Dominican Republic

You will need to arrive in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic by 12:00pm Atlantic Standard Time, as we will travel as a group through the beautiful Dominican countryside to our team lodging. After settling in, you will have some time to explore and get ready for orientation. During this team meeting, your team leader will assign roles for clinic, explain IMR’s clinic protocols and how we work together as a team, talk about schedules, discuss the communities you will be serving, and much more.

Today, you and your team will provide training for local healthcare providers to continue IMR’s long-term, sustainable education efforts. Education is as important as medical and dental care for our patients. Each clinic includes basic health education according to the specialties and skills of the IMR volunteers, as well as the needs of the local people. When communities become empowered to take health and wellness issues into their own hands, they become self-sufficient. IMR provides learning opportunities for the local communities through classes and hands-on learning to sustain their well-being beyond our visit.

Today is your first day of clinic! You will be providing patients with much-needed health care services, dental care, health education, and medications. All community members are invited to attend clinic, and even those who are healthy will come to learn how to stay that way.

Expect to see lots of multigenerational families, all waiting excitedly to see you.  There are also lots of children and adolescents in the communities we will be working in. We will be providing prenatal care for many young ladies and dental care is always in demand.  

In the evenings, we have some pool and relaxation time or perhaps a trip to town to meet some of the amazing people who partner with IMR in the Dominican Republic.  You might want to grab dinner at a local restaurant. The food is fantastic here!

You are going to love your clinic days caring for the people of the Dominican Republic. The poor water quality throughout the island is responsible for many health problems and increasing infectious disease. More than 2 million Haitian immigrants, most of them undocumented, live in the Dominican Republic working in high labor, low wage, unskilled jobs and receiving no services from the government. This is why International Medical Relief has been invited to provide care for the people of the Dominican Republic who can’t access it. 

Free day! This will be your day to explore the area. You can visit the Catedral San Pedro Apóstol and explore more of the history of the island, spend some time at the Los Delfines Water & Entertainment Park, take in some of the island’s culinary delights, relax on one of the many palm tree-lined beaches, or just venture along the Iguamo River. However you decide to spend your time, you will welcome every opportunity to explore and cherish the island.

Your team will treat a wide variety of acute and chronic illnesses, some resulting from malnutrition. However, one of the major focuses of this mission is dentistry, and you will see many patients in clinic eager to receive dental care.

Your last day of clinic will be bittersweet. You have worked hard this week but also developed a love for the people you have been serving, and it will be hard to say goodbye. Following clinic for the day, you will return to Santo Domingo for your flight home tomorrow.

After a final breakfast with your team, your time is yours. Thank you for your hard work this week! You can spend the day on your sightseeing or enjoying the beach or head home early, as you choose. If you are on the group flight, transportation to the airport will be arranged for you.  If you wish to arrange ground transportation through IMR, please contact Worldwide Navigators, our preferred travel agent.