The trip, which has been on-going since the 1990s, provides medical and dental care to workers and their families on bateys, who are almost exclusively Haitian. We also provide medical and dental care to individuals in local jails and prisons. Both of these populations lack routine access to medical care. By providing basic services which can address chronic medical conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, and some acute illnesses like cellulitis, pneumonia, and contact dermatitis. There are hundreds of bateys in the Dominican Republic that are varied in term of their basic resources such as indoor plumbing and electricity. We partner with locally based groups that are routinely in contact with the people living on the bateys that lack routine access to medical care so that our resources can have the biggest impact.
The trip focuses on two populations. The people living in bateys, who are almost exclusively Haitian and the local incarcerated population. In recent years there have been many reports, including by the US State Department, regarding human rights practices by the Dominican government towards Haitians living in the Dominican Republic. Because of these on going practices and human rights abuses, many Haitians do not leave their bateys and do not seek medical care for routine or emergent needs due to fear of violence and deportation. By going out into these communities our group tries to eliminate these barriers to medical and dental care. The trip, ongoing since the 1990s has always focused on the communities living in bateys as this population exists without access to routine medical care which has only grown more dire with more extreme anti-Haitian policies. In the past 7 years, the local humanitarian aid organizations that we partner with, brought awareness to the need that also exists within local jails and prisons. Since that time, the scope of this trip has been expanded to also include this population to provide routine and acute medical care and dental care. By providing medical care to these communities we work in partnership with local aid organizations to ensure that these two populations have access to basic medical care. The goal is to improve the health of these populations and to continue support for the local aid organizations that work to offer continuity of care.
The impact is to improve the health and well being of the incarcerated and Haitian communities living on bateys in the La Romana area of the Dominican Republic. By providing treatment for chronic medical conditions we hope to improve the quality of life for this population. Access to medical care, is a human right, that should not be limited or denied. This trip allows me to appreciate the "why" behind the practice medicine that is essential to being a caring, empathetic physician. Caring for those who lack access to care and listening to their stories allows me to be a more empathetic physician when caring for my patients in the United States. I can better appreciate how barriers, political or otherwise, change our patients utilization of healthcare. I am a better physician to my patients and educator to residents and other learners.
On our week long trip we cared for over 1200 patients in a variety of different clinical settings. We worked in bateys, which are sugar cane farming communities, and in prisons and jails. As a team, we were able to provide care to adults and children, and offer care for acute and chronic conditions. Additional, as a group we were able to travel with a local dentist from the Dominican Republic and from the United States to provide dental care.
It was a very impactful trip where we were able to identify a few critically ill patients and work with the local hospital and case managers to be able to coordinate more complex care than what our group could provide.
The experience was rewarding both personally and professionally. It was also exciting to be able to bring more resident physicians on the trip to be able to participate and grow from the experience. Thank you!
