1. Travel Health Consultation
Medical Mission Trips:
Surgical Strike or Sustainable Intervention… or Both??
Julie Lohre, MS, NP
Travel Consultant
Certificate in Travel Health™
Denver Public Health Travel Clinic
Global Health Perspectives Program
Global Health Internships Clinical Faculty Denver School of Nursing
CCTHP Meeting
Denver Health
January 27, 2017
Leyte Island, Philippines
Strongest Typhoon to make landfall hit this area in November, 2013 with 150 mph winds & 30 ft waves

2. Types of Travel Consults
All inclusive packages or itineraries—Usually
older (than 30!) or VERY old. Tend to be short-term
Spontaneous, by the seat of their pants, don’t want any more than they can afford—Usually young—highest risk? Tend to be long-term
Adventure, tend to be life-threatening or remote or both!
The Bucket List, very old or terminal, willing to risk dying abroad to do/see something they’ve always wanted to do
The Medical Mission trip—all different ages—want to serve in remote areas with little access to safe care

5. Adult Immunization Considerations
Pre-travel consultation should always include assessment of the client’s routine immunizations
Opportunity to update!
Often not addressed at client’s primary care
Pre-travel consultation will leads to improved adult immunization status
The CDPHE website has resources available for pre-travel consultation in the Immunization section

6. The Pre-Travel Consultation Risk Assessment for Medical Mission trip travelers
Purpose of trip?
Established organization?
Lodging and food set up?
Awareness of cultural barriers?
Able to speak local language?
If not, are translators available?
Plan for self-care in country?
Emergency contingencies?
Filipino village children

7. Global Health Perspectives program at Denver School of Nursing—Goals
Sustainability
Service learning
Safety
Support through partnership
Global Health Perspectives program at Denver School of Nursing—Goals

8. Goals of Global Health Programs
Sustainable interventions
This means education of the local leaders
Being invited into their country
Use of their own renewable resources
Sensitive and responsive to “their” needs
There is power and dignity in us all. This is lost when dependency prevails. We believe that sustainability is achieved when solutions and resources are locally based, and can be replicated apart from outside intervention. When people invest their own resources and ideas into their community, sustainability is possible. The Mango Project Mission Statement

9. Goals of Global Health Programs
The concept of Sustainable interventions was introduced by Paul Farmer, a physician and anthropologist. His work in Haiti and development of the organization Partners in Health has influenced the World Health Organization’s approach to creating and sustaining healthier communities.
Partners In Health strives to achieve two overarching goals: to bring the benefits of modern medical science to those most in need of them and to serve as an antidote to despair.
At its root, our mission is both medical and moral.
It is based on solidarity, rather than charity alone.

10. Goals of Global Health Programs
At the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit on 25 September 2015, world leaders adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, improve access to health and education and tackle climate change by 2030.

11. Goals of Global Health Programs
IMR provides access to medical care and community health education in underserved and vulnerable communities around the world. By improving the health and knowledge of people, IMR can assist in improving the quality of life of those populations most in need. This is done through short-term medical mission trips where volunteers give their time and services for the medical relief of the developing world.

12. Global Health Perspectives program at Denver School of Nursing—Goals
Service Learning “learning while serving”
Consider approaching your mission trip from the perspective of what will you LEARN from the experience, not what you will DO
Be honest if your main reason to participate in a medical mission trip may be to learn about a different culture and society and expand your worldview
Consider the local leaders/educators/healthcare providers perspective: What do they see as their needs? How can I support them?
“It’s really frustrating as an African when people look down on us for being poor and sick all the time, but then are so busy "helping" us they basically leave us even more crippled”

13. Sustainability. - Educate the local community leaders
Sustainability - Educate the local community leaders - Focus on resources available in the area - Work with the locally-based non-profits - Inclusiveness

14. Global Health Perspectives program at Denver School of Nursing—Goals
Safety—we partner with organizations that are local and have invited us there

15. Goals of Global Health Programs

16. Global Health Perspectives program at Denver School of Nursing—Goals
Support through partnership
DB Peru
Education and Healthcare in the villages of the Peruvian Amazon jungle
Love Takes Root
Serving in an orphanage in Haiti
International Medical Relief
Short-term Medical Mission trips with a focus on Community Health Education

17. Resources for Travel Health Consultation
Online resources
Travax Encompass™ subscription**
CDPHE Immunization section—International travelers
ATHNA American Travel Health Nurses Association
CDC Travelers’ Health
WHO International Health and Travel
Colorado Coalition of Travel Health Professionals

18. Global Resources for Travel Health Consultation, Evaluation, Education
International Society of Travel Medicine (includes listing of travel clinics world-wide)
International Association of Medical Assistance to Travelers (IAMAT)
Mountains Upon Mountains: Healing the World
By Tracy Kidder

19. Resources for Travel Health Consultation
Other resources
International SOS insurance information
Travel products catalog (Travel Medicine, Inc.)
Conferences
ISTM (every other odd year)
Wilderness Medical Society
University of Washington (every other even year)

20. Myanmar (Burma) GHP Internship March 2016