONS, WE ARE ACHIEVING A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION TO THE GROWING NEED FOR MORE CATARACT SURGEONS, PARTICULARLY IN THE UNDERSERVED PARTS OF THE WORLD WHERE WE FOCUS OUR EFFORTS. TO FURTHER IMPROVE MEASURABLE RESULTS FROM OUR SIMULATOR-BASED TRAINING SOLUTION ENHANCE REPORTING OUTCOMES, WE HAVE ALSO INVESTED IN VARIOUS TOOLS FOR PRACTICE READINESS, INCLUDING A SURGICAL REPORTING SYSTEM, A PATIENT REPORTING APP, PRE-STERILIZED SINGLE-USE KITS OF SURGICAL EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLEMENTAL TRAINING TOOLS FOR NURSES AND PRACTICE ADMINISTRATORS. D.BUILDING SIMULATION-BASED TRAINING CAPACITYWE CURRENTLY OPERATE A FLEET OF 17 SIMULATORS. THESE CAN RUN 16 HOURS A DAY, 250 DAYS A YEAR FOR A TOTAL OF 5,440 TRAINING HOURS/YEAR. INCREASED USE OF SIMULATORS TO TRAIN CATARACT SURGEONS TO PROFICIENCY AND WITH CONTINUOUS DELIVERY OF SIMULATION-BASED TRAINING MODULES HELPMESEE CAN SCALE UP THE NUMBERS OF CATARACT SURGEONS ESPECIALLY IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD. E.TRAINING CATARACT SPECIALISTS IN PRACTICE READINESSWORKING WITH PARTNER INSTITUTIONS AND AFFILIATED SURGEONS IN INDIA, MADAGASCAR, CAMEROON, TOGO, AND GUINEA, WE SUPPLIED A TOTAL OF 3,012 PRE-STERILIZED SINGLE-USE SURGICAL KITS. WORKING CLOSELY WITH OUR GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN, WE WERE ABLE TO CUSTOMIZE MANY OF THESE STANDARDIZED KITS, INCREASING PATIENT SAFETY AND IMPROVING SURGICAL OUTCOMES. OUR REACH APP PROVIDES NURSES AND PRACTICE MANAGERS WITH A TOOL TO CONVENIENTLY REPORT PATIENT INFORMATION AND SURGICAL RESULTS TO HEALTH MINISTRIES. OVER TIME, WE EXPECT TO DEVELOP EVEN MORE TOOLS TO PREPARE NEW EYE SURGEONS AND THE STAFF WHO SUPPORT THEIR SURGICAL SERVICES TO BUILD SUCCESSFUL, THRIVING, COMMUNITY-BASED OPHTHALMIC PRACTICES. WHILE WE ARE NOW PRIMARILY A TRAINING ORGANIZATION, A NOTEWORTHY MEASURE OF THE SUCCESS OF OUR SERVICE DELIVERY IS THE NUMBER OF SUCCESSFUL SURGERIES OUR SURGEONS HAVE DELIVERED AFTER RECEIVING HELPMESEE TRAINING. IN 2018, THEY PERFORMED 868 OPERATIONS IN MADAGASCAR, CHINA, AND INDIA. LATE IN 2018, WE COMMENCED THE INSTRUCTOR TRAINING FOR THREE CHINESE OPHTHALMOLOGISTS, ALONG WITH TWO INSTRUCTOR CANDIDATES FROM AFRICA, WHO SHOULD BEGIN DELIVERING SIM-BASED, INSTRUCTOR-LED TRAINING AT WENZHOU MEDICAL UNIVERSITY AND SELECT LOCATIONS IN AFRICA IN THE 3RD QUARTER OF 2019.
Interesting data from their 2019 990 filing
From their filing, the objective of the non-profit is stated as “The helpmesee mission is to restore sight to millions of people through high-quality manual small incision cataract surgeries (msics), in partnership with a global network of cataract surgical specialists, of whom, 30,000 will be trained using a simulator-based program.”.
When talking about its functions, they were outlined as: “Help me see is a global campaign for the elimination of cataract blindness.”.
- The legally reported state of operation for the non-profit is DE.
- According to the filing, the non-profit's address in 2019 is 20 WEST 36TH STREET FLOOR 4, NEW YORK, NY, 10018.
- The non-profit organization as of 2019 has a total of 58 employees reported on their form.
- Is not a private foundation.
- Expenses are greater than $1,000,000.
- Revenue is greater than $1,000,000.
- Revenue less expenses is $210,489.
- The organization has 2 independent voting members.
- The organization was formed in 2010.
- The organization pays $4,060,853 in salary, compensation, and benefits to its employees.
- The organization pays $1,274,849 in fundraising expenses.
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