Faculty, students and volunteers from the College of Saint Elizabeth are heading off today, May 28, 2008, on an early morning flight to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, as part of an annual humanitarian mission to focus on health care in that country.

In total, 47 College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE) representatives are departing from Newark airport, bags packed with necessary medical supplies - bandages, anti-inflammatories, vitamins, antiparasitics, and antibiotics.  Nursing volunteers will spend a week in the country conducting nurse run clinics “mano-a-mano” with Foundation for Peace leaders and Dominican church leaders in underserved areas of the Dominican Republic. The clinics will be run like a health fair where the nurses will screen for high blood pressure and diabetes as well as other health concerns. They will also focus on parasite prevention, importance of keeping health records, and basic health teaching.
 

The nurses and psychology students receive credits as part of their course work toward their degrees and as continuing education credits. They will return on June 2.
 

Dr. Thomas C. Barrett, CSE assistant professor of Psychology, and Patricia Munson, CSE Nursing Student, package medical supplies for their Dominican Republic Trip. (Photo by Eileen Specchio)

 

“We started these humanitarian trips as a tribute to my late daughter, Emily, who was devoted to volunteer work,” said Dr. Eileen Specchio, CSE Director of Undergraduate Programs in Nursing. “The College has embraced the concept, especially since it fits in perfectly with our mission of service learning and social justice. In fact, this year, we have expanded our mission to include counseling on domestic violence, which our psychology department will spearhead.”
 

Students on the trip have spent weeks collecting supplies, counting medicines and attending lectures and discussions on health related issues in the Dominican Republic. Dr. Specchio added, “Several students participated in last year’s trip because the ‘giving back’ experience has made such an impact on their lives.”