Maryroyreport.pdf

STUDENT BELIZE REPORT
By Mary Roy
Most PA students are worried about upcoming exams, clinical rotations, student loans, and job hunting.
Imagine yourself swept away for one month to a remote area in a third world country to focus on serving animpoverished, indigenous population and reexamining your hectic life from a distance. That is exactly whatI had the opportunity to do this November during my senior year at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Each year the PA program sends four students to work in Belize, Central America, as part of their clinicaleducation.
The Hillside Clinic is located about 9 miles from Punta Gorda, a small town in Southern Belize. It is one ofmany social justice projects the Jericho Road Foundation International has established. The recentlycompleted clinic is well designed to accommodate patients with three exam rooms and new medicalequipment. The rotating medical staff can enjoy simple living quarters with electricity, running water andkitchen facilities. Patients are seen Monday through Friday during regular business hours and most pay asuggested donation of $3 Belize, equivalent to $1.50 U.S. Because of generous donations from drugcompanies and clinics, there is a supply of antibiotics and other medications that can be given to a patient atno extra charge. Patients needing laboratory tests must be sent to the Punta Gorda Hospital, which doesprove a challenge when they have already walked five miles to be seen. Fortunately, the clinic will soonown a microscope and is acquiring more equipment and supplies as the volunteers arrive.
Only 25 miles of paved road exists in Southern Belize, the rest provides a bumpy, often dangerous ridethrough jungle and over rivers to nearly 20 small Mayan and Ketche Indian villages. Sister Marian JosephBaird is an American nun trained in nursing and has served the people in these villages for over 35 years. Inthe morning she runs a clinic out of a room in her modest house; every afternoon she ventures out with hertwo assistants, Dominga and Natalia, to provide basic health care to an entire village. By visiting theseremote locations they play a crucial role in public health by obtaining malaria smears in symptomaticpatients and providing basic prenatal care and education to women that will undoubtedly deliver theirbabies on the dirt floor of their thatched roof hut. While most needs of her patients can be met withTylenol, cough syrup or amoxicillan, Sister is never hesitant to bring a badly injured or ill patient to thehospital in Punta Gorda. Her religious Order often pays for the transportation and health care of a patientsent to Belize City for a surgery or extensive medical work up. When you think a woman like Sister Mariancould not possible give more, you find that she has adopted two young girls who have been abandoned bytheir families because of mental and physical disabilities. I was inspired by working with her, the image ofMother Teresa.
Children are the national treasure of Belize. Most families have many, which makes a walk through avillage a slow one, trying to capture all of the shy smiles of the young girls and boys on film. Having neverseen their own picture, the children and adults were thrilled when a doctor played back video of themgiggling at his camcorder. The work is hard in Belize, most men farm the land during daylight and thewomen tirelessly keep the home together and the family fed. The older children make sure the young onesare clean and do their school work. The medical needs tend to be simple; most patients in the villages hadskin disorders, diarrhea, or “fresh cold.” Most of the doctors and PAs that volunteered during my stay agreed, after working long days in the hotvillages it was nice to enjoy some free time on the weekend. We explored Mayan ruins and waterfallshidden in the jungles of Southern Belize. While I did miss out on Thanksgiving dinner with my family, Iwas able to celebrate National Garifuna Settlement Day with the Garifuna people in Punta Gorda. All ofthe dancing and singing made me forget about home.
As the weeks pass and I fall back into my routine, I notice the only thing fading is my tan. The memories ofmy experience in Belize will not fade away; the faces I have seen and the laughs I have heard will alwaysmake me smile. Thank you for your donation that made this experience a possibility for me.
This May, I was very fortunate to participate in an international primary care rotation inrural Belize with four of my fellow classmates from the UW-Madison PA program. Thisprogram was developed by the Medical College of Wisconsin, and both UW-Madisonand Marquette PA programs participate.
Belize is a small, English speaking, Central American country with a very diversepopulation, including persons of African, Mayan, and European descent. During our stayin the Toledo district of southern Belize, we were responsible for helping to staff theclinics of three small Mayan villages. We worked as a team along with medical studentsand family practice residents from various parts of the US. Each clinic has a full timenurse and nurse’s aide on staff to provide immunizations and routine prenatal care.
We also had opportunities to participate in mobile clinics to other, more remote areasnear the Guatemalan border to provide care. Most of the patients we saw were womenand children, and had complaints similar to those encountered in any primary care clinicin the U.S.: colds, rashes, gastroenteritis, etc. Of course, we had to also become familiarwith other things like malaria, intestinal worms, and insect-borne cutaneous infections.
We learned a great deal about the vast cultural diversity of Belize, and were reminded ofhow blessed we are to have such wonderful health care facilities in this country.
The Belize Project will accept donations of medicines and medical supplies. Medicationsespecially useful are routine antibiotics, tylenol, advil, vitamins, URI symptom relievers,chloroquine Vermox (mebendazole) and Nix (permethrine). Donated medications maybe no more than three months expired. Please contact Jeff Nicholson at the Madison PAProgram for donations. If you would like to learn more about the Belize Project, log on tohttp://www.family.mcw.edu/belize.
On the Road Again: A Year in Review of the Medical Project in Belize
By David Papermaster, PA
There have many past articles regarding medical support to the country of Belize. Thisarticle intends to summarize the efforts and accomplishments over the last academic yearas well as provide a look into the future of the Project. I was one of the participants inthe project from the UW-Madison program during the spring semester.
The Belize International Medical Program was instituted by the Department of FamilyMedicine from the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) in 1994. It was developed inresponse to the growing medical and community needs of inhabitants in the villages ofthe Toledo District located in southern Belize. The Project has since prospered andcontinues to work closely with the Ministry of Health-Belize to maximize the resourcesand donations provided by many sources.
This year has brought many exciting changes that offer the potential to expand healthcare coverage to more communities not only in the Toledo district but also to itsbordering neighbors. The recently constructed Hillside Clinic equipped with three examrooms, modern medical equipment and a wealth of pharmaceuticals has provided supportto villages around and including the city of Punta Gorda. It is likely one of the mostmodern clinics in Belize and its staffed during the academic year by volunteers from theMCW, Physician Assistant Programs from Marquette and the University of WI-Madison,and with expanding participation from other medical and PA programs around thecountry. The addition of a four-wheel drive Toyota Land Cruiser funded by a privatefamily foundation made it possible for volunteers to go mobile with the clinic allowingthem to triple services rendered. Further, the Hillside Clinic is currently constructing acommunity resource center that will serve as a meeting place for discussions andeducation that will address the medical, social, economic, and psychological well-beingof the local population. It will be staffed, contain a library and provide outreach services.
Currently, the program is considering expanding its medical mission into the Stan-Creekdistrict which is located just north of the Toledo District. This movement has been madepossible with the assistance of Dr. Peter Allen, the district medical officer from theMinistry of Health. He has overseen the construction of a brand new medical facility inthe town of Independence which officially opened within the last month. Belize Projectvolunteers were the first to provide services at the new clinic, even before the doorsofficially opened. The clinic will have several exam rooms, offices, and a well-stockedpharmacy. It will prove to be an excellent center for the people in the surroundingvillages and provide a humbling experience to future medical volunteers. The adjacentcoastal cities of Placencia and Monkey River Town are also being assessed for medicalneeds and volunteer support.
Over the last year, the colloborative efforts of the Medical College of Wisconsin, theBelizean Ministry of Health, and private foundations have made it possible to continuepaving the road of an ever expanding health care project. This past year, over 58volunteers have embraced the opportunity to give medical and social support and many have expressed the desire to return. The memories of volunteering in Belize will last alifetime but hopefully our efforts will impact the country for generations to come.

Source: https://apps.physicianassistant.wisc.edu/pa_pdfetc/belizearticles.pdf