During the year, the MIMA Foundation volunteers work collecting supplies that will be used on the upcoming mission. We bring all medical supplies that will be needed for the trip, including sterile supplies, instruments, sutures, medications, monitors, etc. Essentially, the hospital provides us the OR, sterilizers, electricity and beds for the patients, as well as examining rooms. Each surgical specialty has its own needs; therefore team members must be aware and constantly collecting supplies that will be needed for the trip. Supplies that will need to be re sterilized must be delivered to St. Mary’s in ample time, providing the volunteers in Sterile Processing adequate time for this. Medical volunteers that will hold clinics in the orphanage and outposts should collect items that would be useful in that setting. Antibiotics are of utmost importance; however no expired medication or supplies can be brought into the country. Those who live locally (West Palm Beach area) will be notified of meeting dates where supplies are organized and packed for the trip. This is an essential part of the planning of the trip; without supplies, we wouldn’t be able to work in Bolivia. All supplies must be packed and inventoried and documentation must be in the Bolivian Consulate in Miami 6 weeks prior to departure. No additional non-inventoried supplies can be brought into the country.

A visa is now required when traveling to Bolivia.  This is your responsibility. Please go to the web site www.bolivia-usa.org for instructions.  In order to obtain this you will need to send your passport, completed Bolivian visa application, color passport size photo, a copy of your yellow fever immunization card, copy of airline reservations, copy of hotel reservations or letter of invitation, copy of current credit card or bank statement, and $100 money order to the Bolivian Embassy in Washington, DC or a local Bolivian consulate.  There is one located in Miami and one is to open in the Chicago area in the near future.  We are working on trying to get the fee waived or decreased since we are volunteering.  We will keep you updated on this matter. 

Yellow fever immunization is now required when traveling to Bolivia.  This is your responsibility to obtain and proof will be needed for your Bolivian Visa.  The cost varies but is approximately $100-$150.  If you check with the CDC, you may see precautions for malaria. However, this is not a risk in the area that we will be working in due to the altitude.  We do recommend repeating your tetanus shot if it is near expiration, and some do recommend Hepatitis A. No prophylactic antibiotics should be taken. Cipro is the drug of choice for intestinal maladies; and we will have that available should anyone need it. However, we do take Pepto-Bismol, 2 tabs BID starting 48 hours prior to departure and to continue throughout the trip. We are very careful with our food and water, since this is the biggest risk that you may encounter. If you stay with the group, and eat at the restaurants that are recommended, avoiding fruit and vegetables and any drinks that are not bottled, the risk diminishes to almost nil. You can check the CDC web  site for complete health travel information.

Packing for the trip is easy. The weather in June is considered winter. It’s lovely though, with daytime high temperatures approximately 65 degrees F, and lows at night in the 40’s. We dress casually; jeans and t-shirts and light jackets, sweatshirts or fleece jackets are the attire daily. We rarely need dressy clothing; one evening is set aside for a party, but nothing fancy is required. There is a laundry facility at the hotel, which makes packing easy. You will need to bring your own scrubs and lab coats and outdoor type clothing for visiting the clinics in the mountains. The weather outside the city can be cooler and rougher terrain, so light weight hiking boots are useful. Please, only one suitcase each. We use all extra weight allotment for boxes, filled with needed medical supplies.  

We stay at a very nice Apart-Hotel; this is like a small efficiency apartment usually with refrigerator and private baths. All rooms are doubles with plenty of privacy; however, some volunteers feel strongly about having private accommodations. If they are available and it is reserved in advance, team members are responsible for the additional cost (approximately $150 per week.) Voltage is 220w and adapters are necessary for electrical appliances. These can be bought at Wal-Mart or a travel store and are not expensive. You will need these for charging cameras, videos and personal appliances, such as hairdryers as well as medical supplies such as pulse ox meters. There is a laundry facility at the hotel. Telephones are available in each room. It is highly recommended to purchase a MCI card prior to departure or to arrange a long distance rate on your calling card for use in Bolivia. It can be as cheap as 50 cents per minute or as expensive as $4.00 per minute. There is an Internet directly across the street from the hotel. It is very reasonable and the computers are great.

Departure is on Thursday June 12th or June 19th, 2008, depending on which team you will be joining. If you have any plans to fly apart from the group or stay beyond the scheduled dates, I need to know in advance. We travel as a group in order to get a slight discount on the flights and the extra allotment for the baggage, and West Palm Beach team travels together to the airport in Miami, and will be arranged as we get closer to the departure. You must prearrange with us if you will not be meeting the group in West Palm Beach or Miami. If you are traveling to Miami from another location, we will advise you of the meeting time in Miami in order to arrange your flights to coincide with ours. We have to check in together, so you must be there at the designated time. The flights to Bolivia and back to Miami are usually at night arriving at the destination on the next day.  Please remember this if you are making other reservations or plans upon your return.  We arrive in Cochabamba at approximately 8:30 am the following morning. They are on EST. The return flight usually arrives back in Miami around 6 am the following morning.

Upon arrival in Bolivia, we are usually welcomed by a crowd; friends, hospital personnel, and curious citizens that have been anticipating the MIMA team. The people are grateful, friendly and sincere, and most volunteers feel very excited at this reception. From the airport, the team is brought to the hotel where the first day is considered a free day to get organized and rest. We have an announcement board in the hotel lobby to advise the team daily of the schedule. We will meet in the evening for dinner and discuss the plans for the following day.  Remember that Cochabamba is 8400 feet in elevation; the outlying clinics are even higher. You will need to drink plenty of water daily to maintain hydration.  Bottled water will be available in your hotel room as well as in various locations at the hospital. It’s best to bring a sports water bottle that you can refill throughout the day. Only bottled water should be used. This includes brushing your teeth, and no ice in your drinks. You should have 48 hours of Pepto-Bismol in your system by this time, but there is never a time that you should let your guard down.

After breakfast on Sunday morning, we go to the hospital for the clinic day. We will be visiting patients that have already been pre-screened for surgery and the surgical schedule will be made at this time. Those not working in the clinics will be unpacking supplies and organizing the work room so everything is ready for the start of surgery on Monday morning. Many team members bring snacks for the week at the hospital. We also bring a box of food, such as tuna, chicken, crackers, cheese, etc for lunch at the hospital. However, if you can stuff some of your favorite snacks into your suitcase, you will be happy with the diversion by the week’s end. Dinner will be your own responsibility.  The cost will average $5-$10 depending on the restaurant and your order.  Breakfast at the hotel and lunch at the hospital will be covered by MIMA.

Surgery starts on Monday morning after meeting for breakfast at the hotel. The group leaves together on the bus that will be provided for us for the entire week. We attempt to keep the schedule reasonable; beginning surgery by 9 am and finishing by 5 pm. Those that leave for the clinics will depart from the hospital and the schedule will determined on a daily basis. At the day’s end, the team usually goes to dinner at one of several recommended restaurants.  We have been traveling to Cochabamba for 15 years and it is highly recommended that you eat only in the locations that are tried and true with minimal risk of illness. We have a list of these places if you decide not to eat with the team. 

There’s not much free time during the week. However, Friday night is usually our party night and we normally have a party at the hotel for the hospital staff we have worked with during the week.   Dressy clothes are not necessary for this evening; Saturday morning is free for shopping and sight seeing. The usual departure from the hotel to the airport is 6 pm, and we attempt to check the baggage in advance, giving more free time on the last day. A departure tax of $24 per person is needed to leave the country.  This is paid at the airport in Cochabamba and is your responsibility. We have great shopping locations and lots of tips. American dollars are accepted everywhere, but they cannot have any marks on them or be torn. It’s best to keep them in small denominations, $20 being the largest. Credit cards are accepted in many locations, but with a hefty charge, and travelers checks are rarely used for the same reason. We actually travel with American money, leaving the majority of it locked up in the hotel safe until needed. We will be arranging a side trip after the team finishes working.