DPU students discover Cuban culture, healthcare in Winter Term course

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

DePauw University student Katie Rust held in her hand a sheet of paper filled with directions, guiding the students to find various unmarked buildings throughout Marianao, a municipality in Cuba's capital. While not fluent in Spanish and being unfamiliar with Havana, Rust and her group wandered the streets, timidly asking strangers for directions.

This was not an ordinary scavenger hunt -- nor was it an ordinary Winter Term in Service course.

A group of DePauw students in Havana, Cuba. The group visited the city as part of a Winter Term course to learn more about the nation's health care system and culture.

Rust was one of 11 DePauw students traveling to Cuba to learn about the nation's culture and healthcare system. The group's mornings consisted of lectures on the development and structure of Cuba's public healthcare system, along with challenges such as resource allocation after the end of the Soviet Union and how Cuba's health care system cares for an aging population.

In the afternoon, the DePauw students visited health facilities around Havana and Marianao, such as the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM), a biotechnology lab and an adult daycare. The students' goal was to become Cuban ambassadors through learning about Cuban culture and the country's health care system. DePauw collaborated with Hendricks Regional Health and Mexico Solidarity Network to create the program.

"Students were able to have an intimate look into the Cuban public health system and how medicine is distributed," Mandy Brookins Blinn, director of off-campus study at DePauw and co-leader of the course, said.

Students witnessed firsthand the effects of the embargo and the daily hardships many Cubans face. Living with host families in a small village just outside of Havana, some of the DePauw students began their day at 7 a.m. with a home-cooked meal of eggs and hot dogs. Some students prepared for their day unsure if the water was shut off.

"My time in Cuba opened my eyes to the minimal resources Cubans have," said Rust, a junior biochemistry and Spanish double major from New Castle. "I'm definitely going to be more cautious on how wasteful I am in the future."

Students also learned the major differences between the Cuban and American healthcare systems. One major difference in the Cuban healthcare system, several students said, is the strong belief that healthcare is a right and not a privilege; this effects the way Cuban medicine is handled and distributed.

"One of the main goals of the Cuban health care system is to prevent illnesses from happening rather than reacting to them. For example, pregnant women are required to see their doctor at least twice a month to make sure there aren't any problems," Rust said. "Everyone also has a family doctor that they see quite frequently and have a close relationship with."

The free healthcare system and doctors' salaries illustrated these priorities. For example, some taxi drivers are paid more than surgeons, said sophomore Matthew Peirce, a history and PPE (philosophy, politics and economics) double major from St. Joseph, Mich.

"The distribution of government sources throughout Cuba was really fascinating because it was evident everyday and was so different from the USA," he added.

To better understand the Cuban healthcare system, students spoke with doctors as well as ELAM medical students in Havana from the United States.

The DePauw students also felt encouraged to not only return to Cuba in the future, but to research and pursue options they haven't previously considered.

"Our visit to the medical school was my favorite because it helped me begin to think about my options in studying medicine internationally," junior Nina Moore, a biology major from Carmel, said. "I think it would be a great experience."

A DePauw student looks out from a site in Cuba. A group of 11 students traveled to Havana in January to learn about the country's health care system and culture for a Winter Term course.

The students toured a biotechnology lab where a variety of medicines and vaccines are produced. The DePauw group learned about vaccines created and patented in Cuba that are not available in the U.S., such as a tick vaccine for cattle. Because of this particular vaccine, farmers no longer have to wash their cattle in dangerous or expensive chemicals, resulting in more environmental friendly farming.

The students' time with Cuban families enabled them to experience the Cuban way of life. Students had to adjust to fewer resources, including electricity.

"The language barrier was definitely a difficult part of the trip," Moore explained, "but it challenged me to speak Spanish everyday."

While Spanish was helpful in everyday tasks, it was not a requirement for the trip.

"The people were very happy and optimistic about the future," Peirce said, "and their overall attitude was very welcoming."

The students' main service was to learn about Cuban culture to be able to unveil the mystery that Cuba may be to Americans.

"I was a little nervous on how Cubans would react to the fact that we were American," Moore said, "but to my pleasant surprise they were very happy that we were there and seemed enthusiastic to build relationships."

With a few adjustments many of the students and staff members foresee the trip continuing in the future. The course can more strongly align morning lectures with site visits, Brookins Blinn said, along with creating more site visits in the future.

Multiple students hope to stay in contact with their host families. Also, Cuban doctors' "passion of giving back to their community inspired me to go back to my community and give back," Rust said.

"I would highly recommend this course," she said. "It opens your eyes to different ideas and cultures that the Cuban people uphold."

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