Medical Missions to the Dominican Republic
Our Association has been involved in the Dominican Republic Medical Missions since the late 1990s. conducting at least two medical missions to the Dominican Republic each year, normally held during the last weekend of February and the third weekend of September.
These missions have been organized by Drs. Jorge Echenique and José Joaquín Centurion, both Knights of our Association. Most missions are composed of more than 60 participants each: doctors, nurses, and volunteers (the largest group in our Missions) who together with a team of dentists, serve, on average, more than 2,300 patients during 4,600 clinical visits and perform hundreds of surgical procedures, all in the facilities at Hospital Manuel J. Centurion in ILAC, Licey al Medio.
Among our doctors, we count specialists in cardiology, pediatric neurology, urology, oncology, gastroenterology, pediatrics, infectious diseases, gynecology, anesthesiology, dentistry, and internal medicine. Likewise, through generous donations, we are able to provide patients with medicine for 6 month periods of time.
ILAC, the Institute for Latin American Concern, was founded by a group of Cuban Jesuits at Regis in Toronto in 1972. Fr. Ernesto Travieso, S.J. and Fr. Narciso Sanchez-Medio, S.J. brought the program to Creighton University in 1976. The purpose was to help other Jesuit, diocesan priests, and members of other religious communities from North America to get to know and understand the people and challenges of Latin America.
Since that time, ILAC has evolved in facilitating a group of programs, which continue to bridge the gap between the North Americans and Dominicans. These have included the New York Eye and Ear institute, American Hernia Association, Creighton Physical Therapy, ENT operatives from Creighton and Miami, Internal Medicine operatives from Creighton and Pittsburgh.
During the last year, with the assistance of the doctors and volunteers of the Cuban Association, a new facility was built and inaugurated, an educational center that focuses on assistance and mentoring for young schoolchildren of Licey al Medio. It will help the students to complete and understand the classes of the school day, many of whom lack practical help at home. “La Escuelita” has two rooms and maintains and provides computers for all students. It is also starting a music school.
Order of Malta
Cuban Association
2655 S. Lejeune Road
Suite 918
Coral Gables, FL 33134
Phone: (786) 888-6494/6496
