Editorial

The medical community and public health news reports have recently been filled with a new disease called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or SARS. This disease has caused much suffering and cost untold amounts of money worldwide in a very short time. Healthcare providers have had to respond with extreme measures in several countries to prevent catastrophic damage to the general population. All the while, the majority of victims have been the healthcare workers involved in the care of stricken patients. In this issue of the Grapevine we are presenting an abridged article written by the CEO of Normah Medical Specialist Centre and originally presented in the mass media. We also present a limited pictorial trip on how NMSC progressed through the stages of dealing with the SARS issue and the screening process.

The second article provides an overview of Sleep Disorders and a look inside the activities of the Sleep Disorders Clinic at Normah. There will be a Community Health Awareness presentation for the public audience on 15 August on Sleep Disorders. The program will be organized by Normah and UNIMAS. The presentation will be at UNIMAS.

The final article is a report on the initiation of Community Health activities in partnership with the local service organizations. The events were conducted by a team of dedicated employees that incorporated a rural community health screen project into the mobile blood donor program. We hope to expand this type of community involvement in the future. We complete this issue with a brief report on the continuous improvement work of services with input from the consultant group from Mayo Clinics in the USA.

We are sure you will find this issue educational and look forward to your comments and suggestions for improvements for future issues.

Lilburn S. Tipton
Chair-Publication Committee