During my final year in my Family Medicine Residency, I will be going to Hondurus to provide care to the rural communities.
I will be joining a Mountain Medical Team with Friends of Barnabas (FOB) to serve rural mountain communities with medical, dental and vision clinics. Since 2000, Friends of Barnabas has been sending medical teams to Honduras to provide preventative health education and healthcare services to rural communities.
Our Mountain Medical Teams will provide general medical, dental, and vision care to children and families who have limited or no access to healthcare. We will also provide vitamins, fluoride, and anti-parasite medications and referrals for follow up care for children in need. Teams also identify children with special needs that FOB staff will follow up with in the weeks following the team’s clinics. The FOB staff also provide on-going education and support to the communities that the team will visit, meaning that the medical clinics you are supporting are a part of sustainable, community-wide empowerment.
Each team has a goal of $11,500 to cover the cost of medications and medical supplies that we will need to care for the families of five communities. In addition to the team goal, each team member has a individual $2250 travel contribution amount to cover their flights, meals and accommodations.
In many cases, we provide medications that most of us have access to in our own homes. We provide Tylenol to those with aches and pains, and we provide cough syrup for little ones with colds. The list goes on and on… The healthcare we provide, paired with education, empower families and communities to address their own healthcare needs.
To learn more, please visit fobf.org
My collegue and friend has brought this amazing opportunity to our Latrobe Family Medicine Residency Program with the plan of it carrying forward throughout the years. We appreciate any help and look forward to our time serving in Hondurus.