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Global Neurocare

Global NeuroCare® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the dedicated mission of improving neurological care for the most vulnerable populations, whether locally, in resource limited areas, or impacted by disaster or conflict.

We direct aid through funding and management support to local organizations in the USA and abroad, adopting strict criteria to ensure those organizations are committed to improving neurological services, in a sustainable manner, and with the capacity to positively impact the health of the target region.

Together, we are making an enormous difference for thousands of people. We can do even more with your help.  Please donate.


ACCREDITED BY THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

Global NeuroCare® is accredited by the World Health Organization (WHO).  While we do not agree with all of WHO’s positions and decisions, particularly in relation to management of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic originating in Wuhan, China, our work remains deeply rooted in the goal of health equality for all people, a principle enshrined in the 1948 WHO Constitution.

Our physicians and surgeons serve as consultants for WHO and various affiliate organizations as well as local, national, and international medical and legal societies.


SPECIAL CONSULTATIVE STATUS WITH THE UNITED NATIONS ECOSOC

Global NeuroCare® holds Special Consultative Status with the United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which was formally granted in 2013 and has been continuously renewed.  This is the highest status granted by the UN.

It was granted upon recommendation of the ECOSOC Committee on NGOs, comprised of 54 Member States, after a lengthy and laborious application process including a review of our statutes, objectives, past and present affiliations, and achievements.

In accordance with Article 71 of the UN Charter, the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations accepted Global NeuroCare® into its circle of accredited non-government organizations.

The UN grants Special Consultative Status to NGOs with programs of direct relevance to the aims and purpose of the United Nations.

This position allows Global NeuroCare® to provide expert analysis on issues directly from its experience; monitor and implement international agreements; take an active role in advancing UN goals and objectives; serve as an early warning agent; raise public awareness of relevant issues; provide essential information and analysis; and make written and oral statements at international conferences and events.

Global NeuroCare® members serve as UN Delegates at the sessions in New York, Geneva, and Vienna, and are able to organize additional or side events to advance neurological services.


DISTINGUISHED BY EXCELLENCE

Global NeuroCare® adopts innovative approaches in delivering support, pioneering the advancement of neurological services by adhering to the following principles:

  • Developing partnerships – we focus on establishing long term collaborations with universities, hospitals, clinics, and NGOs to support sustainable programs adapted to local needs
  • Global standard of care – we believe every patient should receive the highest quality care, regardless of geographical location or socioeconomic status
  • Promoting independence – our support is designed to ensure independent functioning of the local programs, and we monitor each partner to increase the likelihood of success
  • Realistic goals – we focus our resources to make a significant difference in the local areas we support
  • Fiscal responsibility – 100% of all donations go to people in need; our staff work on a volunteer basis and absorb all administrative and travel costs
  • Total transparency – we provide our supporters with full accountability, and maintain financial and operational transparency

ORIGIN OF GLOBAL NEUROCARE®

GlobalNeurology® and Global NeuroCare® have a longstanding, close, and ongoing affiliation with the Addis Ababa University (AAU) Department of Neurology.

In 2006, Dr. Knut Wester and his colleagues at the University of Bergen initiated the neurosurgery training program in Ethiopia. During this same time, Ethiopian neurologist Professor Guta Zenebe, backed by AAU and the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, with strong international support from Mayo Clinic and Dr. James C. Johnston, spearheaded the neurology residency training program.        

Recognizing that training local neurologists and neurosurgeons in their home country was the most effective way to address the overwhelming burden of neurological disease, Drs. Wester and Johnston, along with their Ethiopian colleagues, recruited additional help to expand the programs. This was the start of GlobalNeurology®, bringing in Professor Berna Arda, Chair of the Department of Medical Ethics at Ankara University, to provide medical ethics and neuroethics teaching, and Professor of Neurology Roy Beran to provide support including advanced training opportunities at the University of New South Wales.  The partners – Arda, Beran, Johnston, Wester, Zebenigus – established affiliations with several universities, NGOs, and private institutions to further advance the training program, including University of Siena, Tel Aviv University, University of Cape Town, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Texas Medical Center, and individual specialists from several other countries.

But as Dr. Johnston noted, “There is so much more to do. I decided to make a long term difference by starting a non-profit foundation to support the program, and help other developing regions follow this Ethiopian model.”  This was the origin of Global NeuroCare®, which remains the charitable arm of GlobalNeurology.®   

The Ethiopian program evolved into a self-sufficient neurology training center graduating 81 board-certified adult neurologists and 8 pediatric neurologists to date.  Most are practicing in Ethiopia and more importantly, in a nation of 120 million people where there may never be enough neurologists, teaching the primary care physicians how to manage common neurological problems.  The program trains residents from other African nations, and serves as an education center for physicians from the USA, UK, and European nations to learn about the practice of neurology in resource limited areas.