USF students from the International Health Services Collaborative (IHSC) recently returned from an intensive weeklong service project in the community of Villas del Carmen, Panama.

The IHSC team of 21 students from the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health, and the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences worked together to develop sustainable health projects in underserved communities of Panama.

In order to improve the sustainability of the project, the IHSC partnered with the Panamanian Ministry of Health. Dr. Aleyda Tejeira and Dr. Angel Alonzo, the Regional Directors of Health and Public Health, respectively, of the Coclé province of Panama, worked alongside the IHSC team.

During the trip, students carried out community need assessments, daily process evaluations, a health fair, and health education programs in addition to delivering donations for the elementary school and constructing latrines. During this first trip to the area, the group built 14 modified latrines and donated materials for 11 additional latrines (a new record for the IHSC!).

Over the past three years, the IHSC has been actively involved in the development of sustainable health projects in remote areas of Panama, including the Veraguas and Coclé regions and also the predominantly indigenous Ngabe Buglé Comarca.

Check out the new IHSC blog .