This summer, I participated in a 10-day medical mission in Costa Rica with Hands with Heart that was unlike many traditional medical outreach trips. Rather than focusing primarily on distributing medications, our team provided osteopathic manipulative treatment to children with disabilities while also treating their family members to emphasize the importance of caring for the entire family unit.
During the first five days, we worked in the city of Cartago at one of the country’s few schools dedicated to children with disabilities. There, we collaborated with local providers to deliver osteopathic care tailored to each child’s unique needs. We then traveled deep into the Costa Rican jungle, where we hiked through the intense heat and humidity to reach the homes of families living in an indigenous community. Providing care in these remote settings highlighted both the challenges and the importance of bringing healthcare to underserved populations.
One of the most rewarding aspects of the experience was collaborating with health care professionals and students from five different countries. We worked alongside multidisciplinary rehabilitation and specialized care teams, gaining valuable perspectives on international, collaborative patient care.
The mission centered on delivering specialized health care, empowering families to support long-term health, building partnerships with local communities and expanding access to care for underserved populations.
As an osteopathic medical student, it was an incredible opportunity to see firsthand how OMT can improve quality of life in diverse cultural and clinical settings while reinforcing the osteopathic philosophy of treating the whole person.
