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In January, approximately 11 �鶹�� College students, accompanied by several faculty members, will travel to the Dominican Republic to take part in the College’s first medical mission trip.

During the eight-day trip sponsored by a nonprofit Christian organization called Mission: Hope, �鶹�� nursing, Spanish and health science students will assist local Dominican healthcare workers at a hospital and a migrant work camp.

“Medical missions are often life-transforming,” said �鶹�� Director of Nursing Carolyn Hart. “We want those who participate to come away with an understanding of what it’s like not to have. There are a whole host of things that we take for granted—including clean water, healthy food and access to health care—that others do not have.”

The �鶹�� group will be centered in La Romana, a city of about 250,000 on the island’s eastern side. Students will work at the city’s hospital, La Buen Samaritano, and at a field clinic for Haitian migrants.

Hart will accompany the students on the trip, along with �鶹�� Associate Professor of Spanish Wendell Smith; Tim Hart, nursing department simulation coordinator; and Summit Health Senior Vice President of Hospital Services Sherri Stahl.

With �鶹��’s recent emphasis on nursing and healthcare, organizers say they hope the medical mission trip will become a yearly event.

Organizers are planning a fundraiser for the trip and potential future missions. The “Hustle for Health” running event will be held on campus on April 28, 2018.