Vol. 5, Iss. 1   |  April 6, 2011

Letter from the President

We have some great news to share in this first edition of the Firestone Voice for 2011.

A team of surgeons from Children's Surgery International (CSI) recently coordinated with our staff at the Firestone Medical Center at Duside to provide nearly 200 free, life-changing procedures for underprivileged youth across Liberia and West Africa. This marks the second time in the past two years that our medical team has been able to host a CSI surgical mission, an enormous accomplishment for a hospital that was destroyed not long ago in a 14-year civil conflict. Please read our full re-cap below and visit CSI's blog on the mission for additional pictures and stories.

I'm also very excited to announce the opening of Friendship House on the grounds of our hospital in Duside. As the article below notes, this facility will provide a place for family and friends of patients to stay while their loved ones receive treatment. We think the Friendship House will be a positive extension of our health care services in Liberia.

As our work illustrates, Firestone Liberia remains committed to being a force for progress in Liberia. Thank you for your continued interest in our company and its employees.

Dan Adomitis, President
Firestone Natural Rubber Company, LLC

Firestone Medical Center at Duside Hosts Second CSI Surgical Mission

For the second time in two years, the Firestone Medical Center in Duside hosted a team of American surgeons from Children's Surgery International (CSI) to provide hundreds of free, life-changing surgeries to disadvantaged children across the region. 

Due to the high demand experienced during the five-day mission in January 2010 (in which a CSI-record 142 procedures were performed), CSI was eager to return to Duside in January 2011. The 21-member surgical team performed a total of 194 procedures over six surgery days during this latest mission.

"The CSI team is unbelievable," said Dan Adomitis, President of Firestone Natural Rubber Company, LLC (FSNR), the parent company of Firestone Liberia. "These surgeons truly changed hundreds of lives in a matter of days. We're very fortunate to have the opportunity to host this team in our hospital."

Firestone Medical Center personnel provided medical support services for the surgeries and the company provided accommodations, meals and transportation for the visiting medical team, patients and their family members during the mission.

"We couldn't come to Liberia for this mission without the enormous amount of support from Firestone personnel," said Tim Lander, a lead surgeon with CSI. "The hospital's physicians, nurses, technicians, support staff and administrators worked tirelessly to help make this medical mission possible."

In addition, the visiting surgeons and doctors provided training and education opportunities for their Liberian counterparts. The CSI team led lectures on cardiac pulmonary resuscitation and medical emergency procedures for Firestone Medical Center personnel and students from the A.M. Dogliotti College of Medicine at the University of Liberia.

In recognition of this work with CSI on surgical missions as well as the company's longstanding commitment to providing and improving health care in Liberia, FSNR received Bridgestone Corporation's CSR Award for Contributions to Society for 2010, one of the global group's highest honors.

The Firestone Medical Center at Duside reopened in 2008 following extensive renovations and repairs following the civil conflict in Liberia. Recognized as one of the best medical facilities in Liberia, the hospital is one of seven company-operated medical facilities. Firestone Liberia provides free medical care to its employees and their families.

Firestone Liberia Dedicates Friendship House

In coordination with the CSI Mission, Firestone Liberia dedicated Friendship House on the grounds of the Firestone Medical Center at Duside on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011. The newly constructed building will be used to accommodate relatives of patients under extended care at the hospital.

"After I visited a similar facility at a hospital in Florida, I knew that the Firestone community as well as the friends and relatives of our other patients would truly benefit from building Friendship House," said Dan Adomitis, President of Firestone Natural Rubber Company, LLC. "We hope to make the Friendship House a safe and happy place for Liberian families for many years to come."

The Friendship House on the grounds of the company's hospital in Duside is the first such facility to be built in Liberia. The company will maintain and furnish the house, and hopes to construct additional Friendship House facilities in the future.

Vivian Cherue, Liberia's Deputy Health and Social Welfare Minister, attended the dedication ceremony and thanked the company for providing the additional service for the relatives and friends of patients.

"I am very excited about this Friendship House," said Cherue. "This is a good example that I hope others will emulate in our country."

Faces of Firestone: Dr. Lyndon G. Mabande

Dr. Lyndon G. Mabande directs Firestone Liberia's medical services as Chief Medical Officer. A leader in this role since 2004, Dr. Mabande has helped Firestone Liberia rebuild its health care operations that were destroyed in 14 years of civil war.

"The war certainly had a devastating effect on our medical facilities and the services we provide our employees," said Mabande. "We have come so far over the past six years — rebuilding our hospital, reopening clinics and reestablishing our ambulance services, for example. As we continue to rebuild and expand our operations, I'm proud of the progress we have made and the commitment our company has to providing free health care to its employees and their families."

In his role as Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Mabande coordinates all activities of Firestone Liberia's medical services. Dr. Mabande also advises the company on professional and clinical policies and procedures that impact the health and welfare of employees, their dependents and the general public.

Dr. Mabande earned his M.D. at A.M. Dogliotti College of Medicine (University of Liberia) and completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Monrovia. He recently received a Postgraduate Diploma from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in Health Services Management. Dr. Mabande currently serves as the National President of the Family Planning Association of Liberia and as Chairman of the Board of Advisors for the Voluntary Blood Donor Association of Liberia. He is a past president of the Liberia Medical and Dental Association.