Mexican clinic established by IU School of Optometry to help under-served populationBy Jayne Spencer | |
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The IU School of Optometry has established a new permanent external rotation clinic in Guanajuato, Mexico. The Guanajuato Eye Care Center was designed to help meet the eye care needs of the indigent of the area and serve as one of the 12-week rotation sit
e choices for fourth-year optometry students. It will provide care to a large, under-served population with a wide variety of ocular and systemic health problems while providing the students with an excellent clinical and cultural experience. The developm
ent of the clinic occurred as a result of a longstanding, successful partnership between the IU Optometry Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (VOSH) organization and the state of Guanajuato’s Department of Infants and Family (DIF). DIF is the state
organization charged with supporting the indigent. Guanajuato is the name of both the city and the state, which has a population of about 4 million. The city is approximately 150 miles northwest of Mexico City.
The initial invitation was developed and extended to the IU school by DIF after the spring 1998 VOSH mission. During the following VOSH mission in 1999, clinic space in the General Hospital of Guanajuato was located and negotiations were carried out by op tometry faculty member Douglas Horner, Dr. Carlos Perez Lopez, medical director of DIF, and IU alumna Cynthia Foster, who has since been named to the faculty and will direct the clinic. Last February, the first student clinicians arrived in Guanajuato, an d the following month, the clinic was formally dedicated. This year, IU students will be joined by Ohio State University College of Optometry students in a program increasing cooperation between the two schools. http://www.opt.indiana.edu/clinics/mexico/mex_indx.htm |
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Publication date: September 29, 2000
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