Mandy Odren

Mt. Pleasant

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Highlighted Initiative

CMU Medical/Dent/Public Health March 2014 Honduras



Mandy's Message

Hi everyone! As some of you may know, I am going to Central Michigan University, studying into the wonderful healthcare world. This has been a difficult road, filled with tough classes, late nights, and stressful exam weeks, but I am nearing the end of the journey! I will graduate from CMU with a major in Neuroscience and a minor in Psychology in May of 2015. I have also worked with a young man named Jacob, who has CHARGE syndrome, as a deaf/blind caregiver for the past year, which has been an amazing experience. I am blessed to be able to work with wonderful people. Jacobs has taught me more than he will probably ever know. I have also been given an amazing opportunity to work at Woodland Hospice, and it has shown me a whole new side of health care.

This year, for spring break, I am going to Honduras to gain even more experience in the health care field with the organization Global Medical and Dental Brigades. Myself, and about 30 other CMU students will fly to Honduras and set up a temporary health care clinic in a rural, underdeveloped area in order to provide care to those who are living on under $2.00 a day with less than 3 gallons of water available for daily use. For 8 days, I will gain real world experience, by taking vitals, triaging, filling prescriptions, facilitating health education workshops, as well as shadowing licensed physicians, pharmacists and PAs.

The only unfortunate portion of the trip is the cost. Any support you can give will make a tremendous difference. We, in America, have the blessing of being able to see a doctor when we feel the slightest sickness arriving, but those in Honduras could be suffering, or dying, but unable to see a doctor. I am going there to help those in need. If you are able to donate, please visit: http://www.empowered.org/Mandy-Odren. This website is completely secure and all donations are tax-deductible. After you make a donation you will automatically be e-mailed a tax receipt. Feel free to talk to me about any questions about donating or about this trip! Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your help!
Mandy Odren

Volunteer Activity Description

Volunteers on the Medical and Dental Brigades will be working closely together to provide quality health initiatives to a community that otherwise has limited access to health care. Volunteers will spend three days in a community in order to optimize the amount of time patients are able to spend with the physicians and dentists. Each patient will receive a physician consultation, teeth cleaning and a fluoride treatment as well as have access to pap smears, prostate exams and restorative dental care as necessary. Volunteers will have the opportunity to take patient vitals, obtain patient history and current symptoms, shadow and assist licensed physicians and dentists, participate in preventative education, and fill prescriptions under a licensed pharmacist. Volunteers will become familiar with the prevalent health issues in their community and learn about how to prevent and treat those illnesses. These brigades provide each volunteer with the opportunity to make a tangible impact on a specific community while gaining real life experience in the field of international medicine and dentistry.

Public Health volunteers spend 7 days in Honduras, improving basic home infrastructure and providing health education to help reduce the incidences of life-threatening, but preventable, diseases in a rural community. With an understanding of the holistic model that focuses on education, community health sustainability and infrastructural development, volunteers first receive a comprehensive introduction to the country's public health challenges and the Public Health program's ground-up solution. They will take a tour of the community Public Health is currently working in, introduce themselves to the beneficiary families, and meet with the Basic Sanitation Committee (CSB). Then, working side-by-side with community members and local masons, volunteers construct five infrastructure projects meant to improve the health of the home and surrounding environment: eco-stoves, latrines, pilas (water storage units), showers and concrete floors. Additionally, as a key component of the program, Public Health volunteers collaborate with the Basic Sanitation Committee and local teachers to help provide community-wide education workshops and training, proliferating sanitation and hygiene practices and empowering families with both the knowledge and tools to live healthier lives.

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46

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volunteers needed to reach the Initiative Goal


Live Feed
Mandy Odren donated $5.0000 to Mandy 4166 days ago
Mandy Odren donated $5.0000 to Mandy 4166 days ago
adam nofziger donated $599.0000 to Mandy 4168 days ago
adam nofziger donated $599.0000 to Mandy 4168 days ago
Douglas Swain donated $100.0000 to Mandy 4173 days ago
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