Syrian American Medical Society (or SAMS) is a non-profit, non-political, professional organization representing thousands of Syrian-American medical professionals in the United States that provides humanitarian assistance to Syrians in need. Since the Syrian Conflict began, SAMS has supported field hospitals, clinics, and surgical centers in Syria while assisting Syrian doctors, nurses, and health workers by paying salaries and providing training. SAMS has sent Syrian-American medical personnel into Syria, Jordan, and Turkey on medical missions, and has shipped medical equipment and other humanitarian aid into Syria. SAMS also supports Syrian refugees in neighboring countries with psychosocial support and medical and social services. In 2014, SAMS reported supporting over 1.4 million Syrians in need.About SAMS
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History

SAMS was founded in 1998 as a professional society for American physicians of Syrian descent. The society provides networking, educational, cultural, and professional services to its members and helps them stay connected to Syria through medical missions, conferences and charitable work. In 1999 SAMS hosted its first annual conference and began medical missions to Syria in 2002. In 2010, SAMS began a telemedicine program and founded th
Avicenna Journal of Medicine
SAMS Annual Report
/ref> In 2011, when the Syrian Civil War began, SAMS expanded its outreach to meet the growing healthcare needs in Syria. In 2011, they sent their first medical mission to Turkey to provide care to Syrian refugees. SAMS began sponsoring field hospitals and ambulances, training and paying the salaries of Syrian medical personnel, and sending medical equipment and other humanitarian aid to Syria. They also support programs in the surrounding countries providing medical and psychosocial support for Syrians fleeing the conflict. The organization expanded, adding offices in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

, and

Washington DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, to help meet the healthcare demand in Syria According to its Annual Report SAMS currently operates 94 medical facilities within Syria and has treated 1.4 million patients. As of November, 2015, SAMS has 19 chapters across the US in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, Oklahoma,

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

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, the Tri-State Area,

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

the Midwest, and Northwest.

Syria programs

Since the outbreak of the conflict in 2011, SAMS has helped provide healthcare for Syrians inside Syria and those fleeing the country. SAMS works in conjunction with the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

helps deliver medical supplies, medicine, equipment, and financial support within Syria. In 2014, they sent 67 medical containers across the Syrian border. They supply medicine including

antibiotics An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention o ...

, anesthesia, and pain medication, and medical supplies such as blood bags, surgical sets, X-ray machines, gloves, and basic lab kits to areas in need. SAMS also supports ambulances at its medical facilities with fuel, driver incentives, and a budget for supplies. SAMS supports dialysis centers, dental clinics, ICUs, mobile clinics and OBGYN's within Syria. SAMS runs a telemedicine program for doctors in Syria that allows local medical personnel received consultations and support from SAMS members in the US. Field hospitals supported by SAMS have been the target of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

n airstrikes. Field hospitals supported by SAMS were among those to have reported treating victims of chemical weapons attacks. SAMS has helped vaccinate over 1.4 million Syrian children against polio as part of the Polio Control Task Force.

Jordan programs

SAMS operates the largest medical facility in the Al-Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan and organizes home visits from social workers and psychologists for refugees in the capital of Amman. SAMS organizes medical missions to this clinic several times annually.

Lebanon programs

SAMS runs 2 dental clinics in Tripoli and

Bekaa Valley The Beqaa Valley ( ar, links=no, وادي البقاع, ', Lebanese ), also transliterated as Bekaa, Biqâ, and Becaa and known in classical antiquity as Coele-Syria, is a fertile valley in eastern Lebanon. It is Lebanon's most importan ...

. In February, 2015, SAMS shipped its first medical container to Lebanon from the US to supply 8 medical facilities. In 2014, 28 SAMS volunteers participated in 4 medical missions to Lebanon including a specific dental mission. SAMS operates 2 multi-specialty clinics which offer free treatment for a variety of illnesses. The

clinic Bekaa Valley, where offers internal medicine, OB/GYN, pediatrics, general surgery, physiotherapy, dental care,

orthopedics Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternatively spelt orthopaedics), is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

, x-rays, ultrasounds,

psychiatry Psychiatry is the specialty (medicine), medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psych ...

ophthalmology Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...

urology Urology (from Greek οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and '' -logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of the urinary-tract system and the reproductive org ...

, and basic lab work. This clinic treats an average of 4,000 patients a month. The Tripoli Clinic offers primary care, pediatrics, dental care, OB/GYN, orthopedics, hematology, x-rays, basic lab work, and dialysis treatment and treats 6,500 each month. SAMS sponsors a psychosocial program in Bekaa Valley which provides psychological care for Syrian refugees. The SAMS-supported Tripoli surgical center performed 2,233 surgeries.

Turkey Program

SAMS operates dental clinics in and around Turkish refugee camps.Program brings dental care to Syrians
/ref> In the wake of the

2015 Chapel Hill Shooting On February 10, 2015, Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha were killed in their home in Finley Forest Condominiums on Summerwalk Circle in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Barakat was a second-yea ...

, which claimed the life of dental students Deah Barakat and Yusor Abu-Salha, an influx of donations in their honor allowed SAMS to help open additional dental clinics in Turkey one of which was named in their honor. In 2012, SAMS began training Syrian medical personnel in Turkey. The program focuses on advanced critical care skills such as trauma care, gender-based violence recognition, specialty care, primary care, and nurse training. In August 2014, SAMS began cross-border operations in conjunction with

WHO Who or WHO may refer to: * Who (pronoun), an interrogative or relative pronoun * Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism * World Health Organization Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Who, a creature in the Dr. Seuss book '' Horton He ...

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...

, and

UNFPA The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies ...

. SAMS helped deliver supplies to IDP camps and medical facilities in Syria.

Advocacy

SAMS advocates for protection of civilians and medical neutrality during the Syrian conflict. It joined with 130 NGOs for the #WithSyria campaign to show international support for increased humanitarian aid to Syria and greater civilian protection.With Syria Partners
With Syria Campaign SAMS has testified before the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

the

United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a standing committee of the U.S. House of Representatives with jurisdiction over bills and investigations concerning the foreign affairs ...

House witnesses describe use of chlorine gas in barrel bombs by Assad regime in Syria
''Washington Post''
United States. Cong. House. Committee on Foreign Affairs. ''Hearing: Assad's Abhorrent Chemical Weapons Attacks. June 17, 2015.'' 114th Cong. 1st sess. Washington: GPO, 2015 (statement of Mohamed Tennari, M.D., Idlib Coordinator, Syrian American Medical Society). about the chlorine gas attacks in March, 2015. In October, 2015, SAMS staged a 'Die-in' with

Physicians for Human Rights Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is a US-based not-for-profit human rights NGO that uses medicine and science to document and advocate against mass atrocities and severe human rights violations around the world. PHR headquarters are in New ...

in New York to show solidarity with Syrian health care workers.Hundreds Don White Coats, Stage ‘Die-In’ for Syrian Doctors, Medical Workers
''Newsweek''