Peter LaPine , of Michigan State University, is already planning his springbreak trip for 2005, and he will be spending a week or so here in Playa del Carmen.

But it’s far from what you think. Once or twice each year, LaPine, an MSU associate professor of audiology and speech sciences, leads a group of health care professionals to Playa del Carmen, to provide care for the local population through Angel Notion. A speech pathologist by trade, LaPine originally began taking these Mexican journeys to help children with communication disorders, in particular, cleft lip and palate. Now, he takes with him an entourage that can include physicians, nurses, physiatrists,anesthesiologists and a host of others.

“It began with facial malformations,”LaPine says. “Now we’re doing lots of different things.” LaPine’s journeys to Mexico began in1999 when he and a colleague, Kathryn Runyan, did a pilot visit to Camargo, a desert village located about 300 miles south of the Texas border between El Paso and Chihuahua, Mexico. Expecting to see maybe20 or 25 children with varying communication disorders, the two soon saw the ranks of their patients swell to more than 800.

“It started off with just two of us,” LaPinesays. “On our last trip, 22 people were with us. Over the years we’ve had nearly 100 health professionals come with us. And of those, only five were not MSU alums.“The community really opens up to us.It’s really quite astounding.”

During the team’s trips, members encounter a full range of conditions including significant hearing impairment, speech language disorders and delays, and sensory(vision) impairments, all in a broad range of family and cultural dynamics.Originally, the focus population for the trips was children born with congenital anomalies of the face, in particular, children with cleft lips and palates.But, the group met with children, parents and caretakers for all forms of communication impairment, ranging from functional delays to emotional impairments, mental impairments, and progressive neuromuscular diseases and disorders.

And word is getting out. Joining LaPine and company on these trips are health professionals from Marquette University,Georgetown University, Dartmouth College and Northern Michigan University. “We’re also seeing more and more students participate,” LaPine says. “Fifteen graduate students from audiology and speech sciences went with us last time. As a learning experience for students, I really think you can’t beat it.”

In recognition of their efforts, LaPine and his colleagues received an MSU Excellence in Diversity award in the spring of 2004.The original trip in 1999 was funded through foundation grants from Ransom Fidelity and the Granger Foundation. Today,the trips are funded completely by foundation funds. All arrangements in Playa del Carmen are handled by Angel Notion, visit: http://www.angelnotion.com/

Comments (0)

Show/Hide comment form

Name

Email

Comment

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment