Carly Whitmore had a lot to think about as she prepared for her trip to Honduras this past February. Headed to one of the more remote regions of Honduras known as “La Mosquitia” in the country’s northeast, Ms. Whitmore would have to face language barriers, isolation, and cultural differences among other challenges. “It will test us,” she predicted.
Ms. Whitmore was one of eight second-year students with the Trent/Fleming School of Nursing who took part in an international community health placement in Honduras in a program run in partnership with local community not-for-profit “Friends of Honduran Children” (FOHC). Ms. Whitmore and her colleagues were on multi-disciplinary teams known as primary health care brigades made up of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, support staff and students from other universities as well as Honduran professionals – dentists and pharmacists, interpreters and national police. The teams worked in rural regions, setting up in churches, schools and health facilities to offer primary health care in areas where clean water is a concern, and helping with a diversity of concerns such as nutrition, parasites, illnesses, dental care and sexual health education.
On her way to Honduras, Ms. Whitmore said, “We will not have all of the supplies needed – no access to the internet to do research -- or even be able to provide follow up for the care that we provide. It will be a very different experience. I look forward to the challenge.”
While they were there, the students met these challenges and more. A typical day began at six a.m. with a quick breakfast and then off to the brigade sites, a drive of an hour or more over rough roads and mountainous terrain. The team spent long days working in the field only to return to their housing for educational lectures about tropical diseases or to discuss interesting cases they encountered throughout the day.
“It is estimated that 30.1 per cent of the population receive no health care, 83 per cent are uninsured and many people in rural regions (54%) are excluded completely from health care services (WHO, 2006),” explained Dr. Patti Tracey, full-time faculty member and lecturer with the Trent/Fleming Nursing program. “Primary health services in the rural, remote regions of Honduras are provided by short-term medical brigades supported by NGOs, and publicly funded health clinics.”
“We saw many needs,” recalled nursing student Andrew Bacon. “We saw the need for shoes and reading glasses; however, there were many needs that were more pressing. Many of the children had distended bellies and streaks of blond brittle hair, which are signs of malnutrition.” Even more serious, according to Mr. Bacon, was rampant tooth decay. “Many children had 2-4 teeth that were decayed right to the gum line. Usually there were only a couple of teeth in each child's mouth that were free of cavities.” While in Honduras, Mr. Bacon worked alongside a local dentist who extracted teeth while Mr. Bacon educated the children about oral hygiene and proper tooth brushing techniques as well as providing them with toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Students returning from the program were struck both by the incredible need they saw, but also by a sense of optimism. “We were able to distribute medications and vitamins that our doctors prescribed to members within the communities we visited, as well as reading glasses, food and clothing. Essentially, our team contributed to communities by providing families with health care that they may have not otherwise been able to access,” recounted nursing student Rebecca VanDenberg. For Ms. VanDenberg, the reward of seeing her hard work make a difference was amplified by the warm reception from the people with whom she worked. “On one of our last brigade days in the community of Mocoron,” she recalled, “a solider formally expressed his heartfelt gratitude for having us there to see the people of Mocoron. I believe that our team was able to bring hope to the communities we provided care for.”
The program is now in its fourth year, and continues to grow. In February 2013 an additional four students will go to Honduras, and Professor Tracey hopes that in the future, other university departments will participate as well. For Prof. Tracey, the program offers students the opportunity to see the enormous disparities in health status and access to health services, both within and across countries, first hand. “I believe the world is a very small place and continues to shrink at a very rapid pace,” observed Prof. Tracey. “For health, security and humanitarian reasons, each of us needs to be concerned about the health of everyone else.”
Posted on Friday, May 4, 2012.