Caitlyn Brown

Final Draft:

When I first came into college I was quite oblivious about how bad healthcare systems are in undeveloped countries. I realize that they are poor and do not have the same luxuries as first world countries, but I never truly realized how bad they were off. These people and countries have absolutely nothing. Nothing. From the simplest thing as bed sheets on a hospital bed, to a hospital bed, to a scalpel, and even gloves to operate with (Freund). Nothing. It was so shocking when I heard about this. I never thought that people would even be in a position like that. These citizens of underdeveloped countries also lack the basic knowledge that seems to be embedded in us as toddlers. They do not realize that washing hands before you eat will help to keep them from getting sick. They do not realize that safe, protected sex can help prevent diseases from transferring. When everything is put together it is a huge eye-opener and culture shock; the world is not exactly as we perceive it to be. With Seminole Alliance for World Health these issues are brought to our attention and the best way that we can make an impact is with mission trips and fundraising supplies to bring along.

Seminole Alliance for World Health was my inspiration for international health issues as I saw some of the controversies come forward through a series of guest speakers. One of which was do short-term mission trips really help others or leave them worse off? I quickly learned that there are so many little ways to help out these countries and to make a difference in the lives of others. Those small things mean the entire world to the people in need.

Sandra Moore is a nurse practitioner who practices abroad in underdeveloped countries who came to speak about her experience.  She decided there was nothing better than combining her passions of traveling and medicine to help others. She has traveled to over 60 countries to help and give back to those in need. She would work directly with the government and setup clinics in communities where the town would only have one doctor. In Niger, the qualified town doctor just had to know how to read and write and had received an education equivalent to 5th graders (Moore). When she had said this, it was a mouth dropper. Never in a million years would I have thought that there are countries so poor and uneducated that the town doctor’s only requirements are to complete grade school. Sandra had also said that the closest hospital took about two days on foot to get to and was only used if a severe emergency had happened, and usually by time they even got to the hospital it would be too late. Of course this is the poorest of the poor and not all underdeveloped countries is that bad off; however, it was so shocking learning about this and realizing that these conditions truly do exist.

One story she gave about a patient was so heartwarming, yet such a reality check. One day she was out of the community that she was set to help in, for a meeting at the embassy. One of the citizens needed surgery in their abdomen for so and so reasons, so a different nurse who was a part of her team had performed it. A few days later he had come into her little workspace to thank her so much about the wonderful job her team had did with the operation. Sandra said, “I had never been more thankful in the world to look up from my computer and look at him when he was talking. I had never known the meaning or why they were called ‘blue Africans’ until that moment. He had gone from his normal extremely dark color to a paler contrast where blue was actually seen” (Moore). Apparently, there had been complications with his surgery. Within a matter of minutes they were able to transport him to the hospital where she was able to operate and fix his problem. She had saved the man’s life. “It was one of most rewarding experiences I have ever had” (Moore). She was able to pick up her head from her work and actually have a face to face conversation where she realized something was not right. The emotion she brought with her stories was incredible. At times of talking she would hold back her tears as her true passion came forward. It is truly amazing the impact that she has made on the communities. Her speech really brought out the humility and importance to why we serve others, and that we all are too well off to be complaining about not having something, when we have all of the basic necessities of life.

Recently, I have been able to experience first-hand health care by going on an independent medical mission trip with other members of Seminole Alliance for World Health to El Salvador. We collected medical supplies from a local warehouse that receives “expired” supplies from local hospitals. We were also able to keep the partnership to receive supplies year round that we will be able to ship over to continuously help out the public hospitals and communities.  El Salvador is one of the countries where the doctors do not even have the scalpels to operate with, gloves to wear during regular patient contact, or sheets for the patients to lay on. Gloves were something that one of the communities we visited had requested, Padre Vitto (a home for the disabled and abandoned children). The supplies that were given to us were all boxed up and we had no idea what to expect in each box. When we discovered the gloves, our faces lit up and we knew we were going to make an impact. It was so thrilling and overwhelming opening up the countless boxes and knowing everything will be put to good use. We also set up different committees to bring over more than medical supplies. We collected eye glasses, shoes, toys for children, knitted beanies for the newborns, and donated money for other things we learned later on that was needed.

Our first stop on the trip was Padre Vitto, a home for the disabled and abandoned children, where they essentially get to live there for a lifetime. We shortly learned that they ran only off of donations. There were about 120 children that lived there, all of which faced some type of mental problem, cerebral palsy, and many more chronic illnesses. Unfortunately, health issues like these are frowned upon and viewed as too much commitment, both time and money, to care for. These children were left in the streets and stumbled across by others and brought to the homes or dropped off by family members at the home (Alas). By being a non-profit organization, many challenges occur. They only have twelve nurses per shift, two cooks, and two ladies that do the laundry. The director, Susana de Alas, then went on to tell us how every Friday they have to figure out where and how they are going to bring in food for the upcoming week to feed the children. I would have never thought the home was that bad off, where they have no idea how they are feeding the children week by week. Along with the suitcase full of gloves, we were able to donate a hefty amount of rice and beans, gallons of alcohol gels, adult diapers (most of the children have no control over their bladder), shoes, and some toys. Not only were we able to give them peace for a couple of weeks and relieve some stress with the food, but were also able to give other necessities to keep them going. Because they are strictly all donations, they also don’t have the proper medication to treat everyone. Since they all face types of mental and psychotic problems and only have twelve nurses on staff, the children are sedated to an extent. This is done so they don’t cause harm to themselves or others. As sad and hard as it was to see, they don’t have the money to properly diagnose and treat each one of them. It is truly in the best interest of the children. The majority have eyes that are glassed over, no facial expression or display of emotion, and endless drool. We also learned about one of the most heartbreaking stories about a girl there who is now in her late twenties. Anitta was adopted by a family who was not able to have children and was brought over to the United States to get surgeries to help her out. She is still mentally challenged and faces a few other problems, but other illnesses were resolved. Her adoptive family was miraculously able to have a child and as hard as it is still to comprehend, they dropped her back off at Padre Vitto (Alas). They deserted a child because they were able to have a “normal” one. As previously mentioned about the big controversy of short-term trips, I believe we were able to leave a lasting impact on this community and will continue to help them with more donated supplies. They also truly left a lasting impact on me that will never be forgotten.

The next place on our itinerary was Hospital Rosales, but unfortunately the hospital had closed for the week due to a protest/riot from the doctors there. The protest was not anything new either, it happens a few times a month (Freund).  El Salvador is currently going through post-communism and still faces corruption. The patients are seen if they have health insurance, but the government does not pay the doctors the amount the insurance covers, and pockets the money instead. All of the doctors are extremely underpaid and are trying to fight for their rights. We adjusted and went to visit Zacamil National Hospital instead. We had donated a third of the medical supplies brought over and the baby beanies here (we divided the supplies between three different hospitals). We quickly learned that the government only gives them so many supplies to work off of and the rest is donated. The only air conditioning and lights were in the operating room. All of the windows were shuttered style and was the only source of A.C. and lighting. The rooms of the hospitalized patients consisted anywhere between six and eight patients per room, with the room size being no bigger than a typical one in the United States for one or two patients. Their names, ages, and heights were written on a piece of paper and taped above their beds to identify them, heart monitors did not exist, IV’s and pain medicine were only given to the worse of the worse. I would have never expected to see a hospital so bad off and even able to function in these conditions. When infections were cleaned out, the same dirty ace-bandage was placed back on because they couldn’t afford to waste a new one and throw the old one out. The following day, we visited a different hospital. This hospital as well is not given enough supplies from the government and run off of donations. The entire hospital closed down at noon because they ran out of saline solution. Saline solution! It’s something so simple, yet so vital. In the middle of an operation they ran out and had to flush out the wound with regular tap water. As horrible as that is, they literally had no other option. An interesting fact as well, toilet paper is considered a luxury there. Not even the hospitals provided it. It was a sad reality to see.

After visiting a children’s hospital the next day, we wrapped up the trip to Agape, a community that offers affordable healthcare for everyone. Here, we donated the eye glasses and the rest of the donated money to needed medical supplies such as, stethoscopes and blood pressure cuffs. They had an eye doctor there but only lenses and no glasses for the people. The doctor visits cost around seven dollars for a basic check-up and the lab only consisted of one microscope and could only do basic urine and blood tests. They offered physical therapy for four dollars for up to an hour’s worth, but only had so much equipment including a broken treadmill, and two tiny rooms, just big enough for a bed and the therapist. They also had a free nursing home that has a capacity of ninety-five people and once again not enough staff. We spent the day socializing with the old folks, cheering them up, and taking some pressure off of the staff.

Once again, it might be viewed that short-term mission trips are not effective or substantial, but after the first-hand experience I can definitely testify it as being very effective. It is thought that only going for a week worth of time or even a month that nothing actually becomes permanent and an impact is not made. I began to search the library databases to get more perspectives on the effectiveness. Kyra Gishen proposes the ethical doubts and questions which are: Is it enough of the few that do receive help, are boundaries being overstepped with their unique cultural and economic standings, and is leaving patients with inadequate resources fair? Gishen was able to conclude that many of the residents do find helpful and lasting impacts, as do the students. These trips allow the students to strive for their roles as physicians, shape their personalities and improve individual character, and find a balance between their own morals and what is considered acceptable behavior by society (Gishen). I also found that these concerns were supported by M. Rota and N. Lowry in Annals of Global Health as well. This was a survey of fifty students who took place in trips to Belize or Guatemala and then were asked on the effectiveness of the trip. The medical mission trip showed to improve cultural competencies and social awareness, willingness to continue volunteering with underserved people, and an increase in skill set. I can confirm these results, as they all improved and increased in me and the other students with me. A pre-baseline before the trip was not recorded so the exact overall effectiveness was not able to be determined (Rota and Lowry). These trips allow the students to better treat and understand diverse patients while still enhancing global help. They were then able to come to the conclusion that the integration of these trips should be included in schooling to create a better-rounded student and person.

I was also able to come across a great concern from William G. Shuchany. Shuchany spoke about how he felt he struggled with not feeling like he was doing enough to help. He had used a great metaphor where it had felt only “a drop of water was being added to the bucket” (Schuchany). But then again he was not looking at the fuller picture. If everyone who partakes in these trips only add one drop of water to the bucket, the bucket can eventually become full and so can the next bucket and the next. Every small impact someone makes will help to lead to a big impact. It can also be interrupted as every drop in the bucket is a life that has now been changed for the better. So yes, that would be considered extremely effective. A positive impact has been made in some way, shape or form.  Shuchany then went on to say that making a difference comes down to the perspective of the beholder. He mentions how short term mission trips are a temporary solution to a chronic problem and viewed as not making a difference in the health care of the impacted people. However, I disagree because between the medical supplies and other things donated, peoples’ lives are being changed for the better. He goes on to share personal experiences about saving lives of others with something so small and how rewarding it is. If a lot of people were to contribute to the drop in a bucket, the bucket could eventually become full. Many people go saying they want to “give back” but will end up leaving with so much more. I was also introduced to a short video on YouTube called “Starfish Story” originally written by Loren Eiseley in 1969. The concept is about making a difference even if it is only in one life. As the tide is going out, tons of starfish are left on the beach and a little boy is throwing them back in the water one at a time. An old man approaches him and asks what he is doing and continues to say there are too many starfish on this beach and he can’t possibly make a difference. The boy picked up another star fish, threw it back into the ocean and replied “I made a difference to that one” (Eiseley). Even if one life is being impacted, a difference is being made.

Short-term mission trips are filled with a lot of controversy for several reasons, including effectiveness. Although the true effectiveness lies in the eyes of the beholder, I strongly think that they are effective and if a difference is being made towards only one person, then a difference is still being made. By being a part of Seminole Alliance for World Health, I have been more inspired to give back and help than ever and it has given me the chance to first-hand observe and make a difference in underdeveloped countries. The effectiveness of my trip was so powerful and extended way beyond just the community where the impact is planned to hit. By being a part of medical mission trips, the main focus of making a difference in their lives is accomplished, as well as, other impacts in the background being accomplished. I also gained an immense amount of humility through the trip, words cannot explain. I also discovered that family and close friends are also impacted by this deed of service just by seeing the impact that was brought; they will feel the same sense of giving back and try to make a difference in their daily lives and the lives of people around them. Together the world becomes a much better and peaceful place. Medical Mission Trips are well worth the experience, the gratitude, changing people’s lives, and everything else in between.

 

Work Cited Page:

Lowy, N. and Rota, M. “Effect of Medical Mission Trips on PA Students” Annals of Global

Health, vol. 82, no. 3, 2016, pp. 477, 10.1016/j.aogh.2016.04.307. Accessed 26 February 2017.

Gishen, Kyra. “Mission Trips as an Educational Opportunity for Medical Students”. The Journal

of Craniofacial Surgery, vol. 26, no. 4, 2015, pp. 1095-1096.  10.1097/SCS.0000000000001695. Accessed 26 February, 2017.

Schucany, William G. “Joy Shines More Brightly Engulfed in Chaos: Reflections on a Mission

Trip to Haiti.” Proceedings (Baylor University. Medical Center) 23.4 (2010): 371–376. Print.

Freund, Shany. Personal Interview. 21 February, 2017.

Moore, Sandra. Personal Interview. 03 February, 2017.

de Alas, Susan. Personal Interview. 20 March, 2017.