Reflections from a Mission Trip: Do Something That Matters
During their last Medical Mission trip to Haiti, a team of highly qualified health professionals from Mercy Health, working together with CMMB, served at the Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan Center for Health. Their aim? To help strengthen the local health system in Côtes-de-Fer. In this piece, we hear from a couple of the team members about their experiences and why they think everyone should get involved in making a difference in the lives of others.
Robert “Jay” Edwards
Jay works at St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima, Ohio for Mercy Health as a field service technician. Jay has served on two medical mission trips, bringing his skills, compassion, and beautiful energy to the hospital and community.
In this video, Jay explains why it all matters:
“The last couple times I’ve come here, I’ve been able to go out into the community and see the area. I’ve met a lot of amazing people and I’ve seen a lot of amazing culture just from the surrounding areas.”
Adrian Anderson
Adrian works with Mercy Health physicians in Cincinnati as a practice manager for a pulmonology practice. She has been in healthcare for almost 10 years, serving in capacities as fellow, business manager of clinical services, and associate administrator for a hospital in Guyana. Her main goal for this trip was to learn as much as she could about the Haitian people and their hospital culture while building capacity among local health professionals.
“I think one of the things that surprised me most upon arriving here at the hospital was how nice the hospital building was. I’m not really used to hospitals in developing countries being built very nicely, and I think the layout is absolutely fantastic for the needs of the hospital here. Something else I was impressed by was how quiet and nice the people were. They are okay with waiting, which in the U.S., is very much unheard of. They sit quietly and they wait their turn. There’s no “Oh my goodness, why haven’t you seen me yet?” and they get dressed up in their Sunday best to come to the hospital even though they’re feeling sick. That’s just very unusual in the U.S.”
