Our small Multi-Specialty Mission Team (MSMT) of six US travelers will soon partner with medical professionals at the Hospital Materno Infantil San Juan Dios in Cliza, Bolivia, 30 miles south of the city of Cochabamba. As usual, our counterparts at Puente de Solidaridad have provided strong local leadership and will continue to do so throughout our week in Cliza, from September 23 to October 1. Our goals include: (1) offer specialized medical care to low-income patients, (2) exchange knowledge and skills related to cardiology, family medicine and gynecologic surgery with our Cliza partners, and (3) hand-deliver needed medical equipment and supplies.

Dr. Mark Ottolin will partner with Bolivian doctors to provide cardiac assessments including echocardiograms (heart ultrasounds) for patients who otherwise may not have access to specialized diagnostics.

First, however, other foundational goals related to 'good preparation' have been our focus. Global health missions like ours are complex—full of both promises and pitfalls. In recent years, organizations, academics, and other entities have begun researching the impacts of international medical trips. There is growing consensus that pre-travel preparation is one of the most important practices for a successful global health mission. As Executive Director, I wholeheartedly ascribe to ethical frameworks for global health work. Under the leadership of Megan Kennedy Farrell, our Senior Director of Mission and Identity, we prioritize preparation for all of our medical teams. This fall, we've begun offering our preparation curriculum via an online learning platform to better reach our geographically-diverse team members, giving them more flexibility to fully dive into these expansive resources. Preparation is tailored to each team, specific to their host community and medical specialties. The following content outline offers a glimpse of the depth and breadth of the preparation that all of our teams undergo.

MODULE 1 - “DO NO HARM”

We begin our preparation by identifying the critical importance of raising our own consciousness in order to “first do no harm” in our global health efforts. Our first module explores this ethic illustrated in the Hippocratic Oath and connects it to Solidarity Bridge's guiding principles.

MODULE 2 - CULTURE AND CONTEXT

The Catholic Health Association affirms that “True cultural competence is necessary for a two-way learning process in any development activity.” The second preparation module explores the diversity, richness and beauty of Bolivia, the systems and structures of the Bolivian health system, and the awareness, knowledge and skills needed to enter into a new culture and health context.

Our suitcases are packed with specialized equipment and supplies to stock our ongoing surgical programs into the new year.

MODULE 3 - PARTNERSHIP AND SUSTAINABLE IMPACT

According to Americares, a health-focused relief and development organization, “Strong, mutually beneficial partnership is the critical element in conducting effective medical outreach and creating lasting impact on local health care capacity.” Partnership is a core value and organizing principle of Solidarity Bridge. This module covers principles of partnership in global health missions, with emphasis on the values of mutuality and bidirectionality. It also describes Solidarity Bridge’s model of partnership and briefly introduces the people working with us in Cliza.

MODULE 4 - SURGERY AND SOLIDARITY

“No one should die of a disease that is treatable.” These striking words from the late Dr. Paul Farmer are central to our mission. Solidarity Bridge is rooted in the tradition of Catholic social justice which teaches that, as one human family, we are meant to share equitably in the gifts of the Earth. But healthcare realities today are marked by immense inequities, including in access to surgical care. This module explores structural disparities in access to medical care globally and in Bolivia specifically; the role increased surgical access can play in the lives of individuals, communities and the overall health system, and an understanding of what solidarity can mean for our work in Latin America.

I’m grateful to my MSMT team members for taking the time necessary to prepare for the mission we undertake this week. I pray that our time in Bolivia be filled with experiences of sharing and learning that bond us closer as one global family, and renew our commitment to be larger-minded, whole-hearted healers in this world.

Wholeheartedly Cliza-bound!