ISU-Meridian group to travel to Uganda with Boise medical team

Judy Thorne, ISU-Meridian’s HIV and viral hepatitis educator, will leave Boise July 7 to begin two weeks of medical service at the Nsumba orphanage near Entebbe, Uganda on Lake Victoria.

She is one of five core members of a medical team, led by Boise physician Margaret Doucette. The team is documenting the medical history and health care of approximately 500 children served by the orphanage. Thorne’s task is to develop the HIV testing and referral portion of the medical record.

Also making the trip for the first time are Meridian audiology professor Gabriel Bargen and audiology doctoral student ­­­Nicole Butler who’ll conduct hearing screenings, and ISU-Meridian Academic Dean Bessie Katsilometes.

The Nsumba orphanage is located in the village of Nsumba about 37 miles from Kampala, the capital of Uganda.  More than 500 children live at the orphanage or attend school there, walking many miles to do so, said Thorne.

This is Thorne’s third trip to the orphanage in the past year.  Last summer, the medical team evaluated close to 400 children and began developing medical profiles for each one, including exposure to malaria, HIV, viral hepatitis, general growth and development, vision, hearing and oral health.  

You can follow team members in July or read about previous trips at http://nsumba.wordpress.com.