Posted 12:39 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, 2013
Any UW-L student interested in medicine, veterinary medicine or dentistry can sign up by Oct. 5 to join student Ryan Moncada on a journey to Central America in January.
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From Left, Nicole Reinhardt, Ryan Moncada, Hannah Lawinger outside a local church near Grenada, Nicaragua, providing free medical care to local children and all age groups on the 2013 trip.[/caption]
Ryan Moncada is eager to show fellow college students the difference they can make in poor, rural communities in Central America. Moncada, a biology major, is leading a trip to Costa Rica and Nicaragua in Jan. 5-16 to provide basic medical services to numerous small communities.
“Many of these people have never seen a doctor or any health professional in their lives,” says Moncada, a UW-La Crosse senior. “There is a sense of satisfaction you get when you see someone suffering from a disease that is easily treated and you can provide for them.”
Alongside doctors from the country, students evaluate patients’ heart rates, respiration, temperature and more at mobile clinics set up in areas of need. They provide diagnoses and confirm with the medical experts. Other students can assist with dentistry or veterinary medicine.
So far about 20 students have joined Moncada — many with backgrounds as certified nursing assistants, emergency medical technicians and medical-related volunteer work experience. Any UW-L student interested in medicine, veterinary medicine or dentistry can sign up by Oct. 5. Students are assigned duties based on their area of interest.
Moncada wanted to plan the trip this year after traveling to the countries with a group of UW-L students last year. In addition to learning about new cultures and ways of life, Moncada felt he made a difference.
“Seeing how thankful the people are for the care you provide — it changes you,” he explains.
In some cases, students couldn’t provide the appropriate care and that too left a big impression. Moncada recalls an elderly woman who he diagnosed with extremely high blood pressure. He and a doctor were able to administer medication, however, they both knew her situation was more dire and she would likely have a heart attack without medical intervention. Moncada urged they send for an ambulance, but in the rural area that service didn’t exist. Without sufficient facilities to treat her at their small outdoor tent, they had no choice but to send her walking to the nearest hospital eight miles away. Moncada said the incident was a shock to him and his student-volunteer peers.
“I remember seeing her walk off in the distance,” he says. “It made me realize that we really have it really good here in America. It made us thankful for everything we have here.”
Moncada organized the trip through Volunteers for Intercultural and Definitive Adventures (VIDA), a nonprofit organization that aims to bring people together through service experiences. VIDA sets up mobile clinics and works with local clinic coordinators to establish locations and inform the community. The organization requires volunteers to take an eight-hour seminar course with training on tropical diseases and how to provide care upon arrival.
From Left, Nicole Reinhardt, Ryan Moncada, Hannah Lawinger outside a local church near Grenada, Nicaragua, providing free medical care to local children and all age groups on the 2013 trip.[/caption]
Ryan Moncada is eager to show fellow college students the difference they can make in poor, rural communities in Central America. Moncada, a biology major, is leading a trip to Costa Rica and Nicaragua in Jan. 5-16 to provide basic medical services to numerous small communities.
“Many of these people have never seen a doctor or any health professional in their lives,” says Moncada, a UW-La Crosse senior. “There is a sense of satisfaction you get when you see someone suffering from a disease that is easily treated and you can provide for them.”
Alongside doctors from the country, students evaluate patients’ heart rates, respiration, temperature and more at mobile clinics set up in areas of need. They provide diagnoses and confirm with the medical experts. Other students can assist with dentistry or veterinary medicine.
So far about 20 students have joined Moncada — many with backgrounds as certified nursing assistants, emergency medical technicians and medical-related volunteer work experience. Any UW-L student interested in medicine, veterinary medicine or dentistry can sign up by Oct. 5. Students are assigned duties based on their area of interest.
Moncada wanted to plan the trip this year after traveling to the countries with a group of UW-L students last year. In addition to learning about new cultures and ways of life, Moncada felt he made a difference.
“Seeing how thankful the people are for the care you provide — it changes you,” he explains.
In some cases, students couldn’t provide the appropriate care and that too left a big impression. Moncada recalls an elderly woman who he diagnosed with extremely high blood pressure. He and a doctor were able to administer medication, however, they both knew her situation was more dire and she would likely have a heart attack without medical intervention. Moncada urged they send for an ambulance, but in the rural area that service didn’t exist. Without sufficient facilities to treat her at their small outdoor tent, they had no choice but to send her walking to the nearest hospital eight miles away. Moncada said the incident was a shock to him and his student-volunteer peers.
“I remember seeing her walk off in the distance,” he says. “It made me realize that we really have it really good here in America. It made us thankful for everything we have here.”
Moncada organized the trip through Volunteers for Intercultural and Definitive Adventures (VIDA), a nonprofit organization that aims to bring people together through service experiences. VIDA sets up mobile clinics and works with local clinic coordinators to establish locations and inform the community. The organization requires volunteers to take an eight-hour seminar course with training on tropical diseases and how to provide care upon arrival.