Prior to
departure from Minneapolis: Ford Watson Bell, DVM, Minneapolis Heart Institute
Foundation president (second from left) and Father Dennis Dease, University of
St. Thomas president (second from right) pictured with pilots and medical
supplies bound for Cuba. On November 29, five Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation cardiologists
left Minneapolis for a five-day trip to Cuba, under the auspices of the
University of St. Thomas.
Drs. Simón Milstein, Ann Dunnigan, Kevin Graham, Maria-Teresa Olivari, and
Nicholas Burke went to Havana to meet with some of their counterparts at the
Institute of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery. Accompanying them on the
trip were Renee Milstein, Foundation president Ford Bell, and University of St.
Thomas representatives Kristine Aasheim and Karina Mendoza. Minneapolis Heart
Institute Foundation board member Gary Holmes and University of St. Thomas
president Father Dennis Dease were also in Havana for part of the time. All of
the travelers carried huge quantities of medical equipment and supplies and
other items which are in short supply in Cuba. These included Advil, Tylenol,
soaps, pens, and a variety of prescription medications which are not routinely
available in Cuba. Twelve boxes of medical equipment went with the group on the
flights from Minneapolis to Cancun, and from Cancun to Havana.
The physicians met informally with Cuban cardiologists and cardiovascular
surgeons and gave formal talks on a variety of topics at the Institute of
Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery and at two other hospitals in Havana.
Cuban physicians are extremely knowledgeable and well-trained, but it is clear
that they miss the opportunity to benefit from regular meetings and informal
exchanges with their American counterparts. They indicated a number of areas in
which American cardio-logists could be of help to them in the future, and
preliminary plans for ongoing interactions were discussed. It is hoped that some
of the Cuban physicians will be able to come to the Minneapolis Heart Institute
and Foundation in the near future, as the next step in establishing closer ties
between the American and Cuban physicians.
