For the large task that lies ahead of them ““ providing
health care and health education for hundreds of people in a rural
town in Jamaica ““ 19 UCLA physicians and medical students are
packing unusually light.
“We are cramming 11 days of clothing and supplies for
ourselves into a backpack,” said fourth-year medical student
Walter Coppenrath, explaining that instead of personal items, the
two pieces of luggage that each passenger is allowed are filled
with medical tools, medication and toys for the clinics and health
centers that his group plans on visiting.
Along with Coppenrath, seven other medical students, three
nurses, four physicians, two acupuncturists and one videographer
will land in Montego Bay, Jamaica today, and drive to the small
town of Falmouth to begin a week-and-a-half long humanitarian
program.
The program will provide health care to Jamaican citizens and
give students an opportunity to learn about international health
care, said Dr. Ashley Christiani, a coordinator of the mission and
chairwoman of the medical school’s Primary Care College.
“It provides an immersion experience for students, so they
could practice cross-cultural health care,” Christiani
said.
This is the third consecutive year that a medical team has
traveled to Jamaica. The program’s coordinators say it has
grown considerably since it first began two years ago when six
people went on the trip. This is also the first year that medical
students can receive elective credit for participating in the
mission.
The largely student-run mission is being funded partly by the
Primary Care College and other funds collected through
students’ fund-raising efforts and donations. The
participants pay their own travel costs, which are being reduced by
Air Jamaica airlines to help support the mission.
The team will be divided into two groups and rotate between
providing primary health care and educating the community about its
health needs. The groups will be working in a clinic, orphanage and
a women’s center in the town.
“We see 80 to 100 students a day … with ailments usually
related to chronic conditions,” Christiani said, adding that
ailments often include high blood pressure, asthma, intestinal
worms and lice that often result from inadequate food supplies in
the area.
Past groups benefited greatly from the trip and Christiani said
this year’s group should have a similar experience.
“It makes them think about asking those types of questions
about cultural backgrounds of the patients that they are treating.
… They came feeling a lot more confident about dealing with the
unknown … and dealing with whatever the environment throws at
you,” Christiani said.
The project also allows students to get back to the basics, says
Dr. Bruno Lewin, a clinical instructor at the medical school.
“It’s nice to step out of your daily work or school
and have a chance to help people. (Participants) get down to the
fundamental reason that they got into medicine: to help
people,” Lewin said.
Some students who participated in the program in past years say
they hope to provide leadership to the first-time travelers.
“I found myself interested in how international health
care works. … I wanted to take on more leadership and use my
experience to take everything to that next step,” said
fourth-year medical student Sanjeev Sriram, who will be making the
trip for the second time and helped organize this year’s
mission.
The medical experience aside, the trip is also an opportunity
for participants to experience the Jamaican culture, Sriram said,
calling the experience a “mix of clinical work and cultural
immersion.”
The group goes to concerts, beaches, museums and holds a health
fair in the school that musical legend Bob Marley attended.
“We get to know the culture and meet the people,”
Sriram said, but added that the benefits of the trip transcend the
mere tourist experience.
“A lot of people have a lot of misconceptions about
Jamaica being just a tourist haven, but you get to see a whole
other side of the Caribbean, of people who are just trying to get
by,” he said.
Ultimately, first-time participants like Coppenrath say they
hope to gain a better understanding about the health care
disparities in different parts of the world.
“I want a greater understanding of the health care needs
of other people … and (to) gain information about the linkage
between health care systems throughout the world,” Coppenrath
said.