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KOPI Blending EMS and mental health to make a better paramedic program.

Join us in Arusha in March 2027! 🇹🇿Registration is open for the 5th Arusha Emergency Medicine Conference, hosted by the ...
08/15/2026

Join us in Arusha in March 2027! 🇹🇿

Registration is open for the 5th Arusha Emergency Medicine Conference, hosted by the Same Qualities Foundation (SQF), March 11-12, 2027, with pre-conference courses beginning March 8.

Koranda O’Tool Paramedics Incorporated (KOPI) is excited to participate in the conference and share our work with the Tanzania Fire and Rescue Force, including what we have learned through the FIRST program and our efforts to integrate emergency medical and mental health education for first responders.

This is a great opportunity to connect with colleagues from Tanzania and around the world, exchange ideas, and learn from professionals working to strengthen emergency care.

If you work in emergency medicine, prehospital care, nursing, global health, or related fields, we hope you’ll join us in Arusha!

➡️ Registration information is available through the Same Qualities Foundation.

Hands-on learning in point-of-care ultrasound! 🇹🇿🩺Today, Koranda O’Tool Paramedics Incorporated (KOPI) provided a hands-...
08/12/2026

Hands-on learning in point-of-care ultrasound! 🇹🇿🩺

Today, Koranda O’Tool Paramedics Incorporated (KOPI) provided a hands-on point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) training session for local physicians in Tanzania.

Dr. Dan Stone, MD, KOPI Medical Director, has been leading an acute care education series that provides ongoing continuing education for local physicians. With our team currently in Tanzania, today offered an opportunity to build on that work with in-person instruction and hands-on practice using point-of-care ultrasound.

POCUS can provide clinicians with valuable information at the bedside, particularly in settings where access to other diagnostic imaging may be limited. More importantly, today’s session was another opportunity to learn together, exchange experiences, and continue relationships that extend beyond a single visit or training.

We are grateful to the physicians who joined us and to Dr. Stone for his continued commitment to providing ongoing educational opportunities in Tanzania.

An important part of the FIRST (First Responder Resiliency, Support and Knowledge Training) program is creating space fo...
08/12/2026

An important part of the FIRST (First Responder Resiliency, Support and Knowledge Training) program is creating space for conversation.

Pictured here, Dr. Naheed, MD, and Dr. Nathan Koranda, DNP, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Koranda O’Tool Paramedics Incorporated (KOPI), engage participants in a discussion about mental health.

While our faculty present evidence-based information and share their professional experience, some of the most valuable learning comes from listening to the people in the room. Participants bring their own experiences, perspectives, and understanding of the communities they serve.

We believe meaningful and sustainable progress cannot simply be brought in from the outside. Lasting programs must be informed, shaped, and ultimately driven by the people and communities they are intended to serve.

FIRST is a collaborative program of Koranda O’Tool Paramedics Incorporated (KOPI) and the Same Qualities Foundation (SQF).

📸 Photo credit: Same Qualities Foundation (SQF)

🇹🇿 Partner Spotlight: Same Qualities FoundationOne of the most important parts of our work in Tanzania is having strong ...
08/10/2026

🇹🇿 Partner Spotlight: Same Qualities Foundation

One of the most important parts of our work in Tanzania is having strong local partners who understand the communities, healthcare system, and priorities of the people we are here to serve. Koranda O’Tool Paramedics Incorporated (KOPI) is incredibly proud of our partnership with the Same Qualities Foundation (SQF) in Arusha.

SQF’s impact reaches far beyond any single project. Their work includes strengthening emergency and acute care education, expanding access to healthcare, and helping children and families receive life-changing cleft lip and palate surgical care.

Our partnership with SQF continues to grow. This August, SQF and KOPI partnered to provide medical and mental health training to participants from across Tanzania. Looking ahead, KOPI is excited to participate in SQF’s emergency medicine conference in March 2027, continuing our shared commitment to education, collaboration, and strengthening care in Tanzania.

What makes this partnership particularly meaningful is its focus on sustainability. KOPI brings volunteer faculty, technical assistance, and educational resources, while SQF brings the Tanzanian leadership, relationships, expertise, and understanding necessary to ensure this work is locally relevant and built to last.

We are deeply grateful to Dr. Peter Mabula and the entire Same Qualities Foundation team for welcoming us as partners and, more importantly, for the work they do throughout the year to improve healthcare in Tanzania.

Our training together is just one part of a much larger mission, and we are excited about where this partnership goes next.

Thank you, Same Qualities Foundation, for allowing KOPI to be part of your work. 🇹🇿❤️

Week One Complete! Today was graduation day in Arusha as we celebrated the first 30 participants completing this year’s ...
08/07/2026

Week One Complete!

Today was graduation day in Arusha as we celebrated the first 30 participants completing this year’s training program, representing 25 of Tanzania’s 26 mainland regions.

The final day began with hands-on simulations and a review of mental health response before bringing everyone together for the graduation ceremony. Throughout the week, participants worked through intensive education in emergency medical response, trauma assessment and management, patient stabilization, pediatric trauma, splinting, mental health crisis response, peer support, and substance use disorders.

Our participants did an exceptional job. Today, we had the opportunity to hear reflections from command leadership, medical staff, and the students themselves before presenting certificates recognizing their successful completion of the program. We were especially honored to welcome the National Training Commander from Dodoma, accompanied by the Arusha Fire Chief, for the graduation.

This week was about more than completing a course. Leadership has already expressed interest in continuing and building upon this work, which is exactly the kind of sustainable partnership we hope to create.

Koranda O’Tool Paramedics Incorporated (KOPI) and the Same Qualities Foundation (SQF) are incredibly thankful to the Tanzania Fire and Rescue Force leadership, Dr. Peter Mabula, AMLC, Dr. Rupa Joshi, our talented volunteer medical and mental health faculty, and Bahati and Dr. Naheed for their invaluable work as interpreters. This program would not be possible without the commitment of so many people and organizations working together.

Week one is complete. Next week, we welcome another 30 participants and do it all again!

We wrapped up our Mental Health Training Series with nursing students in Arusha! Drawing on the World Health Organizatio...
08/07/2026

We wrapped up our Mental Health Training Series with nursing students in Arusha!

Drawing on the World Health Organization’s mhGAP training materials, Dr. Patricia Cole, PhD, Dr. Heidi Bausch-Ryan, PsyD, Dr. Sheila Specker, MD, and Ms. Anita Chetty, Psychiatric Technician, provided education and facilitated discussions on topics including substance use disorders, trauma, grief, and pain.

The series focused on practical knowledge and meaningful discussion that participants can carry forward into their work and communities. On the final day, participants received certificates recognizing their completion of the training, pictured here.

This training is a collaborative initiative of the Same Qualities Foundation (SQF) and Koranda O’Tool Paramedics Incorporated (KOPI).

Building stronger communities starts with strengthening mental health knowledge.These photos highlight our Mental Health...
08/06/2026

Building stronger communities starts with strengthening mental health knowledge.

These photos highlight our Mental Health First Responder Training in Arusha, featuring Dr. Sheila Specker, MD, Dr. Patricia Cole, PhD, Dr. Heidi Bausch-Ryan, PsyD, and Ms. Anita Chetty, Psychiatric Technician, followed by participants engaging in discussions on Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) principles, peer support, and substance use disorders (SUD).

Through collaboration, discussion, and shared learning, participants are gaining practical skills to better recognize, respond to, and support individuals experiencing mental health and substance use crises.

This training is a collaborative initiative of the Same Qualities Foundation (SQF) and Koranda O’Tool Paramedics Incorporated (KOPI). All photos are courtesy of Same Qualities Foundation (SQF).

From classroom discussion to hands-on practice. Dr. Jane Yee, MD, shares essential splinting skills with the next genera...
08/06/2026

From classroom discussion to hands-on practice. Dr. Jane Yee, MD, shares essential splinting skills with the next generation of EMS providers.

Another great day of hands-on EMS training in Arusha delivered by KOPI and Same Qualities Foundation. Today, our partici...
08/06/2026

Another great day of hands-on EMS training in Arusha delivered by KOPI and Same Qualities Foundation.

Today, our participants developed practical skills in splinting and fracture management with Dr. William Pau, DO, followed by an engaging session on pediatric trauma management led by Dr. Cassidy Huun, MD. Through interactive demonstrations and realistic scenarios, students practiced techniques they can immediately apply in the field.

From caring for children with traumatic injuries to stabilizing fractures in the prehospital setting, today’s sessions reinforced the importance of strong clinical skills, teamwork, and thoughtful decision-making. Every lesson brings us closer to building a stronger EMS system that can provide timely, high-quality emergency care throughout Tanzania.

A huge thank you to our volunteer faculty and the dedicated participants whose enthusiasm and commitment continue to make this program a success.

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825 W. 65th Street P. O. Box 23338
Richfield, MN
55423

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