VCOM - Carolinas 2016 Yearbook

Honduras

Students and faculty from VCOM–Carolinas traveled to the communities of Tegucigalpa and Santa Rosa, Honduras, this year.

I n Honduras, VCOM partnered with Baxter Institute to re- open the James Moody Adams (JMA) Clinic, serving families in an impoverished area of Tegucigalpa. The site offers primary care, gynecology and prenatal services, and dentistry, as well as pharmaceutical needs for the patients. In addition, the Hoduran Ministry of Health, National Hospital, San Flillipe Hospital and UNITEC Medical School are key VCOM partners in meeting our mission in the region. Outreach Trips 2015-2016 This year, 46 students participated in two outreach trips to Honduras. These groups provided care for patients at the JMA Clinic, and with the help of

the Baxter Institute, launched a women’s health campaign to fund and coordinate faster results for patients. Over the course of both trips, pap smear tests were provided for over 100 women. VCOM students in Honduras had the opportunity to participate in afternoon emergency room roations at the National Hospital, serving over 800 patients daily. International student rotations in this setting focus on four distinct areas: emergency medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and surgery. This experience allows medical students the unique opportunity to work with English- speaking Honduran residents and physicians in the largest hospital and trauma center in the country. Students on rotation in Honduras also provide labor and

delivery support for night shift staff at the nearby Hospital San Felipe, where there are typically 30 births per 24 hour cycle. During this trip, First Responder Training was organized for 28 ministry students and their spouses at the Baxter Institute. This was the third class for participants, and marks the completion of VCOM’s First Responder curriculum development and implementation in Honduras. VCOM has expanded its geographical reach in Honduras to the mountainous, coffee- growing region of Santa Rosa de Copán, giving students the opportunity to experience some of the most underserved areas of Honduras.

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