On June 9th, 2007, I will be flying to Chengdu on behalf of Handreach's special project, The Children's Healing Initiative, to begin a short video that will hopefully spur the development of a telemedicine program in China. I will be attempting to upload short videos about the trip as I go. Stay tuned for posts regarding this exciting technology and health care project.

The majority of the work will take place in Chengdu, China. After about a week in this city of 11 million people, I'll head to Kangding and the Jiuzhaigou Valley.

CHENGDU
10 June 2007 - fly to Chengdu:
Chengdu in Wikipedia
Chengdu Flickr stream

Here I'll be looking at the HuaXi Hospital located in the capital of the Sichuan province in the heart of western China. I'll be in Chengdu for a little less than a week.

KANGDING
Approx. June 15 we take a bus to Kangding
Kangding in Wikipedia
Kangding Flickr stream

I will then head to Kangding to take a look at the Tibetan clinic there and examine its viability as a triage center. "Kangding, the 'end' of the so-called Chinese world and the beginning of the Kham-province," which is mainly populated by Tibetan people. This area has only been recently opened (since 1999) for western tourists.

Kangding is where you get to feel you you have left China proper. There are some wonderful Tibetan monasteries to visit.

JUIZHAIGOU VALLEY
Approx. June 18 we take a bus to the Jiuzhaigou Valley.
Jiuzhaigou in Wikipedia
Jiuzhaigou Flickr stream

Here I'll visit an orphanage near Jiuzhaigou with a high concentration of children with severe orthopedic needs in order to identify children who could use treatment at the hospital in Chengdu. Jiuzhaigou is a nature reserve in northern Sichuan province of China. It is known for its many multi-level waterfalls and colorful lakes.