Oh my goodness!!

Well I just have a few minutes today to update my blog but luckily I can type fast :) We unfortunately have an ill student back at the dorm that I will be going to take care of. Since I last wrote we are in a new city, Vellore, at the world-class Christian Medical College. There are several campuses, we are housed in a beautiful tropical paridise (Wes there are monkeys!!) at the 100 acre medical college that includes a huge family-centred psychiatric hospital (every room opens to an outside jungle-like park area, it is lovely, AND has cooking facilities, and has room for the family to stay), a Community outreach center, a rehab centre and more The rehab centre (as with all the facilities) does Nobel-type research. We were actually invited into the Spinal Cord Stem Cell research area and right in the lab saw a presentation on stem-cell research (amazing videos where Olfactory cells between the brain and nose are regenerated)- 6 months after spinal cord injury rats are able to have crude movement in lower limbs and-this is very cool- regained bowel and bladder control! Trials are starting with humans shortly (and bone marrow cells as well).
Today we were in Emerg/Trauma and that's a whole other incredible story (saw for eg a central line insertion).
To me the most amazing area is the rural health project, on another huge about 100 acre parcel, where they do so much more than lip service to address the determinants of health-- they not only have a hospital, but determined the needs of the unemployed and now have a college for young men to learn air-conditioning repair, motorcycle maintenance, welding, etc. Women join in collective "support groups" and become self-reliant in running money-making businesses like recycling, a turkey farm, bakery, etc. If anyone wants to listen, boy do I have stories to tell!! The health units are quite similar except that they are open 24/7 and have many children delivered there, wouldn't that be something! Well I must go and attend to my student. I'm having trouble with adding photos but will try at our next community. Love to all, Barb