Summer 2012 in Bozeman and….
- Trip to visit brother…Monsieur Wade
June 2-5?
- Gage and Liana’s Wedding…and floral arrangements
September 12th
- Heather and Reno’s Wedding…Hylite Youth Camp, MT
September 22
Medical Volunteer Trip to Cusco, Peru
April 4-15
Completed….great trip….now back to work
My dad and I spent 10 days in Peru…one week working in El Centro de Salud Ttio in Cuzco and a couple days checking out Machu Picchu.
Wilderness Advanced Life Support
WALS Expedition Medical Skills and Expedition Medic
Denver, CO
March 23-March 27
I’ll be heading down to Denver in March to get my WALS certification, and I can’t wait! It’s not exceptionally applicable for my nursing position on the Medical Floor at the hospital, but it may be a nice prelude to my trip to Haiti (see below). It’s the exact kind of medicine I love and hope to do more of down the road. I’ve been looking forward to training like this forever, so here I go. I’ll be taking the course through Wilderness Medicine Outfitters, located in Elizabeth, CO. I found WALS courses globally, but this way I can keep travel within the Rockies and I get to stay with my little bro in Boulder…yipee! It would have been cool to hit up New Zealand for such a certification, but it’s a lot cheaper to head to Denver, and I can’t wait to spend the week with little bro Wade…what a great birthday gift to myself!
For more information on this course check out wildernessmedicine.com or check out the Wilderness Medical Society’s website, of which I’m a proud member www.wms.org
Haiti
April 2-April 10
Medical Student Missions
I decided to jump on something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time, especially since my nursing school clinicals in Nicaragua….relief medicine in regions that are in dire need of medical attention. I found nothing more rewarding than my time spent with the people in Nicaragua and want nothing more than to give in areas that are under-served with limited resources, be it education, healthcare workers, or treatments.
Haiti is a country that has been overwhelmed with disaster, disease, and social strife over this past year. A year after the rubble and debris from the January 2010 earthquake has settled, medical needs face the people of his country every day and continue to call for support. I have always had a passion for helping those in underdeveloped, underserved, and disaster stricken regions. Over this past year I have watched from afar as the media displayed misery after misery, watching as others rushed to the country’s aid with medical and social support. I’ve been watching every minute wishing I could join the efforts. Fortunately an opportunity has arisen that will allow me to join a support group and supply medical care to the people in this country.
Over Christmas I saw an article in my Wilderness Medicine Society’s newsletter and read about an organization formed by former WMS president Dr. Forgey and his 2013-class of medical students. When the earthquake first hit Haiti last year, Dr. Forgey from the Indiana University School of Medicine–Northwest and his advisees stepped up to fill an immediate need for medical support in Haiti, but took it a step further to implement a plan for support that would last months and years down the road. This was the formation of Medical Student Missions. I was impressed by what I read and wanted to be part of the solution. I read about upcoming trips and emailed Dr. Forgey the next day. While I’m not a medical student or doctor, the article mentioned that nurses were needed as well and Dr. Forgey was more than welcoming. I was sold and I can’t wait to join the group’s mission.
I’ll be spending eight days in and around Verrettes, Haiti, a part of the Haitian department of Artibonite. This region is the center of the current cholera epidemic. I have the opportunity to volunteer for a variety of health care duties at the Centre Medical Dumarsais Estime, including help on the general wards, cholera treatment, HIV work, and emergency medicine. In addition there is a need for help in the community health clinic and remote clinics in the mountains.
I’ve begun my preparations and have estimated that this volunteer trip will cost me around $2000. I’m responsible for airfare and the cost of daily living and lodging. I’m hoping to raise some funds to assuage at least a portion of the cost and looking for any donations that people are willing to set forth. I have a little over a month to fund raise and prepare for this trip. If any extra money is raised, which goes beyond my volunteer expenses, all will go to the Medical Student Missions and their cause in Haiti. I appreciate any support that can be given. Donations can be sent to the address below:
Kelly Holland
2814 Colter Ave.
Bozeman, MT 59715
Find more information on Medical Student Missions and the volunteer work done in Haiti at medicalstudentmissions.org
