26 February 2006
The following is an e-mail from Olga Valdman about the trip to La Romana, Dominican Republic in support of the La Romana Mission:
Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2006 12:23 PM
Subject: Trip to Dominican Republic
Dear all,
I am writing to tell you about a medical service trip I am organizing. A group of about 10 medical students will be traveling to Dominican Republic in just less than two months. We will set up travel clinics in poor rural areas and provide basic medical care with the help of local physicians.
Attached is a letter of intent I have created that explains in detail what and where we are doing. If you know of anyone who might like to support our group, please spread the word to your friends, colleagues and community members. If you think the organization you work for would like to make a donation, please let me know.
Although financial support is important for us, we also really need the followings:
Medications, vitamins, basic medical supplies, baby formula, clothing, school supplies (pens, pencils, etc) and some toys for the kids.
If you or someone you know is able to donate any of the above (especially the meds), please let me know and I will send you the specific list of things we need.
Thank you so much for your time and support
Best,
Olga
Here is a more formal letter of intent:
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to you on behalf of the International Health Interest Group of Umass Medical School. As a group we have decided to spend our Spring Break vacation carrying out a medical service trip in Dominican Republic. Specifically, we hope to go to the city of La Romana and work with local physicians and community members providing healthcare to Haitian immigrants living and working on sugar cane plantations. The workers live in rural villages, called bateyes, which are about 1hr away from La Romana. They live in some of the poorest and most miserable living conditions possible in Dominican Republic. Here is a description
Latrines are usually not available. Potable water is rare. Electricity, a luxury. Dirt roads become muddy lakes when it rains and entire bateyes are often cut off from the outside world - and food and water - for days at a time. Where sanitary services are available, they generally have been built by non-governmental organizations, not the government . . . Inside the bateyes, health care is almost non-existent. In some bateyes non-governmental organizations have set up rustic medical clinics, but a physician is usually available only one day per week . . . (National Coalition for Haitian Rights, "Beyond the Bateyes").
The political situation here is very complex and is not a focus of our trip. However, it is clear that there is no organized governmental healthcare available to these people. They depend on medical help coming from local volunteers and visiting teams of healthcare workers, like us.
We hope to travel there, bringing supplies and medications, and set up travel clinics in the bateyes seeing 50-60 patients/day. We hope to be able to bring such essential things as vitamins for the children, anti-parasite and antibiotic medications for those with infections, and provide basic assessment of people's health. In addition, we will have an opportunity to bring the sickest to the La Romana hospital where there are some equipment and facilities to treat the seriously ill.
In summary:
Who are we: a group of 10 medical students committed to international health and serving the underserved populations nationally and abroad
What do we want to do: Provide medical assistance at a rural clinic in Dominican Republic to Haitian refugees who lack access to basic healthcare. We will travel on March 11 for one week.
How do we plan to do this: We are in touch with an organization based at Good Samaritan Hospital, LaRomana. This organization is responsible for bringing groups of American doctors to work in the bateyes and will help us with obtaining transportation, interpreters, and housing.
How can you contribute: As always, the limiting factor in our plan is the cost. Since we are all medical students it is hard for us to find sufficient resources to pay for this trip. This is where we need your help. We have estimated that the trip will cost $900/person. $600 covers the plane fare and the rest pays for room and board, transportation, interpreters, and some supplies. Any additional money will be used to purchase equipment for Good Samaritan Hospital in La Romana
So, if you would like to support our cause, please feel free to make a donation by check to IHIG-Umass and send it to Olga Valdman, 99 Lake Av, Worcester, MA 01604. Given the non-profit status of Umass, donations are tax-deductible; tax ID will be provided upon donation.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and please feel free to contact me with any questions at Olga.Valdman@umassmed.edu
Sincerely,
Olga Valdman
Leader of IHIG of University of Massachusetts Medical School
When I was a student at UMass back in the early 1990's a nursing student friend of mine went on a mission like the one Olga is putting together and according to her they did make a noticeable difference. I know Olga personally and believe her to be an competent and sincere person. I wish Olga and her crew every bit of success while down there and I believe this is a cause worthy of your support. Feel free to
e-mail Olga with any further questions. And also feel free to copy this text and spread the word.