Team Prepares for Arrival of First Patients in Las Mercedes

The Duke Exploring Medicine team arrived in Las Mercedes early Friday morning. The small  rural community will be their home-site for coming days as they see patients inside the clinic. 

The students arrive in Las Mercedes with all their bags.

The clinic where the team will see patients.

The beautiful view.

Upon arriving, Rosa and the team set up the pharmacy -- antibiotics, painkillers etc., plus other basic health supplies like toothbrushes, shampoo and soap. Yesterday afternoon, dozens of Honduran families started to arrive at the clinic to be seen by members of the team. For some team members who were on the trip in previous years, it was a wonderful reunion with the locals.

Rosa setting up the pharmacy at the clinic.

The Duke team reunites with the locals.

Yesterday, the team spent a half day doing clinic -- seeing dozens of patients. Last night, members from the Duke team went to a Good Friday service at church.

Today, the team is spending the full day at the clinic seeing patients. It will be a long day, but a rewarding one.

Honduran families arriving at the clinic.

The clinic opened in 2009, thanks to the efforts of Duke faculty member Dennis Clements and a team of partners from Duke and Honduras. LEARN MORE about the clinic and the annual Exploring Medicine student service trip to Honduras. 

Team Arrives Safely

The team (and all their bags) arrived safely in Honduras today! They had a nice meal and are resting before their big first day tomorrow in Las Mercedes. The team hopes to get an early start, so they can set up the more than 1,000 pounds of supplies they brought from Durham before patients arrive at the clinic.

Meet the Group

Anderson Garrett

My name is Anderson Garrett and I am currently in the Adult Oncology Nurse Practitioner program at Duke University School of Nursing.  I have been an oncology nurse for 3  years, working on an inpatient oncology unit at Duke Hospital.  I live with my husband and out "furry daughter" Ella, a 4.5 year old miniature Yorkie, in Cary.  I have a great interest in service, mission, and volunteer work; both in NC and abroad.  I'm excited to start this journey to Honduras and to help make a difference in other's lives.  I am thankful for my family, friends, and fellow members on the trip who have made this possible.  I can't wait to share the adventure!

Dawn Driesner

Hola, it's Dawn here.  I am the faculty member from Duke Physical Therapy School and have really enjoyed working with the Exploring Medicine trip for several years.  I'm excited about returning to Honduras to provide health care and education to the local communities. This experience has helped not only with my Spanish (which is still very limited), but also with increasing my cultural competency and improving care in a multi-disciplinary approach to areas that are typically undeserved regarding access to health care.

Ramon Ruberte Thiele

Hey, amigo!  My name is Ramon and I am a third year medical student at Duke.  Born and raised in Puerto Rico, my nontraditional path toward medicine has always been driven by my desire to help others.  I look forward to serving the people of Honduras and learning more about their culture.  Can't wait to be a part of this amazing experience with a wonderful group of people!

First Airport Trip!!

Still in Raleigh

After one attempt at getting to Honduras that was derailed by mechanical issues on the plane, we are resting up to try again tomorrow.  The bags are still packed and ready to go, so we should have a quicker and smoother go at it tomorrow after our "dress rehearsal" today.  Let's hope that this is not like the moving Groundhogs Day, fingers crossed!

Heading out!

Everything is packed away and we are heading out, it's an early morning here (or late night depending on how you look at it).  We are all meeting at Duke and then heading to the airport.  Once we are in Honduras there will be updates periodically, but we will not have internet access while we are up in the mountains.  I am posting a few pictures from previous years of the clinic in Las Mercedes so you have an idea of where we will be!!

Packing day in pictures!

Packing Day!!

Everyone is getting ready in preparation to head to Honduras on Wednesday March 27th.  Today, we all meet at the School of Nursing to gather the medication, hygiene and school supplies, and additional items that we will be taking with us to provide care to the communities of Honduras.  To maximize the amount of supplies that can be brought, all the items are removed from the traditional bulky packaging and consolidated.  Thank you to everyone who helped with the fundraising and contribution of supplies, the residents will be extremely grateful at the outpouring of generosity!

Dawn

Welcome to Exploring Medicine 2013

The purpose of the course Exploring Medicine is to promote understanding of  the cultural background of the people of Honduras and how that impacts the delivery of medical care. Throughout the semester, topics were discussed to facilitate understanding of how art, history, literature, music, geography, ethics and religion influence the practice of medicine in the Latin American culture. The classes provides a multidisciplinary faculty from Duke and UNC and included time working on medical Spanish to improve the understanding of the culture and facilitate encounters and interactions with Hispanic patients in our own environment. The trip focuses on areas of rural Honduras and provides global outreach through Duke Global Medicine.  Join in following us during out trip!!

Dawn Driesner