Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s Medical Mission team shares with you the following about this wonderful ministry here at our parish…
About 25 medical personnel and other volunteers have been meeting monthly and are excited to plan OLMC’s first medical mission. The group has met regularly to discuss sites and is zeroing in on possible locations. Site location visits are planned for the upcoming months to review the needs of some communities as well as the arrangements for volunteers and medical treatment facilities. In the meantime, a small subcommittee has been formed to research donations of medical and health supplies.
The committee is comprised of non-medical personnel as well as many pediatric specialists, internists, nurses and a nurse practitioner. Some of us have participated in prior missions through other parishes, including Saint Anastasia’s recent trip to the Philippines, or other groups. All of us are interested in using our skills to help those less fortunate.
We envision the mission to last no longer than a week, including a short time at the end for recovery from very busy days. Those with experience have shared that they see several hundred patients a day during medical mission trips.
During our meetings we have heard both from our missionaries who were part of the trip to the Philippines as well as reports from independent groups who are looking for medical personnel to round out their group of volunteers. We believe that we are on pace for an OLMC group mission sometime in 2018. In the meantime, some of us may join other groups on their missions.
If you would like to join us or just attend a meeting, you are certainly welcome. Our meetings are the first Saturday of the month at 9:30 A.M. in the Titus Room. They generally last about an hour. Please contact Rosemary Russell at rosemarymrussell@nullgmail.com.