Medical Center Employee Sees
Real Cuba, Delivers Needed Surplus Medical Supplies
Venise Lewis, executive coordinator, Practice
of Medicine Office, enjoys seeing the world, but not from a typical
tourist's perspective. She prefers to glimpse the reality of the
lives of the people whose countries she visits. Not long ago,
her "reality tour" was to Cuba, a trip she booked with
an educational tour company. From the outset, she knew she could
provide more than just curiosity about the land and people of
Cuba. In fact, the medical supplies she was able to collect prior
to her trip were a prize that astounded the physicians with whom
she shared them.
(Cuban children receive gifts from GW Medical
Center's Venise Lewis.)
There is an extreme shortage of medical supplies
in Cuba and items that would be discarded after one use in an
American hospital must often be reused. "Originally, when
we signed up, the organizers talked about the fact that we would
visit hospitals and clinics and they handed out a sheet of needed
items," Ms. Lewis said. "I put together that being here
at GW Medical Center, I could be in a position to collect these
items."
Included in the supplies Ms. Lewis collected
were latex gloves, scissors, scalpels, stethoscopes, and children's
vitamins and asthma medication. She was able to collect the materials
from GW staff, students, and friends.
The destination for the supplies was a rural
polyclinic in a provincial area four hours outside Havana. The
clinic provided medical care for everyone in a 200 to 300 mile
area. By travelling to the location herself, she made sure the
supplies will benefit the populace in the rural areas. In addition,
Ms. Lewis toured the clinic and talked to its three doctors, a
nurse, and a technician. "They couldn't believe the number
of supplies," she said.
Other highlights of her reality tour included
stepping off a train in the rural region and having coffee with
a farmer and his wife, and hearing traditional Cuban music from
the rooftop of her hotel-music that delightfully combined African
and Caribbean rhythms.
Back to home
©
2001 The George Washington University Medical Center
