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WILKES-BARRE —A toothbrush and toothpaste.
The average American takes those things for granted, but to a person in a Third World country who doesn’t have them, those simple items can mean the difference between painful dental problems and a healthy smile.
The 14 King’s College Physician Assistant students who are looking forward to traveling to Haiti this year for medical mission work will be armed with tooth-care products as well as soap, which can help reduce the risk of infectious diseases, and pain relievers such as Tylenol and Ibuprofen.
“There are so many things they don’t have,” said Amylyn Mortimer, 22, of Lansdale, explaining why she’s eager to help. “We have so much, and we’re so accustomed to what we have.”
The first group of seven Physician Assistant students will spend five days in Haiti in April and the second group will follow for five days in July.
Based at the House of Hope orphanage and The George Shinn Foundation Medical Clinic in a Port au Prince suburb called Tabarre, the students expect to test people for hypertension and diabetes, to provide immunizations and well-child exams, and to offer advice about hygiene and good health practices.
“We’ll tell them they shouldn’t take water from a puddle and use it to take a shower,” said Wilton Curiel, 23, of Wilkes-Barre, referring to what he’s heard is a common practice.
The students will also advise people against consuming “mud cookies” made from dirt and oil and sometimes sold by street vendors. “There could be parasites in the dirt,” Curiel said.
The King’s students said they will be respectful of local traditions in their host country, explaining they’ve been told, for example, that if they attend church services women should wear long skirts and men should wear long pants rather than shorts.
The students, who will be accompanied on the trip by King’s alumni and faculty, gratefully accepted a $1,000 donation from the Lehman-Idetown United Methodist Church, which one of their professors attends. They also are raising money for medical supplies through a Go Fund Me account that can be found at gofundme.com.and are accepting donations of over-the-counter pain relievers as well as cold medications such as DayQuil and Robitussin; first aid materials such as gauze, bandages and alcohol pads; eyedrops, sunglasses and vitamins.
In addition, students Curiel and Sarina Hall are running a lottery-style fund-raiser for which people can purchase tickets by contacting them at [email protected] or [email protected]. You may also contact Curiel at 808-864-3691.
Some of the students admitted their parents and grandparents have expressed concern that they’re going to a dangerous place, but the young people are reassuring their relatives by explaining they’ll be staying in a guarded compound and sleeping under mosquito netting.
And the trip won’t be devoted entirely to medical issues. Physician Assistant student Keegan Fees, of Gettysburg, plans to offer soccer lessons and Kiara Aguay Lopez of Morgantown, plans to share her dance background and perhaps guide some of the House of Hope children through a dance performance.
“Anytime you go somewhere unfamiliar it can be a little scary,” Courtney Schaffer, 23, of Easton, said.
“But we want to do good,” said Jenna Wilson, 22, of Philadelphia.
“We want to make a difference,” Mortimer added.
