Advanced medical equipment is critical to saving lives. However, at Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC), the patients have flippers – not feet – that need saving. Due to generous support from donors, the Gordon and Patricia Gray Hospital at LMC is now home to two additional world class machines, which will transform patient outcomes and allow the oceanside campus to serve as a global teaching hub. Multiple sea turtle patients have already been given a second chance at life due to these incredibly powerful devices.
“These machines involve two different imaging modalities that allow us to see inside our sea turtle patients beyond routine radiographs,” said Dr. Charles Manire, LMC Director of Research & Rehabilitation. “This vastly improves our ability to both diagnose and treat our patients,” he added.
Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s new high-definition ultrasound machine enables hospital staff to clearly examine the intricate anatomy of sea turtle patients. This provides LMC staff with a different perspective on ailments, allowing them to formulate targeted treatment plans. The second device, the Karl Storz EndoSkope, is the most advanced of its kind. Many of the sea turtle patients that arrive to the center’s hospital have complex internal medical challenges; such as plastic and fishing hook ingestion.
The endoscope’s high-definition digital monitor will allow LMC’s staff veterinarian to better examine delicate organs such as the lungs and gastrointestinal tract. Should patients need an endoscopic surgical intervention, the team at Loggerhead Marinelife Center now has one of the most advanced surgical tools available. This provides great hope for the center’s current sea turtle patients and their future generations.
Along with new medical equipment, donors have made it possible for Loggerhead Marinelife Center to continue educating other like-minded facilities on conservation initiatives. Starting in early 2016, LMC will be granting monies to global sea turtle and ocean conservation partners. The center will amplify their conservation impact by identifying worthy global organizations who are in need of funding, tools, and training. By providing these organizations with Global Ocean Conservation Grants, LMC will accelerate ocean conservation efforts in Florida and internationally.
In alignment with the Global Ocean Conservation Grants, LMC will be hosting the first-ever Global Sea Turtle Conservation Summit. This event will become a reality in 2016 due to generous donations from dedicated LMC supporters. The center will host approximately twelve global organizations (over a one-week period), who will become part of the global sea turtle partnership network. This group will exchange best practices, while focusing on LMC’s education, research, rehabilitation, and conservation portfolios. Organizations from Greece, Canada, and Israel – among others – will take part is in this exciting annual event.
“Our oceans may have different names, however, our planet truly has one interconnected ocean,” said Jack Lighton, LMC President & CEO. “We are thrilled to offer Global Ocean Conservation Grants to organizations that are striving to protect endangered sea turtles and the oceans and beaches they call home,” he added.
If you’re interested in applying for a Global Ocean Conservation Grant, please e-mail Tommy Cutt, LMC Chief Conservation Officer, at [email protected].