I will be joining the Humanitarian Outreach Medical Brigade Medical Relief Effort (HOMBRE) in the Dominican Republic. HOMBRE partners with medical schools within the Dominican Republic to offer primary care services to the underserved communities in the Villa Mella, Santo Domingo Norte, Dominican Republic.
We will be seeing approximately 70 – 100 patients daily at HOMBRE's mobile clinics. These patients include pediatrics, adolescents, adults and geriatric populations.
Our goal is to provide aid in whatever manner is necessary to help children and adults with their medical needs. Aside from providing medical services and exams, we will be treating a wide variety of acute and chronic illnesses; some resulting from malnutrition, As a native Spanish speaker I will also be able to communicate directly with patients in order to help educate locals on how to stay healthy and how to care for their loved ones.
Among the total population of the Dominican Republic, nearly one in three Dominicans live below the poverty line, struggling to access the health care they need. Women, children and the elderly are especially vulnerable.
While the island does have health centers, many are understaffed and undersupplied and although most of the existing healthcare services are free, many children residing in-group homes, and on the streets, are frequently unable to obtain care.
HOMBRE has been supporting this community since 2006 and has become an important aspect of patients' medical care. Patients will attend the mobile clinics for checkup, diabetes checks, and review and refill of necessary medications while also becoming connected with local providers for future medical visits.
There are several short term and long-term goals HOMBRE seeks to achieve.
First and foremost, improving the health and well-being for the local population is a priority. By providing the community with consistent primary medical care through these medical missions, we seek to promote the healthcare of the community for the next generation. Secondly, by supporting the local health infrastructure, we hope to serve as a model so they can function independently in time. This is goal is also achieved by assisting in educating the future healthcare providers that will serve these communities in the long term.
By supporting my mission trip, you will be facilitating the continued partnership between the United States and the Dominican Republic on the grassroots level. In addition to acutely healing the sick, our project’s mission and vision is to provide the tools needed to optimize the health of the DR community for generations to come.
I hope that with this opportunity, I can come back and share my experience with residents and new doctors. I hope that by sharing my journeys with them, I can influence them all to participate in such endeavors in the future to make this world a better and healthier place for all.
The people of the Pueblo of El Pariaso have been visited and cared by the HOMBRE organization for the past 16 years. Together with local DR medical school, we are able to provide people of all ages with checkups as well as medication refills free of charge.
