The Improbable American:
Despite no college education or a medical background, a rugged American named Todd Shea runs a charity hospital in Kashmir, where a 2005 earthquake killed 80,000 people.
Overview
Sustainable Healthcare Initiatives Now Empowering (SHINE) and its partner agency, Comprehensive Disaster Response Services (CDRS) have spent close to a decade in international disaster management and provision of medical support services. The two agencies operate under a joint platform built on a shared philosophy of bridge-building and collaboration - between the developed and underdeveloped countries; between public and private players; and between non-profit agencies of different sizes and specialization. The end-goal is the long-term improvement of the health and well-being of underprivileged communities.
The team of SHINE/CDRS has deployed its logistics and medical support teams in multiple disasters, including in the aftermaths of 9/11, Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, the 2005 Pakistan Earthquake and the 2010 Haiti Earthquake. Having gradually evolved a model that takes a community from disaster to development, SHINE/CDRS is now piloting a self-sustainable healthcare program in remote areas of rural Kashmir to address fiscal challenges that paralyze healthcare delivery in Pakistan and other less developed countries. The joint agency is also active in the area of health education.








