Ophelia Swanson

Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Passionate About:

Starting off as a pre-medical student, Global Brigades offered me the opportunity to gain clinical experience in a way that I would never able to get in my local community. My first two years I was able to work alongside doctors, communicating with patients in a free clinic in rural Honduras. This experience sprouted a passion for global health and international medicine that has continued to foster since its initiation. The more I saw, however, the more I realized that treating patients is only half of the battle. To actually make improvements and have a lasting impression on the communities with which I was working, my efforts would be better spent attacking the source. This year I am leading a Public Health Brigade with Central Michigan students. Over the course of a week we will be work on home improvement projects that will improve the quality of life for an individual family and keep them from needing consistent treatments that are preventable under the right conditions.
As my involvement with GB has changed, so have my passions grown for not only global health, but preventative health through sustainable systems and education. I plan to pursue a career in public health where I will have the opportunity to make long-term impacts on local communities using the same skills and knowledge I have gained from the GB family.

SHARE THIS PAGE

$

3,532

Fundraised

3

Initiatives

End Date: Mar 19, 2014 12:00 AM
Volunteer Activity Message

Volunteers on the Medical and Dental Brigades will be working closely together to provide quality health initiatives to a community that otherwise has limited access to health care. Volunteers will spend three days in a community in order to optimize the amount of time patients are able to spend with the physicians and dentists. Each patient will receive a physician consultation, teeth cleaning and a fluoride treatment as well as have access to pap smears, prostate exams and restorative dental care as necessary. Volunteers will have the opportunity to take patient vitals, obtain patient history and current symptoms, shadow and assist licensed physicians and dentists, participate in preventative education, and fill prescriptions under a licensed pharmacist. Volunteers will become familiar with the prevalent health issues in their community and learn about how to prevent and treat those illnesses. These brigades provide each volunteer with the opportunity to make a tangible impact on a specific community while gaining real life experience in the field of international medicine and dentistry.

Public Health volunteers spend 7 days in Honduras, improving basic home infrastructure and providing health education to help reduce the incidences of life-threatening, but preventable, diseases in a rural community. With an understanding of the holistic model that focuses on education, community health sustainability and infrastructural development, volunteers first receive a comprehensive introduction to the country's public health challenges and the Public Health program's ground-up solution. They will take a tour of the community Public Health is currently working in, introduce themselves to the beneficiary families, and meet with the Basic Sanitation Committee (CSB). Then, working side-by-side with community members and local masons, volunteers construct five infrastructure projects meant to improve the health of the home and surrounding environment: eco-stoves, latrines, pilas (water storage units), showers and concrete floors. Additionally, as a key component of the program, Public Health volunteers collaborate with the Basic Sanitation Committee and local teachers to help provide community-wide education workshops and training, proliferating sanitation and hygiene practices and empowering families with both the knowledge and tools to live healthier lives.

Volunteer Goals

Program Goal: $0.00 / Airfare Goal: $0.00

Ophelia Swanson donated $514

Feb 09, 2014 01:46 PM

Ophelia Swanson donated $1,000

Jan 14, 2014 04:28 PM

Ophelia Swanson donated $250

Nov 11, 2013 11:34 AM

100% Complete (success)
$1,764.00

of $1,764.00

in donations needed to reach the Initiative Goal


Complete

Thank you for your support!

100% Complete (success)
34

of 25

volunteers needed to reach the Initiative Goal