Student volunteers will travel to Panama Jan. 4 to help provide medical treatment to small villages in need of sustainable health care.

The students are volunteers of the Medical Brigades at Syracuse University, which is a chapter within Global Brigades, a community of more than 400 student-run, organizations that provide services and education to areas with limited access. For 6 days, volunteers will shadow healthcare professionals and immerse themselves in the Panamanian community, according to the organization’s website.

The SU chapter will send 48 student volunteers and two faculty members on the trip, said Phill Groden, co-president of Medical Brigades at SU. The group is expecting approximately 60 volunteers, he said. Selected communities in Honduras, Ghana, Nicaragua and Panama receive brigades every three to four months, according to the organization’s website.

“We’re trying to get these communities going to the point where they’re fully capable of taking care of themselves,” Groden said. “They’ll be educated, have the tools, and have medical treatment coming in.”

Medical brigade student volunteers will live in a compound in northwest Panama, Groden said. They will spend the first day sorting through medications at the compound, followed by a two-day medical brigade and a one-day public health brigade. Students will aid in organizing a mobile medical unit, check patients’ vital signs, and organize drugs at the brigade’s pharmacy, he said.

The clinic will include several stations, such as consultations, treatment and health education. Patients also receive online profiles that track their medical history. A team stays in the country between brigades, following up with patients and training local workers to help maintain consistent healthcare, according to the organization’s website.

Students raised money leading up to the weeklong trip to cover travel, food, lodging and medical insurance, Groden said. The SU chapter originally set a fundraising goal of $115,640 for the Panama trip, he said. Groden added that the figure was made up of several costs: travel, food, lodging, insurance and medical supplies.

Student volunteers’ family and friends provided most of the donations, but the organization raised funds throughout the fall semester at various events, including SU football games. The fundraising was designed to reduce personal financial burden, he said.

The flight to Panama makes up most of the cost, Celeste Sanchez, a sophomore political philosophy major and student volunteer said. Friends and family donated to fund Sanchez’s travel, and she added that some contributed after Sanchez shared details of the trip on social media.

Through the medical brigades, Groden said students pursuing medicine can gain hands-on healthcare experience while aiding local communities and traveling the world. Last year, Groden went with the SU medical brigade to Honduras, so he said he is excited to continue visiting new places.

“I was looking for any excuse to get out of the country again,” Groden said. “This seemed like a perfect opportunity for me to get some really good experience and travel to a place I’ve never been to before.”

Published on January 2, 2014 at 8:43 pm

Contact Jacob: jspramuk@syr.edu