This will likely be my last blog post before disembarking; we leave the ship early on August11th. We asked to stay on through Haiti but apparently this would conflict with other things like the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) and other rotations. :)
Yesterday I was out at Baranca Gym for a MEDCAP in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. We saw the record number of patients through the pharmacy for this country, 437. There were more providers at the site that day, and everyone worked very efficiently. In Costa Rica our translators have been pharmacy students from San Jose. In this country once someone graduates from high school he or she can get a degree in pharmacy in another 5 years of schooling. The majority of the students working with us were in their 3rd or 4th year, and were extremely helpful! Everyone felt more assured that the patient was receiving thorough counseling and having his or her questions answered.
The students are coming to the ship tonight for a SMEE (Subject Matter Expert Exchange) where they will have dinner aboard, a tour of the ship and the pharmacy, as well as a discussion about pharmacy education in the U.S., Holland (from the Dutch pharmacist) and in Costa Rica. Some of the students even have rotations in the U.S. in Arizona this coming year!
For the past few evenings we have taken advantage of the partial liberty and left the ship to get dessert after chow. Two nights ago we got caught in a torrential downpour! The pier typically closes to walkers if there is lightening, so we were stuck hanging out underneath a local coffee shop’s awning waiting for it to clear. In the meantime it soaked our “civi’s” (civilian clothing) and it was amazing to see the lightening.Just as eventful, our trip last night allowed us to try to local treat, “el Churchill,” an ice cream dessert with shaved ice, some type of red-colored, flavored syrup, powdered milk, ice cream, and it comes with a small can of condensed sweet milk to pour over the top. It was a complex dessert, and once mixed together pretty delicious. Interestingly, there was also a cruise ship docked in our port, the “Dawn Princess” from Australia. I was told that at least one of the passengers was treated aboard the Comfort. We watched the ship pull away right before our twice-weekly Project HOPE group meeting and picture exchange.
A few nights ago one of the doctors here with Project HOPE gave one of the most amazing presentations. He is an emergency medicine doctor that is on a disaster response team (DMAT) that responded to the September 11th terrorist attacks. His recount, pictures, and experience were both saddening and inspiring. I would love to be involved in a team like this in the future. He explained that the team consists of about 30 people from all different disciplines including a chaplain, pharmacist, nurses, doctors, logistics, etc. They were called in and mobilized the evening of the 11th. Teams are directly under the government (FEMA) and set up to be able to mobilize from anywhere within hours and remain completely self-sufficient for ~72 hours. The team works for a 14-day deployment. Project HOPE and the ship as a whole has an amazing group of highly qualified individuals who have committed much of their time, energy, and careers to service.
Tomorrow I am going out to site with Edge Outreach, an NGO performing water purification services and providing the site with potable water. The Edge team leader gave a presentation to HOPE about the chlorinating device and the organization.
Sounds like you're having a wonderful experience, Emily!! Can't wait to hear all about it. Save travels!
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