University of Virginia Medical/Dental/Public Health Brigade May 2015 Nicaragua

Start Date: May 20, 2015 11:00 PM
End Date: May 28, 2015 11:00 PM

Global Brigades offers 9-day Medical/Public Health Hybrid Brigades throughout the year in Honduras and Nicaragua. During the Medical component, volunteers have the opportunity to take vitals and patient history in triage, shadow licensed doctors in medical consultations, and assist in a pharmacy under the direction of licensed pharmacists. Each of our partner communities receives a brigade approximately twice a year. Between brigades, our in-country team maintains relationships with the communities to provide follow-up and to conduct Community Health Worker (CHW) trainings to empower local leaders to sustain a consistent level of healthcare. Electronic patient records are collected for future visitations and to monitor overall community health trends. During the Public Health component, volunteers develop sustainable health solutions and establish a standard of health quality by emphasizing prevention and education. The Public Health Program achieves this goal by implementing in-home infrastructure projects, providing health education, and engaging community members. Each Public Health Brigade will work with individual families, local schools, and community leaders with a focus on holistic and preventative health measures on both an individual and community-wide scale.