Medical Clinics, children's evangelism programs, Bible distribution, prayer and the distribution of food, clothing and toys all happen concurrently in each community we visit.
QUICK FACTS ABOUT THE HANDS IN SERVICE MEDICAL CLINICS AND EVANGELISM EFFORTS IN LA ROMANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Hands in Service (HIS) has been taking medical evangelism teams to the Dominican Republic since 2017. The teams visit neighborhoods and sugar cane communities in La Romana. The locations we visit suffer from extreme poverty and the effects are seen in the clinics. Poor nutrition compromises the patients’ immune systems making many common illnesses difficult to overcome. The demographics and statistics regarding the people we serve were collected in 2021. Please check back for an update from our clinics in 2024.
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Participating Population: 700 patients.
33% sample size used for testing= 235 patients analyzed All percentages are based on the sample group Demographics: By Gender:
o Average age of female child is 9.37 years old
o Average age of male child is 8 years old By Age:
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Nutritional Status:
Malnutrition causes our patients to be more susceptible to diseases, causes stunted growth in children, muscle wasting, and has a detrimental effect on learning ability and concentration. The definition of malnutrition in children and infants is based on a percentile of less than the 5th percentile on the CDC international growth chart.
Definition of malnutrition in adults is based on a BMI of less than 18.
Malnutrition causes our patients to be more susceptible to diseases, causes stunted growth in children, muscle wasting, and has a detrimental effect on learning ability and concentration. The definition of malnutrition in children and infants is based on a percentile of less than the 5th percentile on the CDC international growth chart.
Definition of malnutrition in adults is based on a BMI of less than 18.
- 1.7% of adults were malnourished
- 14.8% of children were malnourished
- 17.75% of infants were malnourished
Vitamins/Deworming Medication:
Hands in Service gives out vitamins to help supplement important nutrients that patients were lacking in their daily meals.
Hands in Service gives out vitamins to help supplement important nutrients that patients were lacking in their daily meals.
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Intestinal parasites and skin parasites further weaken immune systems already depleted by the effects of malnutrition. Intestinal parasites can consume many scarce calories that our patients need. This can result in stunted height, low weight and damage to the digestive tract.
Scabies is a skin parasite that causes intense itching, especially at night; this results in sleep deprivation. The itching caused by these mites that live under the skin is almost overwhelming and patients often scratch their skin open, leaving them susceptible to skin infections.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6082057/
- 80.18% of patients received Albendazole to treat intestinal worms. Reasons that patients may not have received treatment for parasites include women in their first trimester of pregnancy, recent deworming medication already received, or rarely, patient declines treatment.
Scabies is a skin parasite that causes intense itching, especially at night; this results in sleep deprivation. The itching caused by these mites that live under the skin is almost overwhelming and patients often scratch their skin open, leaving them susceptible to skin infections.
- 9.3% of patients received oral Ivermectin or topical permethrin to treat scabies.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6082057/
Top Diagnoses’ (most common to least common):
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Most commonly prescribed Medications (from most to least common):
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