ROME medical mission trips become interprofessional teams

[Link]The Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine's Office of Rural Medical Education at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth recently collaborated with physical therapy students and faculty from HSC's School of Health Professions to participate in the annual summer medical mission trip.

The trip was led by Dr. Maria Crompton, ROME's director of medical education, with organizational and logistical assistance from the Texas Rural Health Association and Medical Mission Trip and TCOM student coordinators Joshua Roberts and Jordyn Ricks.

PT students served as part of the medical teams providing direct patient care, school physicals, and home visits in remote West Texas. Colorado Christian University pre-med students and the Midland College Primary Care Pathway Program Year 1 students joined to serve as patient navigators.

Assessment and evaluation of previous trips resulted in scheduling changes to benefit rural communities. Saturday and Sunday clinics were offered, and most clinics were scheduled from 1 to 7 p.m. Clinics offered whole health care: chronic conditions monitoring, prenatal care and education, health and wellness for all ages, student participation physicals, medication reviews, osteopathic manipulation treatment, social needs screenings, assessment of fall risks, physical therapy and resources for aftercare. Community organizers find sites, and food donations, publicize, and avail themselves at each clinic to help in any way possible.

At the request of JD Newsom, director of the Big Bend Regional Hospital District, and Jeff Davis County Judge Curtis Evans, the teams held a clinic in Fort Davis, Texas. Partnering with the Texas Public Health Region 9/10, led by Florinda Mercado, the Fort Davis clinic offered back-to-school vaccinations in addition to all other services on Saturday, June 29 at the community center.

[Link]Sunday, June 30 in Marathon, Texas, the team was able to use the small community clinic to offer the full range of care as well as make home visits to those who could not travel. Danielle Gallo, manager of Marathon Clinic, orchestrated these visits with the PT students and faculty. Their presence and their collection of durable medical equipment were a welcome gift improving their quality of life exponentially. Dr Adrian Billings and his son, Zane, brought their horses to the clinic for a little equine therapy that delighted patients and the MMT teams.

The return to Terlingua, Texas on Monday, July 1 was bittersweet. It was the first Terlingua clinic held at the high school. The clinics have outgrown the usual site, the Big Bend Baptist Church, but the long-time point-of-contact in Terlingua was unable to join because of medical treatments. To honor friends and increase awareness for ovarian cancer, the entire group wore turquoise bandanas. Susan Martin, Chief of Terlingua Fire and EMS, Reagan Reed, Superintendent of Schools, and DeeDee Granada were instrumental in the relocation, publicity and hospitality for another successful clinic.

[Link]The final clinic, Sanderson, Texas on July 2 was the tenth clinic ROME and TRHA have held in the community. The community liaison, Nancy Henderson, has been through every clinic in the four years, serving as an organizer, coordination specialist and the team's favorite - purveyor of food.

She leads a crew of volunteers who have fed the team each time, including homemade ice cream. Sanderson is like coming home for so many of those who have done medical mission trips - Sanderson, Cactus Capital of Texas souvenirs are always abundant in the vans returning home. Dr. Billings, MD, and Dr. John Dijo led a group of Texas Tech residents, medical students, and pre-med students who joined the MMT teams to provide care.

This influx of new energy promoted shared learning and fostered the conversations for future collaborations, especially considering the lack of water in the community.

Henderson was quick to show her gratitude for everything the students did.

"We just appreciate you "all" so much for blessing us with this clinic and look forward to the next one," Henderson said. "We love meeting the new staff and enjoy seeing the others come back again! Such an accommodating group!"

With the change to afternoon/evening clinic times, the MMT teams spent the morning hours hiking, exploring and studying for upcoming exams. The trip funded by generous donations from United Health Care and WellPoint, allowed the students to participate at minimal personal cost. Fifty individuals from TCOM, SPH - PT, MC, CCU, and TT collaborated to create healthier communities: 120 individual patients were seen, including fifty-five students who participated in physicals.

HSC participants traveled a total of 1,568 miles, but the CCU students survived 2,059 miles including eight hundred miles on the first day and eight hundred miles on the last day. In addition to providing timely care in medically underserved areas, the interprofessional MMT teams gave the local economies an estimated economic injection of over $25,000. However, all agree, that the experiences and memories received far outweigh the costs and the calluses.

"It was an incredible trip," Crompton said. "Everyone gave 150% and it was heartwarming to the students' devotion to the patients and towards each other; they touched and blessed many lives this week, including mine."

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