TODAY news - April 29, 2004

Discussing the changing code of nursing ethics is the subject of the next Bioethics Grand Rounds scheduled to be held Wednesday, May 12, 2004.

Marsha Fowler, PhD, MDiv, professor of graduate nursing and professor of graduate theology, Asuza Pacific University, Asuza, California, will present "Seven years a birthing...a new code of ethics for nursing!"

The grand rounds will be held from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. in the A-level amphitheater, Loma Linda University Medical Center.

The objectives of this grand rounds are: to identify social and ethical influences that have informed the new code of ethics; to identify no less than three major differences between the present and past codes of ethics; and to discuss the incorporation of "social ethics" in the last provision of the new code of ethics.

Lois Van Cleve, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor and associate dean of the graduate program, School of Nursing, Loma Linda University, will serve as moderator.

The grand rounds, presented by the Center for Christian Bioethics and the Center for Spiritual Life & Wholeness, is designated by the School of Medicine for continuing medical education activity for one hour in category 1 of the Physician's Recognition Award of the American Medical Association.

Loma Linda University School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to sponsor continuing education for physicians.

Tucked in the tropical mountains of Honduras sits a haven for hungry, sick, and abandoned children--Pan American Health Services, Inc., (PAHS), an orphanage and nutritional rehabilitation hospital. Here, children play with each other on the green grass, climb the beautiful fruit trees, eat healthy food, and attend an Adventist school.

From March 20 to 26, 2004, the children were still consuming healthy food and going to school, but they climbed into the laps of friendly LLU students and played all sorts of games with their new friends.

Students for International Mission Service (SIMS) embarked on an expedition to one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere. The team provided dental, medical, and public health care to the children at PAHS, Peña Blanca, Honduras, and to the surrounding community.

Stephen Youngberg, MD, and his wife, Verlene, RN, their lives to helping the underprivileged, founded PAHS in 1960. After seeing how many malnourished children there were, they opened the children's nutritional hospital in 1965. Since then, parents have dropped off their children at the hospital for a few months until they are healthy. Unfortantely, some parents never return to pick up their children. That's why there is a girls' dorm and a boys' dorm, so the abandoned children can call PAHS their home.

The SIMS team had three different health clinics going. A rusty old bus was transformed into a dental clinic where the team helped hundreds of patients. "It was really cool," says Heidi Apuy, third-year dental student. "We did a lot of extractions like normal trips, but we did a lot of restorative, too, like anterior composites, root canals, and just more complex operations because we had the equipment for it." "My most favorite thing about the week," explains Blanca, 9, a child living at PAHS, "was that the dentists cleaned my teeth!"

Held in a rundown building beside the bus, was the medical clinic. Throughout the week, the team saw about 275 individuals who received medical care.

"I got an opportunity to see a lot of disorders that I don't typically see," says Karen Kelly, RN, public health student. "It has enriched my experience as a nurse."

"Most of the patients that come in tend to be mothers with their young kids," says Michael McLean, MD, medical preceptor for SIMS. "I've seen many different pediatric illnesses, but nothing too serious."

The public health team held presentations for the children and workers at PAHS in the church. They educated them on hygiene, nutrition, sex education, and other health-related topics. In addition, they passed out "hygiene bags" filled with toothpaste, a toothbrush, soap, deodorant, and other items. Thanks to donations, SIMS was able to provide about 50 of these bags at the meeting.

"Because this is an orphanage the kids don't necessarily have things that belong only to them," explains Maxine Newell, MPT, public health doctoral student. "So we put packages together so that each child has something of their own."

"I really appreciated the health lectures," says Carolina, 10, a child living at PAHS. "Thank you for your care and love, and for the health talks we had in the church."

One day, the team held a mobile clinic in a small town, Santa Cruz, a couple hours away from PAHS. The kindergarten house was converted into a dental and medical clinic as a couple hundred Hondurans received health care.

For the past four years, SIMS has been providing something else in addition to health care. "I think the most important aspect about coming here is spending one-on-one time with the children," states Martine Polycarpe, MPH, director of SIMS. "They're kids, they want their moms, they want their dads, and they just want to be hugged, held, and loved."

When not in clinic, the SIMS team played with the kids from the moment they woke up to the moment it was bedtime. Soccer, volleyball, football, basketball, Frisbee, board games, coloring--whatever game it was, the lawn in front of the guest house where SIMS stayed was covered with smiling, laughing children and LLU students.

"It's good times," says Anthony Berdan, first-year dental student. "The kids around here are pretty fun to play with. At night we break out UNO, and play UNO till all hours of the night while they sit around and make fun of me in Spanish and I sit there and take it. It's good times."

The younger children in the nutritional hospital are trying to overcome marasmus, overall malnourishment, or kwashiorkor, protein deficiency. SIMS held child assessments on the kids to make sure they are developing normally and improving in their stages of malnutrition.

"When a child first comes to the hospital, they're very lethargic and have no energy," says Ms. Polycarpe. "But, it's nice to see that after a couple weeks when the child has food and attention, they start to get out of that stage. They begin to smile, then talk, and then play like all the other kids."

In addition to getting plenty to eat, the children in the clinic have a big playpen to hang out in. While SIMS was there, the kids hopped up with their arms raised, as if to say, "Pick me up and hold me!" You can bet that each one of them got a warm embrace.

"The kids here are so amazing," says Holly Wallstrom, third-year dental student. "They have so much to give; so much love. But there's just not enough workers here for them to get the attention they need."

If interested in helping these children with SIMS, visit <www.llu.edu/llu/sims> or call the office at (909) 558-8089.

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Revised May 13, 2004
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