This will be my 8th year returning to Las Matas de Farfan in the Dominican Republic with Medical Ministry International. I will be serving as a Primary Care Physician Assistant along with a team of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, health educators, and general helpers. MMI is invested in the communities we serve, and makes sure that the work we do lasts longer than the 1-2weeks we are there. We evaluate patients, prescribe treatment plans, and arrange followup as appropriate. Without MMI, most of these patients would not be able to afford medical care for themselves or their families.
This project serves the people living in/near Las Matas de Farfan in the San Juan region of the Dominican Republic. This is a largely agricultural economy, and many people do not have access to affordable care, sometimes lacking access to any medical care at all. MMI runs projects throughout the year to provide access to primary care, surgical treatments, dental care, and optometry to those who are in need. They also have a strong Integrated Health program, providing preventative and public health education lessons which make a measured impact on the communities we serve.
Working with MMI who has an invested presence in these communities year-round makes sure that the patients I see during my 2week trip can have the appropriate followup they need when I'm gone. Integrated Health lessons (which all patients receive) help to magnify our impact, improving the health of families and communities, not just individuals. Practicing as part of a team that is so committed to the physical and spiritual health of every patient we see is my favorite way to practice medicine. Over the years, the providers I have worked with on these trips are some of my biggest role models, and have shaped the kind of provider I am in my career.
For 2 weeks I worked with Medical Ministry International in the San Juan and Elias Pina provinces of the Dominican Republic. Every day we set up a primary care clinic and saw patients who otherwise would not have been able to afford medical care or medications, or who may not have access to a local doctor. I served as a Family Medicine Physician Assistant, while other team members were translators, pharmacy technicians, dentists, optometrists, and integrated health teachers. Over the course of 2 weeks, we were able to see 893 patients in clinic, with an additional 101 patients seen by our surgical team. I am always impressed by how well the team works together, and at how the MMI model is set up to make a lasting difference in the communities we serve.
