It will be an exciting time for the Duke community and the town of Las Mercedes, Honduras this summer when a new health clinic is scheduled to open.
The effort, led by DGHI Senior Advisor and Duke Pediatrician Dr. Dennis Clements, has brought clinical services and medical supplies to underserved communities in Honduras for the past decade. Clements, who also serves as director of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, teaches the course “Exploring Medicine” each spring, which culminates in a group trip to Honduras.
Fifteeen physical therapy, nursing and medical students were chosen for the trip in spring 2010. They plan to use the clinic to deliver medical care during their trip to Honduras, prior to its formal opening in summer 2010.
A critical partnership across Duke and in the remote Honduran village of Las Mercedes has allowed for the construction of a maternal-infant health clinic that will serve 1,800 villagers beginning this summer. Clements, who helped to raise most of the funding for the new clinic, was instrumental in fostering key partnerships with Duke Engineering Without Borders (EWB), DukeEngage, and Honduran partners Heifer International, COMPRINIL and the Honduran Ministry of Health to make the clinic a reality. EWB students, with assistance from DukeEngage students, designed the entire 4,800 square foot maternal-infant health clinic, which now has running water and electricity, what are considered commodities in the impoverished region
Learn more about the course, the 10-day trip to rural Honduras and the new clinic in this week’s video spotlight. Two nursing students who participated in the program in summer 2009 also share their field experience.
A critical partnership across Duke and in the remote Honduran village of Las Mercedes has allowed for the construction of a maternal-infant health clinic that will serve 1,800 villagers.
