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Summary

Dominican children suffer from a disproportionately high number of physical disabilities, including congenital limb deformity, congenital hand deformity, clubfoot, hip dysplasia, spinal deformity, and burn deformities. Most are from families of little financial means. CURE Hospital, known locally as CURE Dominicana, is dedicated to serving these children with specialized orthopedic, surgical, and rehabilitative care.

CURE Hospital's Medical Director is Ted Beemer, MD. Students from the United States regularly study at CURE Hospital and report outstanding experiences, highlighting the one-on-one attention from faculty and the hands on training in the operating room. Their level of responsibility in patient care is usually limited only by their language skills.

Santo Domingo, population about 2.5 million, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic, a nation on the island of Hispaniola just east of Cuba. The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern side of Hispaniola, with Haiti to the west. Santo Domingo has a tropical climate. December and January are the coolest months (71-82 degrees F, 21-27 C) and July and August are the warmest (76-86 degrees F, 24-30 C). Rain falls frequently.

Visitors fly into Santo Domingo (SDQ), where a representative of CURE Hospital will meet them.

For current information, please visit the Embassy website appropriate for your country. United States citizens can visit the Embassy of the Dominican Republic in the United States.

Please check the CDC travel website for the most up-to-date health information: http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx, and consult with your physician before traveling.

Visitors are advised to regularly check the U.S. State Department website for the most up-to-date information regarding travel advisories: http://www.state.gov/travel

Some 400,000 Dominicans have physical disabilities, including congenital limb deformity, congenital hand deformity, clubfoot, hip dysplasia, spinal deformity, and burn deformities. Many of these people are children and most are from families of poor financial means (Pan American Health Organization). Very little social or medical support is available in the Dominican Republic to assist such persons. Most public hospitals are consumed with providing acute medical care, with few resources devoted to the disabled.

Spanish is the spoken language of the Dominican Republic. It is necessary for one to at least have some primitive knowledge of Spanish or participate in a work study program to learn. Several of the staff at CURE Hospital speak English, but few patients do so. Those capable of communicating in Spanish will have greater independence.

CURE International is a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the lives of disabled children and their families in the developing world. CURE seeks to transform lives by providing medical and spiritual care, establishing specialty teaching hospitals, and advocating for disabled children. As a result of CURE International, many disabled children now have their first opportunity to walk, run, and smile.

CURE International of the Dominican Republic, known locally as the CURE Dominicana, is one of ten hospitals for children's reconstructive surgery operated by CURE International. Each month, the hospital serves more than 700 outpatients and performs over 100 major surgeries. It has 30 beds and two operating rooms. There is no emergency department, as the hospital is focused specifically on reconstructive surgery and serving those with physical disabilities. The hospital also sends surgical teams into Haiti where they work at a public hospital in Cap Haitian to provide similar care to disabled Haitian children.

Ted Beemer, MD, is the medical director of CURE Hospital. He is assisted by several other Dominican surgeons and by a nursing staff of twenty. Dr. Beemer and his staff regularly pray with their patients and uphold the importance of spiritual care.

http://www.pbase.com/scottnelson/cure_santo_domingo

http://www.helpcurenow.org/site/c.nvI1IeNYJyE/b.4475915/k.C368/Dominican_Republic.htm

http://curecaribe.blogspot.com

CURE Hospital is an ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) approved site for post-graduate training in orthopedics and also provides training in general surgery, neurosurgery, and plastic surgery. Medical students from the United States regularly study at CURE Hospital and report outstanding experiences, highlighting the one-on-one attention from faculty and the hands-on training in the operating room. Their level of responsibility and involvement in patient care is usually limited only by their language skills.

The Hospital will assist in arranging lodging. Options include a hotel/apartment located 3 km from the hospital that has kitchen facilities and a Dominican guesthouse (hostel) that provides meals. Lunches are provided at the Hospital, and evening dining options are plentiful.

The Hospital has wireless Internet and phone access. Internet cafes are also available throughout the city.

Santo Domingo is located on the southern coast of the Dominican Republic. Hospital staff often take advantage of weekends trips to the beaches for surfing and snorkeling or to the mountains (tallest east of the Rockies) to cool off, go hiking, rafting, etc.

INMED invites all participants to consider raising extra funds to donate to the facility for hosting them. This is not required but allows INMED participants to become involved in every aspect of medical missions.

Volunteers should bring their white coats to wear at work. In the clinics, staff wear kaki pants and button up collared shirts. Bermuda shorts and sandals are acceptable in tourist areas, but most Dominicans wear long pants except at the beach.

An umbrella is essential because of frequent rainfall. Casual, comfortable shoes are appropriate for the clinic and a bathing suit for weekends. A flashlight or headlight is useful during the occasional citywide blackouts. A portable water purification filter devise may be useful for outings. May need a light jacket or sweater for trips to the mountains, particularly in the winter months.

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