The MLO clinic is a comprehensive
medical/dental/legal entity founded in 1990 by the members of the
Cooperative to serve the reproductive and sexual health needs of the
women in Mulukuku. It now functions as a community health center for
Mulukuku and it's 30+ surrounding communities. The women of the
cooperative constructed the clinic and legal office out of bricks and
lumber that they made and cut themselves. It was founded in response to
the violent conditions and high maternal and infant mortality
surrounding the end of the Contra War which lasted 9 years officially,
but almost 19 years in Mulukuku. The clinic's director, Dorothy Granada,
is an American born nurse practitioner who has dedicated her life to the
people of Mulukuku. She is well known among activist circles for her
role in documenting the Nicaraguan Contra war against civilians with the
Witnesses for Peace program, and for her work in nuclear disarmament in
the U.S. during the 1980s.
Family Medicine residents who declare an
Area of
Concentration in International Medicine can rotate here (or at
one of our other three international sites). Residents who rotate here
will gain
experience in tropical medicine:
Malaria and dengue are endemic in the region, especially in the wet
season (May - October). Various bacterial, viral, parasitic diarrheal
diseases are common, and rare infectious diseases such as rabies,
Leishmaniasis and encephalitis can be seen in clinic. The main mission
of the MLO coop is women's sexual and
reproductive health, so there is plenty of OB experience and
deliveries. Residents will work with the health promoters (rural
outreach workers) to refine their diagnostic skills, provide teaching on
needed subjects, and accompany them into the campo to see first-hand how
they care for their communities with their botiquin (medicine
kit). Public health experience comes in charlas (health talks)
given to the community in health fair style, on Radio Mulukuku (owned by
the coop) weekly, and by working with APS (Atencio'n Primaria en
Salud) - the program run by Saul Contreras, the Nicaragua director
for Doctor's for Global Health, whose mission is to bring health care to
rural underserved Nicaragua.
Requirements for Mulukuku include Spanish
fluency (some exceptions may be possible if interpreters are available
during your time there), R3 level training and interest in public
health/global health as a career focus. Residents are selected by a
Swedish Global Health committee that reviews personal statements which
address the career plans of the applicants. Funding is currently
available through a $15,000 grant to cover travel, room and board
expenses.Read the
Mulukuku Resident Blog for detailed accounts of residents
currently rotating to this International site.
