Crozer-Keystone Health System employees are often recognized for their compassion and caring on many levels – from the skill with which they care for their patients to their contributions to relief efforts during national and worldwide crises.

Recently, several CKHS employees brought this well-known willingness to help to the global stage. Gnanam Thambi-Pillai, M.D., an internal medicine physician and hospitalist at Crozer-Chester Medical Center; Michael Gollotto, D.O., and Katie Gollotto, D.O., of the Osteopathic Residency Program at Delaware County Memorial Hospital; and Paul Parambath, of the Respiratory Therapy department at Delaware County Memorial Hospital, all traveled to Sri Lanka to assist with relief efforts after a devastating tsunami struck the Pacific country on Dec. 26, 2004.

The four employees visited several villages in the stricken country, bringing their medical expertise and much-needed supplies to survivors.

A native of Sri Lanka, Gnanam Thambi-Pillai, M.D., spent 10 days in the country with the International Medical Health Organization (IMHO), a team of 20 health care professionals from North America.

“We provided primary care to survivors in a village devastated by the tsunami, where more than 3,000 villagers were killed,” Thambi-Pillai says. “We educated survivors on the importance of drinking clean water and practicing hand hygiene. We also treated medical conditions like bronchitis, asthma and peptic ulcer disease.”

In addition to physical medical care, the IMHO team provided psychosocial support to survivors, counseling people who had lost family members.

Crozer-Keystone Health System assisted Thambi-Pillai and the IMHO team by providing medical supplies, including antibiotics, syringes, IVs, and gloves.

“In addition to the supplies, many of our fellow employees donated funds to help the victims,” he says.

Thambi-Pillai plans to return to Sri Lanka in the coming months to assist with ongoing relief and rebuilding efforts.

Michael and Katie Gollotto also traveled with an IMHO team, establishing a clinic in a village in Sri Lanka.

“We traveled to Sri Lanka with about 280 pounds of medical supplies, as well as a large supply of stuffed animals that were donated by my son’s school,” says Michael Gollotto, D.O., an anesthesiology resident at Hahnemann University Hospital who completed an osteopathic internship at DCMH in 2003. His wife, Katie, is currently an osteopathic intern at DCMH, specializing in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

“We were offered the opportunity to start our own clinic in a village that had no housing and no running water,” Gollotto continues. “Over the course of about 25 days, we treated more than 1,200 people for everything ranging from indigestion to severe malaria and asthma. Some of the patients would have expired had we not been able to provide them with medication before they made the three-hour trip to the nearest hospital.”

Gollotto’s clinic was an abandoned house located about 200 yards from the beach, where it had survived the tsunami because it was several feet above sea level. Areas around the clinic had been completely wiped out by the waves, and villagers lived in fear of another tsunami, he said.

“People were living in tents with dozens of others,” he said. “Still, everyone took to us very well and were very supportive. Some villagers even climbed trees to bring us coconuts.”

Gollotto notes that his wife was able to come to the aid of a patient who had suffered a stroke in the days after the tsunami hit. “A man came to us and mentioned that his wife had been unable to get out of bed for a month,” he says. “Katie visited her and was able to get her to move her finger by the end of the day. By the time our trip was over, the woman was actually walking out of her house.”

Despite the devastation he witnessed, Gollotto says he and his wife are glad they made the trip.

“As residents, we couldn’t donate much in the way of money, but we knew we had to do something,” he says. “We were fortunate to have our trip funded by the generosity of people in the surrounding community and to be able to bring relief to the people in this part of the world. In the future, we’d like to bring our two children back here to teach them about what happened.”

Respiratory technician Paul Parambath also visited Sri Lanka, traveling with a group from a local church.

“We brought several suitcases full of supplies, including clothes, blankets, gloves and masks,” Parambath says. “Upon my arrival, I went to a city about 15 miles away and purchased clothing for about 50 boys and girls who had nothing.”

Parambath stayed in Sri Lanka for four days, visiting several villages. He says he was “stunned” by the damage caused by the tidal wave.

“The devastation is unbelievable,” he says. “Homes are completely flattened, trees are upside down, and bodies are lined up all along the shore. The villagers needed help so desperately.”

Parambath has received donations from CKHS employees for relief efforts, and is forwarding them to the affected areas through several local agencies.

“Our employees are very generous,” he says. “Not only was I allowed to take time off to visit Sri Lanka, but employees have been supportive financially and emotionally.”

Sri Lanka was one of 11 countries affected by the tsunami, which was triggered by a massive 9.0 earthquake in the Indian Ocean on Dec. 26. More than 160,000 people were killed.