ADPi Lends a Hand in Panama

Senior, Katie Reynolds traveled to Panama on a Global Medical Brigade with 39 other Mizzou students where they stayed close to their indigenous community, Impeti Choco. Katie and each of the students chosen for the trip brought over two 50lb suitcases full of medicines and supplies to share with those they were going to help while in Panama.

Above Katie and the 39 Mizzou students chosen for the brigade pose with the people on the Impeti, Choco community. 

Each day Katie woke up at 6am. She and her group would then travel to their communities by bus then by shuttle down the rocky road, each morning passing by the homes of the people they were there to help.  In her brigade they had five stations:

1. Triage- which is where the patients would get their vitals checked

2. Consultation- where the patients would see the doctor/us to get diagnosed and prescribed

3. Dental- where the patients would get educated on dental education and then visit the dentist which would usually result in having a tooth extraction,

4. Charla- which means chat is Spanish is where the patients would learn about general health for their everyday lives.

5. Pharmacy- where we had medicine for their diagnosis and care packages for their families. Each day after the brigade Katie would return to their compund and pack for the brigade the next day.

A home of the people Katie and her group served in Panama. 

Katie stated, “being able to help all these people medically was great but the most incredible thing that I got to experience was the day that we were invited into the homes of the people.  Just to be given the chance to see their lives up close and to understand why they had all of the health problems we were diagnosing was very moving.”

Katie (third from the left) and 6 of the other students chosen for the brigade. 

Katie said that the most important thing she learned from her experience and wants others to learn as well is to never take anything for granted. The people she served in Panama lived without clean running water, no mirrors,  and no technology but that did not bother them. They were so very happy and thankful to have Katie and the other members of her brigade there and to be alive.

“Going on the Panama Global Medical Brigade truly was an amazing experience and I hope that all Medical Students will get the opportunity to go and experience everything that I was fortunate to see and do.”