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April 24, 2002
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Mike Andrei
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For Second Straight Year, Daemen College Students Travel to Dominican Republic During Alternative Spring Break to Deliver Health Care to Residents of Rural Village
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This spring,
Daemen College students spent a second consecutive "alternative spring
break" traveling to the Dominican Republic, to deliver health care
to residents of a rural village. The trip, which began March 16, marked
the return of Daemen students to the Dominican Republic village of
Progresso Dos. The trip was coordinated by Daemen "Students Without
Borders," a campus organization dedicated to providing humanitarian
care on a local, national, and international basis. Locally, members
of "Students Without Borders" have assisted St. Luke's Mission of
Mercy, on Buffalo's East Side, and participated in the Habitat for
Humanity program in Western New York, as well. While last year's group was comprised of students from the Daemen College Physician Assistant Program (PA), this year's group included additional students from the Daemen Education, Humanities, and Physical Therapy Programs. Daemen Physician Assistant Program Director Paul Jacques, and Allyson Kirk, an assistant professor in the Daemen PA Program, led the group of 22 Daemen students making the trip (note: jpg photos and a video of the trip are available to reporters). "We think this is an extremely valuable educational experience for our students," noted Jacques. "It will help them develop a global perspective on health care, and begin to see the disparity that exists between health care in the 3rd World, and the major industrialized countries." The Daemen students and faculty paid for their own air fare to the Dominican Republic, and raised $10,000 to pay for room and board, and the medicines they took with them. Jacques, a practicing PA and clinician, says this trip is an opportunity for his students to make a real difference in the lives of others. "One of the key objectives of our program is to educate physician assistants who will provide health care in rural communities, regions that are underserved and lack ready access to first-rate health care. Before we traveled last year, we had only a general idea of what types of health problems existed in Progresso Dos, the village where we would be staying. So we took a wide range of medical supplies with us: IV solutions and tubing, antibiotics and pharmaceuticals, scalpels and other basic surgical supplies, and physical diagnostic equipment. That knowledge was invaluable in helping us plan what to take this year. "We were able to treat 160 people last year; this year we provided care to nearly 400. We again set up a triage, but the advantage we had this year was the fact that three of our junior-level students who had gone on the trip last year were back, as seniors, and able to take charge of the examinations, and give Progresso Dos' residents the benefit of their additional experience. This really worked to everyone's advantage. Once the examination was complete and a diagnosis made, the patient was taken to our pharmacy where we dispensed the necessary medication for them. If we ran out, we were able to simply purchase additional supplies of some medications directly from a pharmacy near the local hospital -- medications that are unavailable to Progresso Dos' residents simply because of their cost. "Tourism is a major source of revenue for the country. 9/11 caused a drop in income for the government, which has, in turn, made the situation in villages like Progresso Dos even more difficult." "But we were also able to work more closely with government officials," Jacques noted. "The difficulties they face with regard to health care comes not from a lack of will, but, rather from a lack of resources. We can help with that." "Our students know they are making a difference in the lives of these people," added Kirk. "It is really rewarding. All of us came back inspired as health care providers." Senior physician assistant students Kara Woods and Dan Cronin felt the experience gained through providing health care where it is vitally needed is directly applicable to their goals as PAs. Cronin also found that the events of September 11 had even found their way to Progresso Dos. "Maria, the unofficial mayor of Progresso Dos, took a few of us aside one morning to thank us for our continued efforts in her town," he recalled. "She also expressed concern about our own communities here in the U.S. after September 11. She feared we would be unable or unwilling to return after such a horrible event had occurred so close to us in our country. Which made us realize that this village community had come to rely on our coming back, even if it was only for a week a year." Jacques pointed out that, in addition to her role as a health care provider, Woods took the lead in managing the trip's fundraising and logistics, a big key to the trip's success. Physician assistants are health care professionals licensed to practice medicine with physician supervision. As part of their comprehensive responsibilities, PAs conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventive health care, assist in surgery, and in most states, can write prescriptions. PAs are trained in intensive educational programs accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission for Physician Assistants. They are educated in the medical model and maintain a close working relationship with physicians. Additional information on the Daemen Physician Assistant Program can be obtained on the College web site, www.daemen.edu. |