December 4, 1998

CWS Seeking Medical Team Volunteers

Volunteers, particularly doctors, are needed for the Church World Service (CWS) medical teams assisting Hurricane Mitch survivors in Honduras.

The relief agency of the National Council of Churches already has dispatched three separate teams and a fourth will arrive in Central America on Dec. 6, according to the Rev. Lonnie Turnipseed. A United Methodist pastor and retired CWS executive, Turnipseed currently is coordinating the teams in cooperation with the Christian Commission for Development (CCD) in Honduras.

Lee Smith (right), a physician from the U.S., examines a victim of Hurricane Mitch in Honduras.
(Photo credit: Geovani Molina/CCD.)

One of the team members now in Honduras is Terri Stalder, 51, a registered nurse and physical therapist being supported by First United Methodist Church in Oak Harbor, Wash.

The Rev. David Lura, pastor of the 500-member congregation on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound, said Stalder learned of the need through an ad in the Seattle Times. Although she was new to the town of 20,000, CWS encouraged her to contact churches there for financial support.

She called First United Methodist on a Friday, Lura said, met with him and another member the next day, and came to worship that Sunday, where she impressed the congregation which "gave $2,300 to send her to Honduras." Another nurse in the congregation "talked to every doctor in town" and filled a suitcase full of medicines for Stalder to take along.

"Folks here were very generous," Lura added. "It just kind of happened real quickly."

And, just before she left for Honduras, Lura married Stalder and her fiancé in a ceremony at the end of a Sunday worship service.

Turnipseed is encouraging other local churches to sponsor medical team volunteers. Otherwise, they pay their own costs, which are $247 for two weeks of room, board and insurance, plus air fare, which has been averaging $600-$900.

Applicants also must have:

• At least two years of post-graduate professional work.
• The ability to work with local partners and feel comfortable about working for CWS.
• The time for a normal two-week service period, with CWS making efforts to accommodate desired departure dates.
• The ability to cope with stress.

Spanish language skills also allow greater opportunities for placement. "Our teams are going to the rural areas, which means it's rather spartan living," Turnipseed added.

Doctors who can deal with general medical problems and primary health care are especially needed.

As of early December, CWS had openings for teams departing on Dec. 13 and 20, as well as departures on Jan. 3, 10, 17 and 24. "We anticipate that the medical emphasis will begin to phase down in mid-February," he said.

Applicants should call the CWS Latin America Office at (212) 870-3288. The fax number is (212) 870-3220.