Medical Missions Enhance Child Health

Since April 2007, we’ve made 16 medical trips to Holy Innocents Children’s Hospital. Participants in these trips have included nursing faculty and students from Dominican University and the University of San Diego, chemistry faculty and students from the

University of San Diego, nurses and consultants from Belfast, Northern Ireland, and doctors and nurses from the University of Washington/Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego and Children’s Hospital Oakland. On each trip we provide health education, health care services, hospital administration consultations and community development consulting.

Our most recent trip took place in January, 2012 and involved 21 volunteers, including nursing faculty and nursing students from Dominican University and University of San Diego, and chemistry faculty and students from the University of San Diego. The team assessed the health and environment of the neighboring community from which many of the hospitalized children come, conducted physical exams on 300 children and adults, worked in the hospital with the nursing and medical staff to care for sick neonates and older children, and completed water analyses which identified contaminants affecting the population’s health. At the end of the mission, the team provided a health fair for the community and hospital staff to educate them about the four main contributors to the major health problems we identified. All the material was provided to the hospital staff so that ongoing education could take place with the families of hospitalized children.  This mission was an unforgettable experience for the volunteers and provided life-saving treatment for the children of Mbarara.  Our sincere thanks to the volunteers and team leader Dr. Anita Hunter!