One Mission, Two Nations: Treating Patients in Haiti, Dominican Republic

On one dental mission, RSDM students are able to help patients from two different cultures and countries: Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

The Cheerful Heart mission began seven years ago in a makeshift hospital clinic in Restaurcion Dominican Republic, and also treated patients across the border in nearby Tilori, Haiti, where conditions are especially impoverished and toothbrushes are considered a luxury.

Led by RSDM Dr. Pamela Alberto, the mission is now able to provide two separate clinics in each country. Alberto, who was joined this year by Dr. Robert Shekitka, was also able to see the results of the mission’s past work. Because of the team's preventive care efforts, including sealant applications and fluoride treatments, children had fewer cavities than they did in 2010, when the trips began. On a mission in March, the team treated more than 800 patients in two weeks, far more than on earlier visits.

Third-year student Hector Suazo, who is from the Dominican Republic, remembers repairing the broken tooth of a self-conscious middle-school boy who suddenly looked forward to attending his first school dance. “He felt like no one invited him places because of his teeth. He worried that girls didn’t like him,’’ said Suazo. “He was ashamed of smiling but when I fixed his tooth, he was so happy he gave me a hug.’’

The mission was especially meaningful for fouth-year student Patricia Larosilliere, a Hatian native. For her, it was not only a chance to alleviate dental pain and help ensure a healthier life for patients, her presence showed children what is possible.

“Here I am, a girl who grew up in Haiti with a background very similar to them, and now, I’m going to be a doctor,'' she said proudly. "They’re seeing nurses and doctors who look exactly like them. I really wanted to show them that.”