The opportunity to participate in a medical mission is one that I hope all people in or outside the medical field have the opportunity to experience in their lifetime. It demonstrates the power of a committed, small group of people and highlights the incredible life we are able to lead.
Over 160 volunteers, medical students, and faculty members from Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine (NSU-COM) attended to more than 5,000 local residents during its medical outreach mission to Jamaica, which took place over a 10-day period in June. This annual trip is in its eighth year visiting both the areas of Kingston and St. Mary to reach as many local patients as possible. Teams from the fields of medicine, dentistry, occupational therapy, public health, pharmacy, optometry, and physical therapy worked together to bring the most comprehensive medical personnel and supplies to these areas. Led by Paula Anderson-Worts, D.O., M.P.H., associate professor of family medicine and public health, and Don Daly from CR Communications, the group spent six months leading up to the trip securing donated medical devices and pharmaceutical products.
A medical mission health care volunteer performs a diagnostic test on a young child.
The living conditions of the communities served by the medical mission contingent are best described as bleak. Most of the residents live in shantytown-like conditions that consist of small one- or two-room houses with even less land than living space. The access to health care in these rural areas of Jamaica is limited at best, with many only served by the participants of this medical outreach program.
Dr. Paula Anderson-Worts (right) prepares to work on an injured patient.
The residents in these areas are in desperate need of the most basic medical treatment and hygiene. The two most common medical issues seen are diabetes and hypertension. However, in comparison to diabetic patients in the United States who are on a treatment regimen to monitor their sugar levels two to three times a day, diabetic patients in these rural towns are getting their sugar checked once a year by a doctor from the NSU-COM medical team. They cant afford a blood glucose monitor, and even if the device was donated, they would not have the ability to pay for test strips or the access to order them consistently. To combat this problem, the health care professionals focused on educating patients about lifestyle changes they could make to improve their diabetes or prevent it from worsening. Even then, members of the health care team were told by the patients that they did not have an array of food options to choose from, so they ate what was available even if their health was sacrificed.
Even some of the clinics and churches the health care team worked out of were compromised. One site had to borrow electricity from a neighboring house and set up triage outside. The dental team members worked outside every day in an alley next to a church, using stadium chairs for their patients to lean back on while they performed extractions. As with any general medical practice, ailments can range from the common cold to more serious conditions. This year, the team was lucky to once again have David Perloff, M.D.a Broward cardiologistparticipate because he was able to bring an EKG machine and echocardiogram with him. This service was unique to the medical mission and proved to be a great benefit to the patients that were served.
An NSU-COM student screens a patient for hypertension.
One benefit for the participating medical students was the hands-on clinical experience they received, which allowed them the opportunity to perform pelvic exams, pap smears, and prostate examinations. The students were also able to see the effects of conditions that are treated more expediently in the United States, such as untreated rashes, deteriorated cataracts, and the effects of uncorrected congenital heart disease.
These opportunities and the altruistic spirit of the trip are truly inspirational and make the experience worthwhile for all involved.
