On Saturday, Mar. 22, seven West Virginians joined a 28-member Global Health Outreach (GHO) team serving the people of Guanuma, Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic is a developing country that shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti.
The West Virginia crew was headed by Chris Kennedy, DO of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM). Under his leadership were three second-year osteopathic medical student members of WVSOM’s Christian Medical & Dental Association (CMDA): Allie Harman, Bethany Mays and Sage Schnell along with Becky Harman, FNP, Brent Harman, RPh of Lahmansville, WV, and Tricia Lally, DO of Lewisburg.
The GHO-DR team spent the following week distributing water filters to homes without sanitation and providing medical care to the underserved – in a temporary clinic using an old school building and making home visits. The GHO-DR team was supported by and connected to the Guanuma community by the Oasis Church of Santo Domingo. Dr Ileen Herrero-Szostak and her GHO-DR team touched the lives of over 1,348 children and adults, Dominicans and Haitian refugees, during their one week stay. Rainelle Medical Center made a generous donation of medications and supplies to GHO for this and subsequent missions.
