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The fundraising goal for the 2008-2009 trip is $20,000. This money, along with donated supplies, will enable us to deliver much needed medical care and provide health maintenace to the wonderful people in Rural Dominican Republic for another year. Any donation amount is appreciated! |
June 7, 2009 - We've just chosen a great group of medical students for DR Help 2010. We are currently getting fundraisers underway so that this year's trip is a great success.
DR HELP is a not-for-profit organization comprised of UF physicians, nurses, and select medical, pharmacy, and nursing students. The group travels annually to the Dominican Republic on humanitarian medical outreach trips. This year, the group is planning its 12th annual trip to the Dominican Republic.
DR HELP falls under the umbrella of the Health Outreach Assembly, which includes 4 other trips run by UF medical students -- DR Salud (Dominican Republic), Project Yucatan (Mexico), Project Haiti (Haiti), and Project HEAL (Ecuador). Together, we work to provide healthcare annually to over 5,000 individuals in South America and the Caribbean.
Our primary aim, as DR HELP, is to provide much needed healthcare to areas in abject poverty on this developing island nation. To this end, we have set up clinics in villages surrounding Jarabacoa, the poor inner region of the island. In these clinics, we provide free medical care, education, and medications to a population that has severely limited access to health care. Last year, we provided medical care to nearly 1,200 individuals, while distributing thousands of dollars worth of medications and health care supplies (antibiotics, vitamins, anti-parasitics, anti-fungals, analgesics, eyeglasses, toothbrushes).
Our ongoing goal is to gain financial support to purchase medical supplies, equipment, and medications on an annual basis. Moreover, since we are limited in the duration of time we can spend in the Dominican Republic, we aim to bring surplus supplies to leave with our Dominican colleagues. We have documented the most frequently used medications from previous trips to provide the most appropriate coverage for the wide range of illnesses we encounter.
DR HELP represents a tremendous humanitarian effort to serve the neediest people of the Dominican Republic. It also provides an unparalleled educational experience for medical, nursing, and pharmacy students interested in international medicine. Since this project is funded entirely through the efforts of UF medical students, any contributions to our project are greatly beneficial and deeply appreciated. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have regarding our project.
We thank you in advance for your kind support.
Humbly yours,
