Well Child International

International Prenatal/Pediatric Program: Opportunities for women who are, or are in the process of becoming health professionals

Please note: Because we strive to be culturally sensitive, WCI is currently open only to female team members and staff. In the future we may be able to separate our ob-gyn program from our pediatrics program to allow for male participation in pediatrics.

Teams available to Belize, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua

Our Sustainable Goal: Well Child International, partnering with the Health Ministries of Belize, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua, seeks to provide intensive, consistent, pro-active healthcare for underserved juvenile populations (15 years and younger) and women in need of pre-natal care. WCI will establish bases in specific communities identified by local medical professionals as having the greatest need for well-child education and healthcare, and will return to these communities on a regular basis. In addition to providing immediate assistance, students and medical staff will be documenting areas of need with the goal of reaching long-term health solutions in these underserved communities.

Field Description: To begin, team members will undergo an intensive field training program which will enable them to perform in-home pediatric health assessments, accompanied by a translator. This process utilizes the ISL system of village triage – house to house visits within a defined geographical area. Following this two to four day process, a prenatal/pediatric care clinic will be offered to local families. This clinic will involve a doctor’s consultation as well as educational public health information provided by team members. Among the health and educational services provided, team members will assist experienced medical personnel with pap-smears and cervical examinations, breast exams and self exam training, and seminars on child nutrition and breast feeding. Depending on resources available, certain over-the-counter health supplies and instructions for their uses will be given to each family. Prescription medications will be dispensed by the attending physician as needed.

The need is great: Nicaragua is second only to Haiti in incidences of cervical cancer and infant mortality. We have been given access to and have reviewed the detailed health surveys and assessments gathered by the government of Nicaragua, and have determined that the area surrounding San Carlos, at the mouth of the San Juan River, is the region in Nicaragua that suffers from the highest rates of cervical cancer and infant mortality–this is the precise area in Nicaragua we have decided to serve. In Costa Rica, we will be serving indigenous and immigrant Nicaraguan populations among whom these same two indicators are also abnormally high.

Team Schedule

Summer 2011 Dates Coming Soon

Changing the Future, One Child at a Time!

Acquire healthcare experience while providing essential prenatal/pediatric education and services to women and children in need!

• No experience or certifications needed to apply.
• Financial aid is available through the Good Samaritan Missions Sponsorship Program to help reduce trip cost.
• Teams are accompanied by professional staff.

For more information contact Diannah@ISLonline.org – 208-771-0382

Staff profiles

Program Director: Sonia Hernandez, PhD
Dr. Hernandez will be directing the WCI program, as well as personally leading the May 8 Belize team. She currently serves as International Programs Director at International Service Learning and has served as the cervical cancer consultant with the American Cancer Society in both Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Dr. Hernandez also has extensive experience in breast cancer research, having served at the University of Natal in South Africa, Kanazawa University in Japan, The Weizmann Institute in Israel, and in the United States at the University of Tennessee, the University of Florida, the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, and UCLA.

Consulting Director: Alice DeLaurier-O’Neil, M.Div., MSN, RN, NP
Ms. DeLaurier-O’Neil currently serves as Regional Director for East African health projects at International Service Learning and has also been a field medical team supervisor in many countries throughout Central and South American, the Caribbean, and Mexico. She specializes in OB/GYN and prenatal care, and is fluent in English, Spanish, and Swahili.

Nicaragua Coordinator: Patricia Rodriguez, M.D.
Dra. Rodriguez is a pediatrician in Nicaragua and has been awarded a fellowship for post graduate study in the United States. She also serves on the medical staff of International Service Learning where she has been instrumental in the initial strategic planning for WCI.

Costa Rica Coordinator: Ivette Apanda, M.D.
Dra. Apanda is a licensed medical practitioner in both Nicaragua and Costa Rica and specializes in public health. She has assisted in the development of public health programming in the San Carlos area, one of the regions in Nicaragua most in need of Well Child assistance.

Belize Coordinator: Ms. Rose Anderson
Rose Andersen currently serves as Public Health Director for the Central and Western regions of Belize, and is also a Regional Coordinator for International Service Learning. Ms. Anderson directs the daily work of over 30 healthcare personnel, and specializes in the needs of women and children. She is also a graduate student at the University of Belize.

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