Shoulder-To-Shoulder Global to Hold Planning Meeting for 2012 Trips
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 2, 2011) − Shoulder to Shoulder Global (STSG), an international service organization hold its first meeting about the upcoming 2012 health brigades to Ecuador at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3, in room 201 of the University of Kentucky College of Nursing. Anyone interested in participating in this unique educational and service experience is welcome to attend.
The mission of STSG is to improve the quality of life for individuals and communities in resource-limited settings worldwide. A small STSG "Hombro a Hombro Clinic" opened more than four years ago in a poor and underserved community in Ecuador. Health brigades go several times a year, to provide care and health education at the clinic, as well as to several rural indigenous communities. Health brigades provide service learning opportunities and health services to approximately 2,000 patients each year.
The meeting will include a short video and welcome by Shoulder to Shoulder Global co-directors Dr. Tom Young, professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the UK College of Medicine, and Claudia Hopenhayn, associate professor in the UK College of Public Health's Department of Epidemiology. The meeting will also include information on activities and the application process.
The two main summer brigades are multidisciplinary and have included students from the six health colleges -- Medicine, Dentistry, Health Sciences, Public Health, Nursing and Pharmacy -- in addition to an increasing number of participants from Arts and Sciences and other colleges. Shoulder to Shoulder Global is looking to expand and for March 2012 will include participants in the Alternative Service Breaks program traveling with Lynn English, associate professor and director of clinical education in the Division of Physical Therapy in the UK College of Health Sciences, as well as physical therapy students.
The 2012 summer health brigades to Ecuador are scheduled for May 18 - 28 and Aug. 3 - 12. "The health brigades provide a unique opportunity for people from a wide range of educational, professional, age and cultural backgrounds to travel to Ecuador, for about 8-10 days and provide needed services to several communities," Hopenhayn said.
Hopenhayn's first trip was in 2006, and she immediately became hooked to STSG. "It is amazing to see not only what we do as a group on the ground in Ecuador, but how quickly the entire team of over 50 people consisting of volunteers from Kentucky, Peace Corps volunteers in Ecuador, Ecuadorian students and community members, bond together and team up to provide a variety of services," she said. "We don't just do 'medical' visits, but also work in the community to paint a childcare center, prepare the grounds for a new garden, provide dental health education, etc. But above all, we get more than we give, and we learn more than we teach. The experience of those few days, for many, becomes a very enriching one, and for some, a life changing experience."
For more information, contact Craig Borie, Shoulder to Shoulder Global coordinator, at craig.borie@uky.edu<mailto:craig.borie@uky.edu.
Media Contact: Ann Blackford at (859)323-6442 or ann.blackford@uky.edu