Philanthropic Pelicanites: An opportunity to make a real difference.

[klaucke]

Hello Pelicanites,

I apologize for such a long post, but I ask that you please take the time to read.



As many of you may remember, I have been a member here for some years. I have not been as active in the last year or so because I am a medical student at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and all things Porsche have taken a back burner. However, I know that Pelicanites as a whole are a very giving group, and I turn to you for support.

I ask you to first consider how lucky we are to live in a country with such an abundance of healthcare resources, where many of us take even the most basic forms of healthcare for granted. In many other areas of the world, the healthcare situation is markedly different.

A group from the International Health Interest Group and the Rotaract Club of the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Medical School is planning a 4th annual medical service trip to the Dominican Republic. Last year we sent one group for one week to the city of La Romana and brought much needed medical aid to the Haitian immigrants living and working on the surrounding sugar cane plantations. Working with local physicians and interpreters, we were able to care for 100-150 individuals each day, for most of whom healthcare is virtually nonexistent. These Haitian immigrants lack many of the basic rights and opportunities that are already lacking in rural areas of the Dominican Republic.

Last year we were also able to contribute to several long-term initiatives. Pre-clinical students ran workshops on STD and HIV prevention, Pap smear screenings and promoted cervical cancer prevention. A team of UMass Ob/Gyns accompanied students and performed much-needed gynecologic surgeries at the Good Samaritan Hospital in La Romana. Last year we at UMass were excited to host 6 doctors from the Good Sam at our facilities to further their training in areas such as trauma and cardiac catheterization. Finally, a couple of medical students spent their summers in La Romana working with the Haitian immigrants and at the Good Samaritan hospital on various projects including an ongoing project to improve the continuity of care received by the patients from the volunteers. The success of several of our initiatives has motivated students and faculty to continue this positive relationship with our colleagues in La Romana in order to extend care to the underserved Haitian community. Currently, we expect to send two student teams one of which will consist of first and second year medical students, students from the UMMS Graduate School of Nursing, UMass physicians and other members of the UMass community and the other which will consist of third and fourth year medical students along with a team of Ob/Gyns.

The complex political situation in the Dominican Republic has resulted in extremely limited access to healthcare among Haitian sugarcane workers. The people in these villages depend on volunteers to bring them medical help. We hope to provide supplies and medications and set up mobile clinics to care for more than 100 patients per day. We will bring essentials, such as prenatal vitamins, antiparasitic and antibiotic medications for those with infections, provide basic assessment of people’s health, and transport the seriously ill to the city hospital for treatment. We hope to expand our educational efforts and coordinate both with other foreign mission teams as well as the local health promoters.



Who are we?

We are a group of medical students committed to international health and supporting underserved populations nationally and abroad. We are accompanied by devoted physicians, faculty, significant others and wonderful friends.

What do we want to do?

Through mobile clinics in the Dominican Republic we offer medical care to Haitian refugees who lack access to basic healthcare. Our group, the group of first and second year medical students and nursing student will spend March 15 – 22 running clinics in the La Romana area.

How do we plan to do this?

An organization based at the Good Samaritan Hospital, La Romana, will be responsible for obtaining transportation to the bateys (villages) and making available interpreters and housing.

How can you contribute?

The limiting resource for us as students is cost. We have estimated that half of the trip costs will cover transportation to and from the Dominican Republic and the rest pays for room, board, supplies, interpreters, and transportation within La Romana. Any additional money will be used to purchase equipment and supplies for the Good Samaritan Hospital in La Romana.

I know that the economy is not as strong as it has been in past years, but any contribution is one that can and will make a difference. Some of us are more financially secure than others, but I would like to stress that every donation helps. Consider for a moment how far a small sum of money can go towards helping us supply these Haitian immigrants with healthcare:
$10 Give a Child Health -- Provide daily vitamins for a child for 3 months
$20 Cure an Infection -- Purchase a full course of antibiotics for a single child
$50 Care for a New Mom -- Support examination and prenatal vitamins
$100 Send Help! -- Sponsor a student physician for a day
$250 Family to Family -- Cover the cost of a full checkup for a family of 6

With this in mind, I ask that any Pelicanite who is willing and able please make a donation that they see fit to this cause. Through our affiliation with UMASS, all financial donations are tax-deductible and a Tax ID# will be provided upon their receipt. Anyone considering a donation can send a check made out to DR Mission and send it to:

Jennifer Richardson,
Graduate School of Nursing
UMass Medical School
55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655
I ask that any Pelicanite who does donate please send me an email (preferably not PM) with their name so that I can keep track of who has donated and when we receive checks. My email address is klaucke###charter.net, with the ### replaced by an @ symbol.

If anyone prefers simply to make a Paypal payment, there is the option of sending it to me. My Paypal address is klaucke###charter.net, with the ### replaced by an @ symbol.

More information and pictures are available at the Good Samaritan Hospital website: www.laromana.org . Our group from UMass works intimately with the people at the Good Samaritan Hospital. Lastly, I would like to personally thank anyone who has read my post for giving their time and consideration to our cause. Thank You!

[911Freak]

Excellent!

A friend of mine just returned from there and mentioned what a beautiful yet impoverished country. He said the people are warm and happy despite the level of poverty they live in.

If only people could say the same about a visit to the US?!

We contribute to Iris ministries in Mozambique and throughout Africa.

A little goes a long way over there.

Keep up the good work!

FWIW
Not sure about this organization your working with as I haven't researched them, but full financial transparency in humanitarian organizations/non-profits is always a plus. Donors like to be able to see how much of their donations actually make it to the people on the ground needing the assistance, and not in the pockets of the bureaucrats or paper pushers etc. So if you have a link to this info that might help.

Good Luck and stay safe!

[Jim727]

Bump

[The Gaijin]

Originally Posted by 911Freak

We contribute to Iris ministries in Mozambique and throughout Africa.

A little goes a long way over there.

Keep up the good work!

Very true.

[Seahawk]

$50 scooters inbound.

To say I admire what you are doing doesn't begin to cover how much respect I have for your efforts and talent.