USM/L-A Nursing Students in the Dominican
Republic
(USM Partners in Rural Healthcare Dominican Republic Outreach)
These nursing students at USM's Lewiston-Auburn
College recently spent tow weeks providing medical care in
the Dominican Republic. Standing left to right in the back
row are Julia Ayres, Hassan Alew, Kelly Bragg, Steven Berlan,
and Mohamed Farah. Kneeling left to right are nursing instructor
Whitney Lutz, and students Beth Forrest and Melody Berlan.
August 2005
Sixty-three students from the University of Southern Maine's
Nursing Program, including several from the L-A campus, recently
spent two weeks in the Dominican Republic as part of a rural
health outreach program.
This program was established in 1993 by USM's College of
Nursing and Health Professions. Twice a year, in July and
January, a group of nursing students, faculty members, doctors,
dental specialists and volunteers spend two weeks in the Dominican
Republic providing nursing, medicine, and community health
services to rural villages who would otherwise have no healthcare.
Nursing students, as well as social work and language students
obtain course credit for participating in this program.
Students gain valuable clinical experience serving as healthcare
providers to remote village populations. These villages are
difficult to access due to mountainous terrain and wash-out
roads. The USM medical group serves sixteen villages as well
as several hospitals. The students and nursing faculty members
set up clinics for direct patient care, make home visits,
and also provide teaching sessions to educate families concerning
common health problems. They provide care for chronic illnesses
such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, as well as
well check ups, dental cleaning, and minor acute illnesses.
All medical supplies and medicine were brought in by the
USM students. The group collected donations from various organizations,
hospitals, physicians, and also sponsored fundraisers to raise
the funds needed. Since a group from USM returns to the same
villages every six months, they are able to treat chronic
illnesses with medications that villagers would otherwise
not have access to.
