RossPHR has donated EC730 to Randy Gilbert to help him get a facial CT Scan and Maxillofacial surgery. Randy Gilbert is a 15 year old Dominican boy who was attacked by older boys for not vacating a basketball court. Randy sustained excessive facial injuries due to this brutal attack. He had managed to raise EC1400 on his own before he approached PHR for helping him cover the expenses of his travels, insurance, as well as the CT.

RossPHR continues to be thankful to those who contribute to the fund so we can help local people with their health needs.

PHR Coffee Talk
Movie Screening: Meth
July 7th
Classroom 2B
7 pm

METH* is a new documentary film, from director Todd Ahlberg, exploring the rising wave of crystal methamphetamine use within the gay population.

*Synopsis is available from the official website http://www.methmovie.com/

Please note that we have identified this movie as a trigger. If you are a recovering addict we encourage you to carefully consider your decision, consult with your sponsor or program guidelines, and use your best judgment before attending this Coffee Talk.

If you are unsure or need more information, please contact Troy Syverson at TroySyverson@rossmed.edu.dm

An Update on Jerryson: Unfortunately, Jerryson passed away yesterday struggling against his disease. He was a brave 11 yr old boy but our best efforts to help him weren’t quick enough. We would like to thank everyone who donated or even took a moment to wish Jerryson health and happiness. The 3000EC generated in effort to help Jerryson will be set aside to help another struggling Dominican with their healthcare needs. Please keep visiting this site for updates.

Jerryson is an 11 year old boy who has lymphoma and needs chemotherapy as soon as possible. Jerryson’s cancer was detected when he came in for an appendectomy. Metastatic infiltrates were seen on his liver and subsequent tests revealed lymphoma. Further tests are being done to determine if the cancer has invaded his bone marrow as well. Jerryson also has asthma.

Doctors have been trying to get the necessary chemotherapy drugs to Dominica but have been told by the man in charge of supplies that he can only get the supplies from either India or from Trinidad or Barbados. Trinidad or Barbados do not sell to Dominica. Doctors believe the best thing is to send him to either Trinidad or Barbaddos since these places have the necessary drugs. There is no room in Queen Elizabeth Hospital-the public hospital in Barbados but there is room at the private hospital there called Bayview. Doctors are looking into more options in Trinidad and also at St. Judes in the United States. It will be difficult for Jerryson to travel to St. Judes because he doesn’t have a passport or a visa.

The Kimberly fund is for locals of Dominica that are in need of surgery but that are not able to afford it. Please scroll down on the sidebar to make a donation for Jerryson to get the therapy he needs. This is your chance to help.

I would like to welcome everyone, new and continuing, to Ross and another semester of interest in Human Rights issues.

Our first general meeting will take place Thursday May 22nd at noon, in classroom 5. This meeting will help everyone renew their interests in human rights with our upcoming projects.

Pizza and juice will be served.

I would also like to remind visitors to the blog that they can sign up to become a member and recieve notifications about upcoming projects via this website.

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Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) School Supply Drive

Please donate any extra school supplies (pens, pencils, markers, paper, etc.) to the bucket located inside the library to help the Portsmouth library continue to serve the local community! The library can make great use of the supplies that we students just have lying around. The bucket will also be present during the 4th semester sale. Every little bit helps so please donate!

You can find the PHR Donations Bin to your right as your are exiting the Library!

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Salybia Mission Project Donations

As it is now getting towards the end of the semester if you would like to donate extra items to Salybia Mission Project then there is a donation box in the library just to your right when you enter where you can leave your donations. These donations will be going to our clinic and to the native people in the Salybia Territory.

You can find our SMP Donations Bin just to your right as you enter the Library!

If you have anything you would like to donate, would like to bring back supplies to donate to Salybia or if you are 4th semester and you have some items that you no longer need then here are some items we are looking for. We greatly appreciate anything and everything you can give.

1. Glucose monitor with matching strips
2. Cholesterol monitor with matching strips
3. Gloves of any size
4. Office supplies
5. Hand sanitizers
6. Preventive healthcare pamphlets
7. Cotton swabs
8. Band-Aids
9. First aid kit materials
10. Old medication you might have that is not expired (Tylenol, Ibuprofen, cough & cold meds, anti-diarrhea meds, Anti-fungals, etc…)
11. Hydrogen Peroxide
12. Betadine
13. Any over the counter medication
14. Ace bandages
15. Scrubs
16. Clothing of any size and type
17. Hygenic Materials (toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, lotion, etc…)
18. Etc…

Good luck on all of your upcoming exams!!

SMP E-Board

The International Health Policy Coordinator is now also available. This position involves activities like the Panzi Rape Clinic in the Congo, and any other topics related to international health policy.

If you’re interested in getting more information, or if you think you’d be a good fit, please email John Richey: JohnRichey@rossmed.edu.dm as soon as possible!

It’s nearing the end of the semester, and we will be saying goodbye to our fourth semester PHR officers. This means we have a lot of open positions available for driven individuals to take a leadership role in PHR. This is your opportunity to stand up and make a difference in your local community and internationally. Human rights violations abound, and you have the opportunity to do something about it!

Here are the current officers and open positions:

President: Open
Vice President: Open
Treasurer: Open
Webmaster: Purva Sharma
International Health Policy Coordinator: Monika Siedlarz
International Health Policy Representative: Open
Dominican Affairs - CALLS Center Coordinator: Lulua Mandviwala
Dominican Affairs - Library Tutoring Program Coordinator: Nigelle Pinto
Dominican Affairs - Library Tutoring Program Coordinator: Mohita Patel
Dominican Affairs - Kimberly Fund Coordinator: Open
Education and Awareness Coordinator: Open
Education and Awareness Representative: Open
Women’s Health Coordinator: TBD soon
Women’s Health Representative: TBD soon
Women’s Health - Med Students for Choice Representative: Open

Here is an incomplete list of some of our accomplishments this semester:

April, 2008
A local individual that is on dialysis and in need of a transplant was able to be connected with the Private Sector foundation (organization that we plan to join with in the near future) in which he is in the interviewing stage of the funding process.

April 3, 2008
Coffee Talk Film Viewing: Southern Comfort. An lively debate followed discussing doctors’ obligation to treat transgendered patients.

March 14, 2008
Talk: Dr. Richard Heinzl, founder of Doctors Without Borders, Canada

February 27, 2008
Coffee Talk Film Viewing: Why we Fight

Spring, 2008
The Library Tutoring Program volunteers helped students of all ages with projects for school, and helped them improve their reading and arithmetic skills. On a bi-weekly basis, the Library Tutoring Program Coordinators kept in contact with all of the library volunteers. They discussed ways to help local children with their studies and keep them interested in learning.

For a longer list, see our achievements page.

If you’re interested in the Women’s Health - Med Students for Choice Representative position, please email Jamie Flanagan: jamiedflanagan@msn.com

Med Students for Choice is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that physicians are trained to provide comprehensive health care including reproductive health. The group helps to fill in gaps in med school curriculum to teach students about contraception and abortion so that as physicians they can council and provide these services to their patients. www.ms4c.org.

If you’re interested in getting more information about any of the available positions, or if you think you’d be a good fit, please email John Richey: JohnRichey@rossmed.edu.dm.

I know everyone is very busy right now, but take a few minutes out of your day and consider taking a more active role in PHR. Please send your emails by Monday, April 6th.

This might be my last email to PHR members, as I’m leaving the island in less than two weeks. I’ve enjoyed working with PHR, and have found it to be an incredibly rewarding experience. Good luck to all of you, and always stand up for what you believe in!

The Very Best,
Kendra

Would you provide treatment to a transgendered person?

Join us Thursday, April 3rd at 7 p.m. in Classroom 3 for our last Coffee Talk of the semester!

“SOUTHERN COMFORT is a 90-minute feature-length documentary about the life of Robert Eads, a 52-year-old female to male transsexual who lives in the back hills of Georgia. “A hillbilly and proud of it,” he cuts a striking figure: sharp-tongued, bearded, tobacco pipe in hand. Robert passes so well as a male that the local Klu Klux Klan tried to recruit him to become a member.

Though his home is nestled among tranquil hills dotted with hay bales, Robert confronts a world as hostile to him as if he were an African American in the ante-bellum South. He was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, then turned away by more than two dozen doctors who feared that taking on a transgendered patient might harm their practice.

SOUTHERN COMFORT follows the final year of Robert Eads’ life. Beginning in spring, he falls deeply in love with Lola, a male-to-female. That summer, his mother and father drive ten hours to visit their “lost daughter,” a trip they know may be their last. His final dream is to make it to the Southern Comfort Conference in Atlanta, the nation’s preeminent transgender gathering. Beating the odds, he addresses a crowd of 500 and takes Lola to “The prom that never was.”

The voices in SOUTHERN COMFORT are not only rarely heard, but also are commonly thought to be non-existent. A rare blend of humor, romance, and tragedy, SOUTHERN COMFORT is the first non-fiction film to intimately tell a trans-to-trans love story, set against a disturbing tale of gender bias as it unfolds before the camera.”

Click Here to View the Flyer

Please join us on this Friday, March 14 at 12 p.m. in Classroom 2B to listen to Dr. Richard Heinzl, founder of Doctors Without Borders, Canada. I know everyone is super busy studying for the mini, but take a little time out of your lunch break to come listen to him. He’s only in Dominica for a few days, and we had to make a special request to get him here. Show your support by showing up! Learn more about Doctors Without Borders, and find out how to get involved!

Join us for our first Coffee Talk of the semester, “Why We Fight.”

“Why We Fight (2005) is a documentary film directed by Eugene Jarecki about the United States’s relationship with war. Its title is an allusion to the World War II-era newsreels of the same name, which were commissioned by the United States to justify their decision to go to war against the Nazis.”

Join us Wednesday, February 27th at 7 pm in Classroom 2B!