DOCARE

Last updated
DOCARE International
DOCARE International logo.jpg
Formation1961
PurposeMedical
Location
Region served
Western Hemisphere,
South America
President
Allison L. Abraham, DO [1]
Vice President
Shane Sergent, DO [1]
Parent organization
American Osteopathic Association
Website docareintl.org

DOCARE International is a non-profit medical outreach program that brings health care to underserved communities in remote areas of the Western Hemisphere. [2] DOCARE International provides health care services through permanent medical clinics and short-term outreach trips. [3] DOCARE International has worked in countries such as Haiti, Guatemala, [4] Nicaragua, Haiti, Peru, India, Malawi, Uganda, and Tanzania. [5] DOCARE International operates three permanent clinics, two Guatemala (San Andrés Itzapa and Tecpán Guatemala) and one in Chacraseca, Nigaragua. [6] [7]

Contents

History

DOCARE was founded by Ernest A. Allaby, D.O. in 1961. [8] [9] DOCARE is operated by the American Osteopathic Association, [10] and consists of osteopathic physicians (DO), osteopathic medical students, M.D. physicians, and other healthcare professionals. [11]

DOCARE has partnered with the US Navy on medical missions. [12]

Related Research Articles

Osteopathy Alternative medicine involving physical manipulation of muscle and bones

Osteopathy is a type of alternative medicine that emphasizes physical manipulation of the body's muscle tissue and bones. Practitioners of osteopathy are referred to as osteopaths. Its name derives from Ancient Greek "bone" and "pain, suffering".

Osteopathic medicine is a branch of the medical profession in the United States that promotes the practice of allopathic medicine with a set of philosophy and principles set by its earlier form, osteopathy. Osteopathic physicians (DOs) are licensed to practice medicine and surgery in all 50 US states. Only graduates of American osteopathic medical colleges may practice the full scope of medicine and surgery generally considered to be medicine by the general public; US DO graduates have historically applied for medical licensure in 87 countries outside of the United States, 85 of which provided them with the full scope of medical and surgical practice. The field is distinct from osteopathic practices offered in nations outside of the U.S., whose practitioners are generally not considered part of core medical staff nor of medicine itself. The other major branch of medicine in the United States is referred to by practitioners of osteopathic medicine as allopathic medicine.

Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine

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Des Moines University Private medical school and health sciences university

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San Andrés Itzapa Municipality and town in Chimaltenango, Guatemala

San Andrés Itzapa is a town, with a population of 24,992, and a municipality of Chimaltenango, Guatemala. San Andrés Itzapa is in the eastern region of Chimaltenango, while the district capital lies to the north, Acatenango lies to the south and to the east is Parramos. The municipality cover an area of 63.7 km2, with a total population of 32,083.

American Osteopathic Association

The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) is the representative member organization for the more than 145,000 osteopathic medical doctors (D.O.s) and osteopathic medical students in the United States. The AOA is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and is involved in post-graduate training for osteopathic physicians. Beginning in 2015, it began accrediting post-graduate education as a committee within ACGME, creating a unified accreditation system for all DOs and MDs in the United States. The organization promotes public health, encourages academic scientific research, serves as the primary certifying body for D.O.s overseeing 18 certifying boards, and is the accrediting agency for osteopathic medical schools through its Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation. As of October 2015, the AOA no longer owns the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP), which accredited hospitals and other health care facilities.

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) is a private medical school with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and additional locations in Suwanee, Georgia and Moultrie, Georgia.

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Touro University Nevada Private university in Henderson, Nevada

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Most physicians in the United States hold either the Doctor of Medicine degree (MD) or the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree (DO). Institutions awarding the MD are accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). Institutions awarding the DO are accredited by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA). The World Directory of Medical Schools lists both LCME accredited MD programs and COCA accredited DO programs as US medical schools. Foreign-trained osteopaths do not hold DO degrees and are not recognized as physicians in the United States or in other jurisdictions.

Americares is a global non-profit organization focused on health and development that respond to individuals affected by poverty, disaster, or crisis. The organization addresses poverty, disasters, or crises with medicine, medical supplies and health programs.

New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine

The New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYIT-COM) is a private, non-profit medical school located primarily in Old Westbury, Long Island in the U.S. state of New York. It also has a degree-granting campus in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Founded in 1977, NYIT-COM is an academic division of the New York Institute of Technology. Formerly known as the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, it is one of the largest medical schools in the United States.

A.T. Still University medical school

A.T. Still University (ATSU) is a private medical school based in Kirksville, Missouri, with a second campus in Arizona. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.The World Directory of Medical Schools lists the medical school as a US medical school along with other accredited US MD and DO programs. ATSU includes two campuses on 200 acres with six schools and colleges. ATSU offers degrees in medicine, athletic training, audiology, dentistry, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. Founded in 1892 by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still, it was the world's first osteopathic medical school. In 1995, a new campus opened in Arizona.

Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Rocky Vista University (RVU) is a private, for-profit medical school with campus locations in Parker, Colorado and Ivins, Utah. The school opened in 2006 as the only modern for-profit medical school in the United States, although other for-profit schools have since opened. RVU's College of Osteopathic Medicine (RVUCOM) grants the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree and admitted its inaugural class of medical students at the Parker, Colorado campus in August 2008. The World Directory of Medical Schools lists the school as a US medical school along with other accredited US MD and DO programs.

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The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNECOM) is a private, non-profit medical school, located in Biddeford, Maine. Founded in 1978, the college is part of the University of New England, and grants two degrees: the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree and a Master of Medical Education Leadership. According to U.S. News & World Report, UNECOM graduates the 6th most physicians of any U.S. medical school that go on to practice in a primary care specialty.

College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific

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Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine

The Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (OU-HCOM) is the medical school of Ohio University and the only osteopathic medical school in the U.S. state of Ohio. Its mission is to emphasize the practice of primary care and train physicians to serve Ohio, especially in the underserved Appalachian and urban areas of the state.

National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners

The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME), founded in 1934 as the National Osteopathic Board of Examiners for Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons, Inc., is a United States examination board which sets state recognized examinations for osteopathic medical students and began administering exams in February 1935. The NBOME is an independent, not-for-profit organization and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. The NBOME states that its mission is "to protect the public by providing the means to assess competencies for osteopathic medicine and related health care professions." The NBOME conducts research to monitor the quality of the COMLEX examinations.

Health & Help

Health & Help is an international non-governmental humanitarian aid organization, providing medical care in developing countries. The organization opened its clinics in Central American countries with poorly developed infrastructure and low-income population, with little or medical care in most of the regions. The project was founded in 2015 by Viktoria Valikova, MD, an infectious disease specialist from Ufa, Russia, who has been working in Central America since 2014, and Karina Basharova, the CEO of the project. The first clinic opened its doors in early 2017[1][2]. There are two Health & Help medical facilities in Central America, located in rural parts of Guatemala and Nicaragua. Health & Help staff includes multinational volunteer physicians and other medical professionals as well as photographers, coordinators, assistants, construction workers and home-based specialists[3].

References

  1. 1 2 "Annual Report 2019 - 2020" (PDF). DO International. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  2. "About DOCARE". DOCARE International. 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  3. Samano, Kate (April 26, 2017). "DOCARE: Volunteer outreach opportunities at home and abroad". The DO.
  4. Tsai, Jeffrey Y (March 11, 2014). "Our mission to Guatemala was grueling—and I can't wait to go back". The DO.
  5. "Past Trips". DOCARE International. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  6. Selby, Laura (October 7, 2016). "When choosing a medical mission, continuity of care matters. Here's why". The DO.
  7. Selby, Laura (April 7, 2016). "How DOCARE's permanent clinics are making a difference in Guatemala and Nicaragua". The DO.
  8. "History". DOCARE International. 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  9. Kelli Glasser (2012). "Medical Mission Basics: My Experience with DOCARE" (PDF). American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 March 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
  10. "Nonpractice Organizations". American Osteopathic Association. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  11. Ajluni, Peter B. (December 2007). "Do care about DOCARE" (PDF). The DO . Retrieved 25 September 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  12. Crosby, John. "DOCARE International Announces Medical Missions". American Osteopathic Association. Archived from the original on 14 April 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2012.

Coordinates: 41°53′39″N87°37′08″W / 41.8942°N 87.6190°W / 41.8942; -87.6190