Flying Sams, Helping Hands
Wednesday, 30 November 2011 22:30
The University of Arizona's Flying Samaritans Club is far from a group of doctors with its head in the clouds.
Rather, it is a handful of UA medical students and peers with dedicated efforts to provide medical attention to underserved border communities, such as that of Agua Prieta.
Each month, students and Tucson professionals make the trek to these towns and offer what they can, although UA chapter President, Jillian Moore, admits there’s always more to be done.
“A lot of our patients come from chronic conditions, like diabetes, and require constant care,” she said. “Over half our patients are children without medical records, added to structural, economic and societal challenges.”
Despite these factors and the difficulties of communication breakdown lost to translation, these students provide useful health education, basic dental care and more.
“We are caring for people who no one else does,” Moore said.
Moore says that beyond the obvious medical practice she obtains each trip, Flying Samaritans has taught her a lot about life.
“I’ve realized I don’t belong in a big, fancy hospital; I need to help the underserved” she said. “Medicine is not just about elaborate machines and drugs. We are teachers and we have to learn to understand our patients. A lot of the patients I see have completely different understandings of their bodies and disease. Many of our patients, for example, believe diabetes is attributed to stress, anxiety and conditions related to poverty.”
Will Pinkston, a new member to the club, couldn’t agree more.
“I thought the patients would be timid and untrusting of Americans,” Pinkston said. “That turned out not to be the case at all. I learned that I can help others even as an outsider. Caring for people is not bounded to by borders, language or culture.”
Even with all the student enthusiasm and solid results, the Flying Sams admits they can always use extra hand.
“We really do run on the generosity of the Tucson community,” Moore said. “We function on donations and volunteers which have been troubled with all the attention put on the cartels and border danger. We try to inform our doctors and other professionals that we keep up on the news. In reality, Agua Prieta is a very peaceful, quiet town.”
To be quite frank, the Flying Sams needs more help to truly fulfill their goals of making the greatest impact on these communities.
“No matter how much we do, I still feel a little helpless,” Morre said. “A certain part of the exchange rests on the patients, as they have to take their medicine and remain committed to healing, but we are always running on limited resources and funds. A lot of our equipment is really expensive.”
Somehow though, Moore says, the Flying Sams always finds a way.
Written by Tyler Kurbat You are reading Flying Sams, Helping Hands articles
News
- Streetcar Construction Creates Difficulty for Downtown Businesses
- Take Back the Night: Cover it Live
- Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument clears air about dangers of the border
- Personal activism turns into motivation for demonstration
- Missing on the Border
- University of Arizona NROTC members may carry weapons on training hikes near Mexico
- The Reincarnation Tour: Celebrating a Vibrant and New Central Phoenix
- Identificame
Culture
People
Education
- Rap, Culture & God Lecture
- Cover it Live - CBP's Mario Escalante will share tips of how to be a better border reporter with SPJ.
- Cover it Live: Margaret Regan Talk on Arizona-Mexico Border Stories
- Similarities Emphasized at ‘Queer-ability’ Discussion
- The Essence of Gamma Alpha Omega
- Spanish Heritage Learner Program Enhances UA Education
- Arizona Women's Heritage Trail
- Border Beat Class
Health
Sports
- Cover it Live Boxing Training Session
- UA Decathlete Strives to Make the Most of Life in the US
- Ride Report- Premises Park Progress
- The Grip On Tucson Climbing
- Shootout decides 2012 Desert Diamond Cup Championship Game
- Soccer Success Still Kicking in Tucson
- L.A Galaxy v. New York Red Bulls
- La Fiesta de los Vaqueros Tucson Rodeo
Border Beat Blogs
Educación en la FronteraBy: Shannon Maule
A look at higher education in regard to those who have and have not been able to travel from various countries to the United States. Stories from people in the higher education world relating to the border.
A Mosaic AmericaBy: Rachel Kolinski
"Exploring Diversity one Face at a Time"
By: Hope Jamieson
Explore dance throughout the borderlands.
A City of Musical DiversityBy: Maria Teracena
Tucson musicians influence and are influenced by the sounds of the world.
Culture CrossingBy: Chelsey Barthel
American borders are crossed every day by cultures of all kind. These stories tell the personal experiences of people from different lands, offering further insight into the difference of cultures.
By: Lauren Inouye
A look at Mexican and Latin films that reflect culture, politics, and society -- reviews, research and analysis.
By: Charles Misra
Stories about martial arts and combat sports with a cultural twist, all finding a home in America's southwestern borderlands.
Border PeopleBy: Jamie Turow
Profiles of English language learners.
By: Jessica Hoerth
Meet some of the people in Tucson who have made the journey across the border as they share what they came in search of and what struggles they may have encountered along the way.
By: Lauren Urratio
Fashion and how it is impacted by the border and international cultures.
By: Lucy Valencia
News from along the border with Mexico
The Border ProjectBy: Melissa Guz
"The Border Project" is an art showcase located in the University of Arizona's Museum of Art. It has over 40+ art pieces related to border issues.
Athletics and the BorderBy: Preston Fawcett
Get to know high school coachs and athletes from Arizona border towns or from Mexico and their struggles to get to where they are.
By: Audrey A. Fitzsimmons
The Southwest boasts of diverse ethnic backgrounds and a wealth of interesting personalities. Border Personalities is dedicated to the people of the Southwest and their stories.
By: Jeff Kessler
U.S. - Mexico border issues, current events, and interesting local stories
Music of the BorderBy: Steven Schiraldi
Music reviews of musical works by Mexican or other ethnic artists.
By: Brett Haupt
A visual exploration of America’s last frontier -- pictures and videos from different areas of the wall and fence that separate two different worlds and insight into what really stands between the United States and Mexico, ramifications of wall building and what it means for the average citizen.
Border AthletesBy: Lauren Sokol
Meet international student athletes at the University of Arizona, a look at the recruiting process that helped them find a temporary home in the desert, and culture changes that the athletes might have endured.
Journey Across the BorderBy: Emily Kjesbo
Spotlighting Mexico’s top travel destinations, as well as a few of its hidden gems.
Border ShotsBy: Keith Perfetti
A photojournalist looks at how other photographers have viewed the border and shoots lesser known spots of the southwest.
MLS Soccer comes to the Desert
By: Jeff Kessler
All about the 2012 Desert Diamond Cup, a 10 day exhibition soccer tournament featuring four Major League Soccor teams coming to Tucson.