Pub. 4 2020 Issue 1

leadership positions are required to work for a Care Point for two years following the year of training. Shepherds act as adult role models and teachers and help to hold children utilizing the Care Points accountable. This leadership role serves as a valuable transitional role for young adults in their late teens and early 20s. Training the Trainers Over the years, the shepherds have asked to learn information on several topics, including health-related subjects such as: • Complications of HIV • Learning more about tuberculosis and other types of pneumonia • Treating skin infections • Signs of asthma exacerbations • What causes diarrhea and how to treat it • Determining who is sick enough to need more intensive medical care They also have questions about depression and mental health because these are not often spoken about in their community. There are also concerns about identifying and managing domestic violence. The mission group tries to provide these young adults didactic and hands-on training for themselves and their families so that they can better care for the children in the community. The training has been very well-received and is now mandated for shepherds to attend. During these trips, medically-trained volunteers also perform some basic screening for leaders to help direct their care. McAdams has been able to recruit many nurses and physical therapists to come on previous trips but would like to recruit more physicians for future trips as well. Last year she was excited to have a fellow physician, Zachary Fredman, join her. Dr. Fredman grew up in Litchfield, Minnesota, and attended medical school at the University of Minnesota. As a student, he did a rural rotation in New Ulm, which has a population of about 13,500. Since he was the only medical student there, he had opportunities more akin to what a resident would experience. This experience served him well on his trip to Eswatini, which he says was very similar to his work in a rural community, “just with a lot fewer resources.” Fredman started attending Capital Church after moving to Utah to be - gin his family medicine residency with the University of Utah, which is where he first heard about the mission trip from McAdams. They were looking for physicians to accompany the group because the community’s educational needs had grown over the years. For this trip, the main objective of the medical team was to hold a small medical conference where leaders from all the Care Points throughout the country would attend. The lead - ers had been asked in advance which subjects they wanted to learn about. Fredman presented information on how to properly care for snake bites, seizures and the stigma sometimes associated with them, and puberty development and sexual maturity. He provided sex education to both the shepherds and a separate group of 10- to 18-year-olds. He started with very basic anatomy and then covered maturity, intercourse and consent. With the high rate of HIV in the country, community members needed more comprehensive sex education, including information about circumcision, condoms, other protection and abstinence. While not the primary purpose of the trip, the medical vol - unteers also took some time with leaders to perform some basic medical screenings, addressing concerns ranging from dry eyes to much more complex questions dealing with anxiety and depression and socioeconomic conditions. Personal Impact For Fredman, the biggest takeaway from his experience is the reminder that when visiting an underdeveloped coun - try, guests need to ask the people who live there what they would benefit from the most and then try and provide those resources and education. While potentially more difficult, it is more beneficial to provide education that they can pass on to others in the community. One of the most rewarding aspects of this partnership, according to McAdams, is building relationships with the community over several years — developing a trust with the people you are working with. Over time, McAdams says see - ing a measurable, objective improvement in the community allows her to feel like she is part of a partnership. She wants to continue to support the community in whatever way she can and is grateful they see knowledge about health as an important part of their growth as a community. McAdams says, “Your words have more weight, and people are more willing to adapt when you build a relationship because they realize it’s in their long-term best interests.” Dr. Erin McAdams is an assistant professor, clinical, in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of Utah. She’s originally from Indiana and lives in Salt Lake City with her husband. She enjoys be- ing active in the outdoors and playing sports, traveling and reading. Dr. Zach Fredman is a third-year Family Medicine resident at the Univer- sity of Utah, originally from Minnesota. He enjoys being outside, hiking, skiing and playing sports. He also spends his time reading and cooking. Building Partnerships | Continued from page 33 www.UtahAFP.org | 34