Albuquerque Area Indian Health Service
This four-week rotation is a collaboration between WellSpan York, the Albuquerque Indian Health Service and Good Samaritan Hospitals.
It’s based in Zuni Pueblo, one of the oldest inhabited Native American villages in the United States, estimated at 800 to 900 years old. The high desert location is two and a half hours from Albuquerque.
The Zuni Comprehensive Community Health Center is a Public Health Service hospital that provides care to the Zunis, Navajos and others living in the surrounding area. On this rotation, you’ll work in a variety of settings, including outpatient clinics, the emergency room, walk-in clinics, inpatient facilities and obstetrics.
Ghana
Apam, Ghana, is a small fishing village on the Gold Coast of Africa. In 2006, the Aldersgate Methodist Church set up the first trip here. Shortly after, Dr. Seth Quartey and his wife, Grace — both from Ghana — established the Building Solid Foundations 501(c) organization.
On this rotation, you’ll work in the Apam Catholic Hospital medical and surgical clinics, with nurses going into the community for screening clinics.
The medical team cares for patients with:
- hypertension
- diabetes
- asthma
- infectious diseases such as malaria (which is endemic in the area), tetanus and typhoid
- waterborne diseases
The surgery schedule is very busy, with up to 200 cases per trip. The most common surgeries are hysterectomy for fibroids, thyroidectomy for goiters and hernia repairs. All surgery cases are prescreened. The vast majority of your time will be spent operating.
In addition to the health care team, there is a non-medical team.
To improve sanitation and decrease health risks in the area, the Rotary Club of York and the Apam Rotary Club are partnering to install toilets in local schools.
For more information, contact Hollie Walkley at hollie.walkley@gmail.com or 717-916-2287.
Mauritania
This trip is organized by Dr. Amanda Beattie and Vasudevan (Dr. Tiru) Tiruchelvam, MD, along with the York County Medical Foundation.
Dr. Beattie directs a hospital in Chinguetti, Mauritania. As part of this rotation, you’ll provide surgical care, educate Dr. Beattie's hospital staff and carry out health promotion initiatives such as cancer screening.
In January 2022, Dr. Beattie's hospital received laparoscopic equipment and performed their first laparoscopic surgery. In January 2023, the hospital received surgical care and fine needle aspiration equipment, and initiated cytology and telepathology processes.
The goal for the 2024 team is to initiate an endoscopy program.
Guatemala
Servants, a nonprofit organization in Red Lion, Pennsylvania, sponsors short-term medical service trips to Guatemala. Servants partners with Fraternidad Cristiana de Guatemala Church (Frater) in Guatemala City.
As part of this rotation, residents will travel to a remote village that has invited them to set up a clinic. Team members will be involved in the clinic setup, which may be in a school building. The team will be working alongside Guatemalan physicians, seeing a variety of patients.
Assisting the Guatemalan team with their medical outreach increases their effectiveness, enabling them to purchase more medicine and see more patients. We also teach children in Guatemala about food safety, cleanliness, dental care and self-care.