35
COM Outlook . Spring 2014
ENRICHING
EXPERIENCES
IN
JAMAICA
By Paula Anderson-Worts, D.O., M.P.H.
Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health
n December, the NSU-COM Jamaica Medical Out-
reach Trip consisted of 63 participants, including 26
osteopathic medical students, which represented the
largest number of D.O. students to participate at any given
time. Unlike past outreach trips, the College of Pharmacy
students and faculty members were unable to attend. It has
been said, however, that challenges breed opportunity.
As a result, we decided to utilize three local Jamaican
pharmacists, which worked out well as they provided
great support and a wealth of information. Without the
pharmacy students’ participation, the D.O. student physi-
cians all had to rotate through the pharmacy, so it was
impressive to see how well the medical students adapted.
Collectively, the various health care team members and
community volunteers worked together to see approxi-
mately 2,000 patients.
The level of service provided and overall benefit to the
students were expressed in the following summary written
by second-year NSU-COM student Alecia S. Folkes, who
said, “My trip to Jamaica for a medical outreach trip was
nothing short of a great experience, and I am fortunate
I was chosen to participate. Jamaica is such a beautiful
country; however, many people there are in need. Being
able to help was an experience I will never forget. The
people we helped were so kind and thankful for any medi-
cal attention they could get.
“The participating students from NSU’s osteopathic
medicine and occupational therapy programs were divided
into three groups, and we visited three different sites each
day, which included churches, community centers, schools,
and resorts,” Folkes added. “As a result, we had to be cre-
ative and make use of the resources available to the best of
our ability. Thankfully, we had great doctors, occupational
therapists, and pharmacists on board to guide us through
the long workdays. I learned so much and improved on
taking a patient history, writing a soap note, performing a
I
physical examination, and dispersing medications to the
patients. I am so fortunate I was able to learn these skills
early on in my medical career.”
After 13 years of service, 16 medical outreach trips, and
over 55,000 patient encounters, it was exciting to see the
Jamaica Ministry of Health officially announce its decision
to recognize the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) de-
gree. The announcement, which appeared in
The Jamaica
Gleaner
newspaper on January 9, marked a great develop-
ment for the D.O. profession. Over the years, I and my co-
coordinator Don Daly had petitioned the Jamaica Ministry
of Health on several occasions to consider granting D.O.s
full practicing rights. So hearing the news has been like a
dream come true for both of us. Because we are Jamaican-
born partners, our medical outreach is a true labor of love
the Jamaican people have benefited from—and now the
osteopathic profession is also a beneficiary of these efforts.
During the December trip, the medical outreach team—
in partnership with Sandals Resort International and the
Sandals Foundation—worked together to provide free
medical care to residents in Westmoreland and St. Eliza-
beth, Jamaica. Over 90 children from the Sandals Founda-
tion adopted and supported Culloden Early Childhood,
while the Whitehouse Basic School also received pediatric
care. Some of the other key supporters included Mon-
eyGram, Juci Patties, Jamaica National Building Society,
GraceKennedy, Caribbean Airlines, Lasco, and the Kings-
ton-Miami Trading Company.
It is obvious the December trip was successful not only
because of proper preparation, but also due to new ideas,
partnerships, and great support from health professionals,
students, and volunteers.
Changing Lives...One Person at a Time
International Outreach at NSU-COM
Dr. Anderson-
Worts in action
during the 2011
Medical Outreach
Trip to Jamaica.
