About GMBArizona State Medical Brigades is one of many programs in Global Brigades which develops sustainable health initiatives and provides relief where there is limited access to healthcare. Previous volunteers have had the opportunity to shadow licensed doctors in medical consultations and assist in a pharmacy under the direction of licensed pharmacists through a one week Medical Brigade in Honduras. Each of our partner communities receives a brigade every summer where hundreds of patients are treated and volunteers deliver public health workshops. Between brigades, our in-country team maintains relationships with the communities to provide follow-up and to conduct Community Health Worker (CHW) trainings to empower local leaders to sustain a consistent level of healthcare.
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Medical Brigade Officers 2012-2013
Vice President: Ariel Peters
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Outreach Chair: Carolina Nicks
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Fundraising: Gina Mo
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What Does a Medical Brigade Do?
A two week Medical/Public Health Brigade provides volunteers with the opportunity to make a tangible impact on communities while gaining real life experience in the field of international medicine. Prior to travel, volunteers collect medicines, recruit health professionals and fundraise. Once in Central America, the team will visit one partner community to administer day-long clinics and conduct health workshops. The mobile clinic has five stations: intake (recording patient demographic information), triage(collecting main complaints and vitals), consultations (shadowing doctors as they diagnose and prescribe), pharmacy (filling prescriptions), and education (delivering workshops on preventive healthcare). Evenings prior to each brigade, groups learn from local doctors about the health needs of the specific communities, organize medicine, and delegate duties for the next day. During the Public Health (second) Week, the volunteers will conduct educational workshops with the community and assist in public health construction projects for families in need.
Why Honduras?
Honduras is the current focus of Medical Brigades, where more than 3,000 annual student volunteers and health professionals travel to establish mobile clinics in under resourced communities. Communities are selected on an extensive study based on need, access to medicine and include a collection of information to create baseline demographic information.
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Program Contribution
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