UK Student Brigades Serve Ecuador and India with Shoulder to Shoulder Global

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 19, 2016) — Shoulder to Shoulder Global (STSG) led 52 University of Kentucky students, faculty, staff and community members in two multidisciplinary health brigade experiences to Santo Domingo, Ecuador and Mayasandra, India, during March 2016.

STSG is a UK organization that incorporates academic and community partners and seeks to improve the health and well-being of impoverished and underserved communities, while offering the opportunity to work in a multicultural and interdisciplinary setting.

The Ecuador brigade, which visited during UK’s spring break, was the culmination of months of preparation that included the credit-bearing course, "Interprofessional Teamwork in Global Health." Throughout the course, students learned about Ecuador, how to work in an interprofessional environment and how to apply basic principles of cultural anthropology, sociology, diversity and health care to the brigade experience.

Thirty-five STSG brigade participants visited UK’s Centro de Salud Hombro a Hombro (CSHH) in Santo Domingo, Ecuador. The clinic opened in 2007 and provides medical care, prevention services, oral health, and school-based services in the community. The CSHH operates year-round and employs a local staff, including a physician, a nurse, a dentist and support personnel who work as a team to improve the health of patients and the community.

"The Shoulder to Shoulder brigade trip to Ecuador was one of the most enriching experiences of my life,” said Rachel Stone, a first-year undergraduate studies student on the pre-pharmacy track. “Not only did it facilitate both personal and professional growth, but it also gave me the opportunity to develop a new perspective on global citizenship.”

Also during UK’s spring break, 17 STSG brigade participants visited the 5,000 inhabitant agrarian village of Mayasandra, in the Indian state of Karnataka. The interdisciplinary team from STSG visits every year to provide assessment and treatment recommendations for children with special health care needs and a wide range of disabilities.

­"The India brigade is a unique collaboration of special education professionals, physicians, and physical therapists gathered together to improve daily functional tasks of disabled children through assessments and treatment sessions,” said UK physical therapist Elizabeth Siereveld. “All professionals are working together to develop treatment plans, disability evaluations and appropriate care plans for each individual child and their families."

Amy Spriggs, assistant professor in the Department of Early Childhood, Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling, has traveled three times to Southern India to conduct interdisciplinary assessments in the village of Mayasandra.

“This year’s trip was very eye opening,” Spriggs said. “The team was able to see many of the same children we saw last year. The improvements were amazing. The team was able to work with parents and teachers on simple techniques to enhance the learning of the children living in the village.”

During the brigades, participants worked directly with patients and community members, providing care in areas such as medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, communication disorders and public health. The health brigades are a great opportunity to apply what students learn in the classroom into practice, while serving others.

“I think that so often we go on these trips hoping to make an impact on the people and place that we’ve been, but for me, this trip gave me a lot more than I contributed,” said second-year medical student Sarah Czack. “Seeing the way that professionals can come together to meet the needs of a child and family is something anyone in my field would benefit from.”

In addition, the STSG Student Association donated laptops, books, notepads, pens, pencils, toothpastes, toothbrushes, disinfectants and a battery backup for the clinic in Ecuador.

The next STSG brigades to Ecuador are May 13-22, June 3-12, and Aug. 5-14. The June brigade is focused on health education while May and August are more clinically-focused. Nurses, providers, pharmacists and interpreters are encouraged to apply. Application information and a short video about the program are available at the STSG website.

Media Contact:  Kristi Lopez at 859-323-6363 or kristi.lopez@uky.edu