For those of you that know me this post should not surprise you at all. I'm coming up with a plan. For those of you that don't know me, let me explain. When things bother me I tend to have the same pattern of thought/action. Initially I'm quiet and introspective, then I am reflective, then I make a plan, and finally I put my plan into action to try and assuage the yucky feelings I have from whatever bothered me.
Given the patient that I saw the other day it should come as no surprise to anyone that I have started to put a plan together. There is the one health educator who works for the hospital and I met another young guy who works for the Peace Corps (totally bilingual) trying to do a health project in the same provinces. My idea: Become a puppet master or maybe a salsa instructor....yea that sounds better let's go with Salsa Instructor. I am going to provide both of these two individuals with the support they need to work together and actually have some sort of impact on this community.
The young guy has already received permission from the parochial schools to carry out a healthy behaviors teaching piece, which can include contraceptives including condoms (YAY!) and the health educator already has some of the support of the public hospital. All I am going to need to do is help plump up the education that both of them has around HIV, provide them each with some female condoms (as the research shows these are more culturally appropriate), and then send down some pamphlets/literature in Spanish that they can help deliver to the communities to increase awareness and knowledge to help decrease the stigma.
Will it work? I'm not completely sure. Will these two people be receptive to the crazy nurse in Boston who sends them HIV education care packages? Maybe. Will it make me feel better? Yes....absolutely. Trying to set up a sustainable connection between myself and the DR and trying to empower the community of the DR to face their epidemic in their way is something that I feel very strongly about. I really think that given resources and education communities tend to be able to solve their own problems. Will I be enough of a resource and will these two individuals have enough of an impact to solve the problem? Probably not, but its worth a shot. Maybe it will help that one 26 year old...in which case I will consider it a total success. I guess we will have to wait and see.
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