The Association of Chinese American Physicians (ACAP) and eight other Chinese American professional groups Saturday set up a SARS Rescue Fund in a joint effort to help curb the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
At a press conference that declared the launch of the fund, Lu Bing, chairman of the ACAP, said the fund is aimed at assisting in the research and control of SARS in Asia, and promoting the dissemination of scientific information on SARS to Asian American communities in the United States.
He said the organizers of the fund plan to appeal to financial sponsors in the United States to help contain and suppress the SARS outbreak in Asia.
The fund would use the money it has raised to provide a steady supply of protective gears and other equipment to those who work in emergency rooms, inpatient wards and intensive care units, he said.
Some of the money would be delivered to the families of health care workers who have lost their lives in the front-line fighting against SARS.
The fund would also seek to offer consultation and assistance to healthcare authorities in Asia to help strengthen their clinical research on the control and treatment of SARS.
The organizers currently set the goal for fundraising at 2 million US dollars, according to Lu.
(Xinhua News Agency May 11, 2003)
