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Date: 4/13/2022
WESTFIELD — Marissa Mayhew, a member of the undergraduate Health Professions Club at Westfield State University, is spearheading a drive for donations needed by members of the college physician’s assistant program who are participating in a volunteer medical mission trip to Peru.
Mayhew said the focus of students in the Health Professions Club is on continuing education in healthcare fields such as physician assistant, physical therapy, occupational therapy, medical doctor and allied health. The club works to prepare undergraduate students for graduate school by providing volunteer opportunities, clinical opportunities and workshops.
The club works closely with the graduate Physician’s Assistant Program at WSU, Mayhew said. Several of the physician’s assistant students are participating in the medical mission trip to Chulucanas, Peru, in June.
This trip, organized by Global Health Volunteers, provides medical care, medications, physical therapy and minor procedures to people in the area, often the only time the people get medical care all year, according to the information from the organization that states the team will see as many as 2,000 patients during the two-week mission.
The teams work closely with local and regional health departments, the Chulucanas Hospital, local volunteers and a number of other local organizations.
A second group will return in October to perform surgeries on those who need them. The physician’s assistant students who participate in June will be responsible for triaging and will help to determine medical care and a plan for the fall.
The donations being collected for the students participating in the trip are essential, as there is no guarantee that these supplies will be available on the ground, Mayhew said.
Supplies needed include batteries, toothbrushes and toothpaste, ambulatory devices, exam gloves, paper lunch bags, hand sanitizer, candy and trail mix, mosquito repellent with DEET, vitamins, ibuprofen, nasal spray, eye drops, cough drops and Benadryl. Travel sizes of donated toiletries are preferable. All medications must be new, unopened and not expired. Vitamins cannot be gummies, because they will melt.
The Health Professions Club is hosting an in-person collection 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 30, outside the university Science Center on Western Avenue in Westfield. The club will collect donations at other times, by appointment; donors should contact wsuhpc@gmail.com. The deadline for all donations is May 6.
For more information on the Peru trip, visit www.globalhealthvolunteers.net/find-a-mission/chulucanas.