A Look Into Santo Domingo — Zoe | Reports from the Dominican Republic

Hello again! From music videos playing in the car, ocean/mountain views from our apartment, and giant avocados—my first week in the Dominican Republic has brought me many warm welcomes and new experiences.

In between the sprinkles of rain, our first couple of days centered on our conversations with Dr. Floren and Mr. George Suazo about the challenges many maternity hospitals in the Dominican Republic faced. Our zoom meetings ranged from the lack of fetal heart monitoring devices, clinical studies between mother’s fever and baby infection rates, kangaroo care, sterilization through laminar flow cabinets, breast pump suction, assessment of Pumani bCAP, warming beds for neonates, and current diagnosis and treatment for Jaundice. Our conversations bounced from one topic to the next, and after hours of literature review, Ansh, Anathea, and I finally visited our first hospital, San Lorenzo de los Mina Maternal Hospital, on Thursday, June 6.

As we toured the three floors, I was struck by both the similarities and differences compared to hospitals in Houston. In the triage area on the first floor, there was a section dedicated to pediatrics consultation. Rather than having doctors move between patient rooms, a doctor and nurse would stay in one of the pediatric rooms in a hallway, and patients would come to them for their appointments.

During our time in the hospital, we also explored a simulation room with models and equipment that residents and fellows use for training. Dr. Jose Mordan explained how this room helps new residents become acquainted with cases they may commonly encounter. In an effort to build a greater knowledge base of recent research findings relevant to the hospital, the physicians also discussed Mina’s Data, a new platform providing easy access to research articles and case studies, which they will be launching next Friday!

On the top floor, we visited the NICU and PICU sections where we saw two Pumani bCPAP machines in use. During the tour, I learned how they currently keep the babies warm (using lamps), the organization of the rooms (preterms, at-risk of infection, etc.), sanitation practices, phototherapy lights to treat jaundice, and ways they strive to decrease infection. Doctors, nurses, mothers, and fathers all worked together for the health of the babies.

In preparation for our next hospital visit, one topic we researched heavily was Maternity Waiting Homes—a common solution in LMICs to provide obstetric services for high-risk mothers (severe anemia, hypertension, infections, etc.) in their last weeks of pregnancy. This low-cost method has decreased maternal mortality and improved neonatal health across many countries, with each waiting home tailored to its local setting. Dr. Floren highlighted how the Dominican Republic has invested in many clinics with proper equipment and nurses; however, there is a lack of a standardized system to 1) properly enroll mothers and 2) establish guidelines for better prenatal care used among these clinics.

Oftentimes, mothers who would benefit from the care of a waiting home face a language barrier (they mainly speak Creole) and do not trust these clinics for safety, privacy, or other reasons. As a result, finding ways to decrease these barriers and misconceptions as well as increase enrollment among girls of reproductive age could improve the usage and outcomes of these clinics.During our second week, Dr. Floren and George will bring us to three homes to observe and talk with some of the healthcare professionals!

Alas, when I was not busy researching on one of the projects, I was switching between 10 different tabs of places to explore Santo Domingo ~ ask my friends and they will tell you I’m a person with bucket lists!! And so our city adventures began! Just 20 minutes away from our apartment is the Zona Colonial, the first permanent establishment of the New World when Christopher Columbus arrived. Nicknamed the “Old City,” it is filled with historic landmarks and churches that we kept bumping into. We took a stroll from Columbus Park to Independence Park, seeing the shops that lined the roads, before making it to Calle Las Damas—the first street in Santo Domingo. We even got a glimpse of Fortaleza Ozama!

When Saturday came around, we explored Los Tres Ojos (Three Eyes) National Park, a limestone cave system with three different lakes or “eyes.” A fourth lake, open to the outside, can be accessed by a wooden boat, which we got to ride. Later, we spent the afternoon in Boca Chica, the nearest beach to Santo Domingo. The water was so clear and beautiful, making it a great swim and the perfect end to my first week in the Dominican Republic!