GPH Belize 2016 Starts First Week with Health Fair

One day after arriving in Belize, West Coast University’s global public health scholars were hard at work in the community.

Working alongside medical students and staff from Hillside International Health Care, 10 WCU nursing students encouraged community members to get a vital signs checkup and educated people on hand hygiene and diabetes awareness.

“We hit the ground running at this health fair. Our students are busy working with bringing people in from the community to come and get their blood pressure and glucose checked and they seemed very comfortable for our first day on the ground,” WCU international education faculty manager Bethany Thrasher said. “I’m really proud of this team.”

Thrasher said the clinic sign-up sheets provided by Hillside had already been filled with the names of people getting tested in the shadow of the clock tower that stands in the center of Punta Gorda, Belize.

“We’re through most of those forms and I have flipped them over and started filling out on the blank space on the back,” Thrasher said, “so I think we’ve seen about 100 people or so, so far.”

The GPH class to Belize consisted of 10 students from all five undergraduate WCU campuses. Students visited a variety of health care locations including hospitals, schools and participated in home visits during their two-week trip.

“We have a really diverse group of students who have come together for education that is focused on the highest needs for this particular region,” Thrasher said.


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