Jordan Benjamin's Colleagues at Asclepius Snakebite Foundation
Jordan Benjamin's Contact Details
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Seattle, Washington
Asclepius Snakebite Foundation
Jordan Benjamin's Company Details
Every year over 138,000 people are killed and another 500,000 permanently disabled by snakebites worldwide. Many of these tragic outcomes could be prevented with effective antivenom use, yet it is estimated that less than 5% of patients receive lifesaving antivenom treatment. In order to address this crisis, we have created the Asclepius Snakebite Foundation, an international non-profit organization led by many of the world experts in snakebite medicine. Our mission is to reverse the vicious cycle of tragic snakebite outcomes through a combination of innovative research, clinical medicine, and education-based public health initiatives. To accomplish this we employ a multidisciplinary, multi-pronged approach that addresses the issue of snakebite envenoming at all levels from rural villages to hospitals to government ministries and global health organizations. We send teams of clinicians, herpetologists, venom biochemists, public health researchers and educators into the field to address different pieces of the puzzle in a given area of operation. Our paramedics and physicians live and work alongside local healthcare providers to establish dedicated snakebite treatment centers, conduct training in the best practices for snakebite management, and provide them with the supplies and medications needed to save lives when a bite occurs. Our herpetologists and venom researchers survey the snake populations in areas we are working, capturing some of the most venomous snakes in the world and collecting venom samples to help identify gaps in existing treatments and identify targets for new treatments. We conduct clinical research to develop better means of caring for these patients in the field and public health studies to investigate attitudes towards snakebites, antivenom treatment, traditional healers, health seeking behaviors and other factors that contribute to treatment delays and poor outcomes for these patients. Finally, we help develop our initial snakebite centers into snakebite centers of excellence that can serve as regional referral centers for serious envenomations, conduct their own community outreach in local villages, and provide training to physicians and nurses from around the country in how to better manage these complex patients. Everything we do is conducted alongside local partners to ensure that they are given the training, tools, and capabilities to become leaders in snakebite treatment for their communities and help them to develop and implement a chain of survival that reinforces positive outcomes and reduces the preventable death and disability that results from this neglected tropical disease. Help us lead the way as we fight to save the lives and limbs of snakebite patients around the world.