Megan Koster, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Respiratory Care and faculty advisor for the Boise State chapter of Timmy Global Health, took two respiratory care students and one finance student to the Dominican Republic in January.
They joined another Timmy Global Health team from Bulter University for a week in the province of Montecristi which is made up of rural and marginalized communities comprised of stagnant Dominican families and Haitian migrant families working in banana plantations. Families living in these communities lack social support. The communities are accessed through an unpaved dirt road, have variable electricity and some have no potable water. The Timmy Global Health teams worked alongside in-country health care providers in a health program that is part of a fair trade banana cooperative call Banelino. The team provided support in medical clinics, treating 447 patients of all ages in five partner communities, which were served through mobile medical clinics. The top four diagnoses were headache, gastritis, urinary tract infection and hypertension. Eighty two patients were referred to a partner hospital for further treatment, thirty three percent of the patients were returning for care after previous visits, and thirty three percent have chronic conditions, requiring regular care. Read additional information from Timmy Global Health about the January 2014 trip.
Timmy Global Health is an Indianapolis-based nonprofit that has 40 active university chapters and works with seven international partners in four developing nations. It expands access to healthcare and empowers students and volunteers to tackle today’s most pressing global health challenges. To achieve this goal, Timmy Global Health sends medical service teams to support the work of international partner organizations; channels financial, medical, and human resources to community based health and development projects; and works to empower students at U.S. high schools and colleges to fundraise, advocate, and serve in an effort to fight health disparities at home and abroad. The Boise State chapter was formed in fall 2012 and took their inaugural trip in January 2013 to the Dominican Republic.
Last year, Timmy Global Health sent more than 18 medical teams and cared for almost 11,000 patients in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Ecuador. For ways to get involved with or to support the local Timmy Global Health chapter, contact Megan Koster at megankoster@boisestate.edu.