Puerto Rico in December

Just about two months ago, I joined a medical team which traveled to Puerto Rico to help with recovery from Hurricane Maria.

The conditions were very challenging: infrastructure including water and power was very hard hit, and medical care was not wholly accessible. Clinics and hospitals–if open–are running on generators, and often for shorter hours and at reduced capacity with reduced staffing.

On December 16, I will be traveling back to Puerto Rico as a member of a volunteer medical team composed of one MD, one clinical PharmD, a clinical Psychologist, two medical students, and a pharmacy student. We will be volunteering at the Clínica Bantiox–a volunteer-run free clinic in Toa Baja which has provided care for over 3,000 patients since the hurricane damaged and shut down local health systems.

The need for medical care is still significant. Care for chronic conditions and assessment for new or acute problems is needed, especially as many patients have been displaced from their usual source of care, and/or their usual medical office is closed or inaccessible.

Given the need for care and the short turn-around time, the Board of this organization has agreed to allow donations specified for Puerto Rico to be accepted via PayPal–please use the link on this page. Please consider donating to support this work–all donated funds will be used to purchase medications and necessary medical supplies.

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