Ukraine Relief Mission Classic

You’ll fly into Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) by 2pm. Upon arrival, your team will transport to your hotel where you can check in and freshen up.

On your way to the hotel, you will enjoy some beautiful sites of Warsaw, Poland. Warsaw/Warszawa is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland and its population is officially estimated at 1.8 million residents within a greater metropolitan area of 3.1 million residents, which makes Warsaw the 7th most-populous capital city in the European Union. Warsaw is an alpha-global city; a major cultural, political, and economic hub; and the country’s seat of government. Its historic Old Town was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Poland is home to some of Europe’s finest theaters including the opera and ballet. The Teatr Wielki (Grand Theater) has been Poland’s grandest opera and ballet theater for more than 170 years and is comprised of a main stage, small stage and Poland’s only Theater Museum. Built between 1825 and 1833 by Italian architect Antonio Corazzi, the theater remains an imposing structure, though, unfortunately only its classicist, column-lined facade withstood the 1939 bombings. However, once rebuilt and rejuvenated, the theater returned in the late 1960s to conquer the hearts of Poland’s art-loving crowd with world classics as well as Polish works. Polish National Opera and Polish National Ballet performances take place throughout the season.

5:00pm is team orientation to prepare for the upcoming week of clinic. Your team leader will share with you about the clinic, address IMR’s clinic protocols, Covid-19 protocols, and discuss the communities you will be serving. Your Health Declaration and Negative Covid Test results will be collected.

You and your team will also sort all the supplies for your upcoming mission.  Please bring your donations as well.  Everything will be sorted, organized, and repacked for the clinic the next day.

Dinner is on your own. Afterwards, you’ll be free to explore the city or get some rest for your first day in clinic.

At 8:00am, you’ll depart to the service site for your first day of clinic. Be sure to pack your daypack with all your snacks, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, camera, phone, water bottle and diagnostic equipment.

The first day of clinic is great. You will surely have an impact on our visiting Ukrainian friends. Make sure you understand your role and assignment and if you need to, ask for clarification.  Look to your IMR alumni in the orange caps for guidance, and please stay in your assigned clinic role throughout the day.  Don’t forget your safety protocols!  Most importantly, enjoy the special moments. The patients are so humbled to have you there to help them. They are grateful. Take in all these memories, as time will go quickly.

In the evening, you will have a thorough debrief with your team, repack bags for tomorrow, turn in your scrubs, and complete the day’s statistics.

Afterwards, you are free to explore Warsaw’s European culture with great venues for dining and entertainment.

If you are an early morning riser, check out the Changing of the Guard ceremony located at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It takes place every hour and is dedicated to the unknown soldiers who have given their lives for Poland. It is one of many such national tombs of unknowns that were erected after World War I, and the most important monument in Poland.

At 8:00am, the transport departs to the service site for another great day of clinic!

IMR teams have a unique opportunity to monitor some chronic conditions in our clinics, as we have residents who live in the some of the Welcome Center shelters where we serve. Brush up on your diagnostic skills, as they will surely be put to great use!

Our patients are primarily the elderly, children, and women. There are numerous opportunities for educating this population on best health care practices.  IMR partners with multiple facilities so you will likely be serving in different locations.  Remember to listen to the stories of the patients. These stories will go down in the history books as a testament to this trying time.

In the evening, you will have a thorough debrief with your team, repack bags for tomorrow, turn in your scrubs, and complete the day’s statistics.

Take the opportunity to explore this European city by traveling the cobblestone streets filled with bustling cafes, music, and traditional European cuisine that warms the heart. The Warsaw Barbican gate in Old Town lights up at night and to show off this semicircular fortified outpost, one of few remaining relics of the complex network of historic fortifications that once encircled Warsaw. Located between the Old and New Towns, it is a major tourist attraction.

By this day of clinic, you are on a roll and have full knowledge all the ins and outs of clinic operations, hands-on! We appreciate you and all your service. Remember to take time to learn a story about one of your patients. We want you to walk away with a memory that stays in your heart. Let your team leader know if there is a special place you would like to work in clinic. As always, ask lots of questions to be sure you are prepared for your role.

In the evening, you will have a thorough debrief with your team, repack bags for tomorrow, turn in your scrubs, and complete the day’s statistics.

For a new cultural experience, see if you can find a Chopin concert performance. Chopin is the best-known composer from Poland, and his works of classical piano music are amazing.

As your week winds down, remember the community healthcare education in a public health setting that you and your team provide continues IMR’s long-term, sustainable education efforts. Education is as important as medical and dental care for our patients. When people become empowered to take health and wellness issues into their own hands, they become self-sufficient.

Today you will have time to explore Warsaw. If you are an early morning riser, check out the Changing of the Guard ceremony located at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It takes place every hour and is dedicated to the unknown soldiers who have given their lives for Poland. For panoramic views of the city, ascend to the observation deck of the Palace of Culture and Science, or experience the lush greenery of Łazienki Park. There is an opportunity to immerse yourself in the profound history of Warsaw at the Warsaw Uprising Museum.

One last morning in Poland!

If you have extra time before your flight and haven’t explored Old Town Warsaw, you should. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it’s where the city’s heart has been beating for centuries. However, when you cross the Vistula River and look at the Old Town from a distance, you’ll be struck by how unusual the panorama of the city is – skyscrapers rise above the red roofs of the Old Town. Historical buildings blend in harmoniously with modern architecture, and the city surprises us by revealing its second face.