Students Partner with MedLife to Provide Care in Peru
By: Staff Report
The University of Pittsburgh’s Global Health Student Association recently traveled to Lima, Peru, on a week-long service trip. Pitt’s Global Health Student Association is composed of grad students who share an interest in global health and believe health care should be available to everyone. The students collaborated with MedLife to help provide preventative screening, health care and service to community members living in poverty.
Heather Phelos (far left) and Anshika Kapur (second from right) participated in the tooth brushing station of the MedLife mobile clinic. Both students taught the children of Lima how to properly brush their teeth and also applied fluoride.
The presence of MedLife in the communities of Lima was apparent. MedLife helps communities in many ways to address the social determinants of health.
Ben Hampton, Julia Carter and Marissa Andreassi with Señora Asunciera and her son at the MedLife mobile clinic. The 83-year-old suffers from hypertension, but did not let this slow her down, as she was all smiles and extremely grateful for every volunteer who gave their time to help in her community.
Ben Hampton, Julia Carter, Heather Phelos and Anshika Kapur pose for a photo with Nicole (middle), whose community was built on a landfill in Lima.
Marissa Andreassi works with Jackie in the triage station of the MedLife mobile clinic. Students at this station helped by taking the blood pressure, height and weight, and temperature of the patients and completing the patient history form.
All 11 students smile for photos on the newly built staircase in the community of Bella Vista. Staircases are essential in low-income communities in Lima for mobility and in order to be officially recognized as a municipality and receive basic services such as potable drinking water and electricity. Each student worked alongside community members throughout the week in the construction of the staircase, which was completed and inaugurated on March 10.
Marissa Andreassi, Ben Hampton and Julia Carter worked with Dr. Alexandra Núñez Garbín on the general medicine station of the MedLife mobile clinic.
