What is a Medical Brigade?
Feel free to click on the link below to watch a video from our 2017 Panama Trip to get an idea of what the brigade is like!
youtu.be/PfGx-QhhHHk
youtu.be/PfGx-QhhHHk
What are Global Brigades' core values?
Empowerment: creating an infrastructure that propels passion to meaningful results
Holistic Approach: implementing programming at all levels through a multi-disciplinary model
Sustainability: perpetuating positive impact
Scalability: creating replicable systems that maximize impact
Financial Transparency: demonstrating efficient resource usage
Collaboration: facilitating a “partnership” approach that make any act of “service” empowering
What is a medical brigade?
Global Brigades' medical brigades strive to improve access to healthcare for rural community members by offering complete comprehensive consultation services through our brigades' medical clinics. To increase healthcare access, the medical brigade program organizes brigades in a mobile-clinic type fashion with the help of community leaders and volunteers. Global Brigades works in many communities that eventually will or have started to become Holistic Communities, complete with projects from all of Global Brigades' other programs. Global Brigades visits each community on average, every 4-6 months. During the time leading up to each brigade, the in-country team conducts a community visit as well. This visit consists of a meeting with community leaders and volunteers, in order to both prepare them for the upcoming brigade and simultaneously outline their contribution to the brigade. Community contributions range from gathering volunteers to assist with the brigade, identifying and preparing clean and private work spaces for doctors, raising awareness about the upcoming brigade, etc.
Global Brigades is the world’s largest student-led global health and sustainable development organization. Since 2004, Global Brigades has mobilized tens of thousands of university students and professionals through skill-based programs that work in partnership with community members to improve quality of life in under resourced regions while respecting local culture.
Brigade Components
There are many different stations that make up a successful medical clinic.
Empowerment: creating an infrastructure that propels passion to meaningful results
Holistic Approach: implementing programming at all levels through a multi-disciplinary model
Sustainability: perpetuating positive impact
Scalability: creating replicable systems that maximize impact
Financial Transparency: demonstrating efficient resource usage
Collaboration: facilitating a “partnership” approach that make any act of “service” empowering
What is a medical brigade?
Global Brigades' medical brigades strive to improve access to healthcare for rural community members by offering complete comprehensive consultation services through our brigades' medical clinics. To increase healthcare access, the medical brigade program organizes brigades in a mobile-clinic type fashion with the help of community leaders and volunteers. Global Brigades works in many communities that eventually will or have started to become Holistic Communities, complete with projects from all of Global Brigades' other programs. Global Brigades visits each community on average, every 4-6 months. During the time leading up to each brigade, the in-country team conducts a community visit as well. This visit consists of a meeting with community leaders and volunteers, in order to both prepare them for the upcoming brigade and simultaneously outline their contribution to the brigade. Community contributions range from gathering volunteers to assist with the brigade, identifying and preparing clean and private work spaces for doctors, raising awareness about the upcoming brigade, etc.
Global Brigades is the world’s largest student-led global health and sustainable development organization. Since 2004, Global Brigades has mobilized tens of thousands of university students and professionals through skill-based programs that work in partnership with community members to improve quality of life in under resourced regions while respecting local culture.
Brigade Components
There are many different stations that make up a successful medical clinic.
Location & Setup
The physical site of the medical brigade and details of setup will vary depending on the community and available resources. Most often, the site will be a school in the community. Spatial areas or different rooms will be designated for distinct functions. Similar to a traditional hospital, patients will be transitioned from intake, to triage, to a consultation, and ultimately the pharmacy.
The physical site of the medical brigade and details of setup will vary depending on the community and available resources. Most often, the site will be a school in the community. Spatial areas or different rooms will be designated for distinct functions. Similar to a traditional hospital, patients will be transitioned from intake, to triage, to a consultation, and ultimately the pharmacy.
El Bale | Panama 2019
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Medical Brigade Location | Panama 2013
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El Caño | Panama 2014
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Intake
Community volunteers will record the patient’s name, age, gender, and community on the Patient Form. After the initial station with community members, there will be 2-3 students (each with a computer) to verify that patients are already in the Data Informatics System, or will create profiles for new patients.
Community volunteers will record the patient’s name, age, gender, and community on the Patient Form. After the initial station with community members, there will be 2-3 students (each with a computer) to verify that patients are already in the Data Informatics System, or will create profiles for new patients.
Triage
This station is comprised of nurses and skilled individuals, and is the next stop for patients after intake. In triage, patients relay their symptoms and ailments while volunteers take blood pressure and vitals, weigh the patient, and take the height of the patient.
This station is comprised of nurses and skilled individuals, and is the next stop for patients after intake. In triage, patients relay their symptoms and ailments while volunteers take blood pressure and vitals, weigh the patient, and take the height of the patient.
Consultation
This station is comprised of doctors who attend to patients after they have been through triage. Doctors consult, diagnose, and then prescribe the medication they feel is best suited for each individual patient. This is a great station for students to observe health care professionals, ask questions and learn about the most prevalent symptoms and diseases in the community. Health care professionals who do not speak Spanish will need a fluent or advanced conversational Spanish speaker to translate for them. With each health care provider, there will be a Data Entry Clerk (each with a computer) who will work to fill out the electronic patient form while observing the Health Care Professional in action.
Dental
The dental station is visited by patients in need of dental care. The dentist is able to look at the patients' teeth and identify any cavities they can see and determine which teeth need to be pulled. If a tooth needs to be pulled, the dentist will pull the tooth and advise the patient on how to care for the area after the procedure is completed. Fluoride is also available at this station. Students at this station assist the dentist with cleaning tools and prepare tools for use during procedures. Students are also able to observe procedures in this station an ask the dentist questions about the procedure.
The dental station is visited by patients in need of dental care. The dentist is able to look at the patients' teeth and identify any cavities they can see and determine which teeth need to be pulled. If a tooth needs to be pulled, the dentist will pull the tooth and advise the patient on how to care for the area after the procedure is completed. Fluoride is also available at this station. Students at this station assist the dentist with cleaning tools and prepare tools for use during procedures. Students are also able to observe procedures in this station an ask the dentist questions about the procedure.
Charla/Health Education:
At this station, patients learn about healthy habits and the importance of doing things like brushing their teeth and washing their hands. Students who speak Spanish will give presentations to community members themselves, while students who do not speak Spanish will give these presentations with the aid of a translator who remains at this station. Most clinics see a large number of children and these children often come to multiple days of the clinic to go back to the Charla station, where they will play games and learn about healthy habits with students.
At this station, patients learn about healthy habits and the importance of doing things like brushing their teeth and washing their hands. Students who speak Spanish will give presentations to community members themselves, while students who do not speak Spanish will give these presentations with the aid of a translator who remains at this station. Most clinics see a large number of children and these children often come to multiple days of the clinic to go back to the Charla station, where they will play games and learn about healthy habits with students.
Pictured are educational coloring pages that kids made in Charla and some of the education posters we made and presented to the community.
Pharmacy:
Patients are prescribed medicine by the doctors during the Consultation station and the prescription is dropped off by a student while the patient attends Charla. The patient is then called to the pharmacy when their prescription is ready. Students are in charge of locating the correct prescription and preparing the medicine for the patient. Pills are counted into predetermined amounts separated into bags the day before the first day of clinic by all brigaders.
Patients are prescribed medicine by the doctors during the Consultation station and the prescription is dropped off by a student while the patient attends Charla. The patient is then called to the pharmacy when their prescription is ready. Students are in charge of locating the correct prescription and preparing the medicine for the patient. Pills are counted into predetermined amounts separated into bags the day before the first day of clinic by all brigaders.
