The phrase “I would like to travel the world” takes on an entirely different meaning for those people associated with International Relief Teams (IRT). Their experiences are not those of lying in the sun on pristine beaches in the South Pacific or seeing the magnificent sites of Europe.
Instead, the IRT, founded locally in 1988, provides medical assistance to victims of disasters, poverty and neglect worldwide. These so called “missions” are designed to provide care and services people in the impacted areas may not normally be able to receive.
Evelyn Snyder of Pacific Beach is a retired registered nurse who has been associated with IRT for 11 years.
“Just in the past few years I have been to Ecuador and Honduras,” Snyder said. “Last July I was on the Mercy Ship in Indonesia.”
Recently Snyder and a group of local medical professionals returned to Sula, Honduras for a one-week mission. These are all people who have full-time medical jobs and careers but use their vacation and paid time to go on these all-volunteer efforts or, like Snyder, are retired.
For this trip, the medical team provided treatments for ear, nose and throat medical conditions. The hospital where the group works starts to “get the word out” prior to their arrival.
“We arrived on Saturday night, and by Sunday morning the patients were lining up at the hospital,” Snyder said. “The first day is always very crowded and busy because the people know we are coming.”
However, the patients are not there due to having made appointments via telephone or e-mail according to Snyder.
“We are in a very remote area,” she said. “Some people come to the hospital from the mountains, and often they will walk for hours to get there. Other people hear about our coming on the radio.”
Snyder, who works in the operating room, said this year’s patient list had a wide range of ages.
“Last year we had more children,” she said. “This year the youngest was a 1-year-old and the oldest was 70 years old.”
In order to ensure the highest possible medical care, the medical teams brings lots of supplies with it from the United States, which are often donated. While the hospital in Sula is fairly well-equipped, according to Snyder, it is important to make sure even some of the seemingly most obvious items will be available.
“We have to make sure there is the right equipment to look into someone’s ear,” said Snyder.
The scheduling, as one might imagine, can be hectic.
“Every day there are consults to help determine who needs surgery and who needs only medication,” Snyder said. “When the surgeon finishes one operation, they move on right away to the next patient.”
What about those people who are unable to see the medical team?
“Almost everyone who needs to is seen by our staff,” Snyder said. “Because the hospital does such a great job in letting everyone know we are coming ahead of time, the patients plan in advance to be available.”
Nor is this a once-a-year, one-week opportunity, either. According to Snyder, there is a group from Chicago who comes to perform general surgery. Another medical team from Texas provides orthopedic care and services.
For information, call (619) 284-7979 or visit www.irteams.org.