::: About Us :::

Our Objectives

• To provide, as a team, free Medical and Dental healthcare services, and free medicines to the needy in Latin America.
• To teach students basic clinical skills, basic Medical / Dental knowledge, and the art of medicine, in preparation for and implementation of the clinics.
• To provide students with a first-hand experience of cultural, social, historical, and political life in these regions. We will discuss and integrate this into the medical process with our patients. Many issues will be discussed, e.g. the relationship of poverty, education, and Public Health to illness / well-being.

Medical-Dental students, as well as all other future professionals, will best maximize their potential by globalizing the vision they have of their careers and lives. This means that they must expose themselves to other ways of living, working, and providing healthcare in contrast to that in their own societies. It is ideal to do this within the intimate milieu of other cultures. Applying what they learn to that which they face as students, medical professionals, and informed adults can contribute greatly to their development as excellent healthcare providers and caring, service oriented human beings.

Method

The participants will travel to Central American countries and communities where there is a great need for medical attention. Upon arrival, students will receive specific orientation and training for the clinics and the trip.
Our approach is student centered teaching /learning and active student participation in the process of medical assessments and treatments. Learn by doing. We will frame this within the context of various health care systems. We will analyze the comparative fairness, goodness, outcomes, dollar value, and failings of various systems.
Many issues will be discussed, e.g. the relationship of poverty, education, and Public Health to illness / well- being.
Students will be exposed to a medical environment where they will be allowed to observe AND actively participate in the medical assessments / treatments of patients who have scarce economic resources, poor access to healthcare, and have to live within various primitive types of Public Healthcare systems. We do this in various settings: urban and rural. This will include GMT clinics, visits to hospitals, other health facilities, and patient’s homes. We employ local doctors, dentists, interpreters, and guides to teach, inform, and help supervise the trips. We utilize local community citizens to help in the clinics.
We will inform trip participants about the culture, history, politics, comparative healthcare systems, and Public Health problems of the countries in which we travel. We teach them how to apply that information to their experiences during clinics. We will reflect upon and discuss the medical and cultural experiences, and integrate this into action plans that will improve the well-being of these people. Medical and other professionals will be responsible for closely supervising, teaching, and nurturing this process.