The Estuary begins collaboration with the School of Medicine at the Medical Sciences Campus

The Estuary and the School of Medicine at the Medical Sciences Campus of the University of Puerto Rico have begun a collaboration through the course: Service Learning and Community Health , offered by Professor Melany López Maldonado. Throughout the course, students have the opportunity to support a community or non-profit organization with their knowledge, while also learning about the work the organization does at the community level.

During November and December 2020, six fourth-year medical students developed various educational materials for the communities. For example, they created informational videos about environmental factors that affect health and how to stay healthy during natural disasters or a pandemic . They also developed an environmental health questionnaire to collect data in the communities served by the Estuary and created additional content on solid waste and green infrastructure.

Their support has been invaluable in advancing the Estuary projects and raising awareness about the importance of restoring and conserving waterways. This experience has allowed students to learn firsthand about the situation in several communities located in the estuary watershed. They visited the resilient centers in Loíza and Caimito and listened to the needs of the communities by speaking with residents of Caimito and Cataño, community leaders from Piñones and Parcelas Suárez in Loíza, and representatives from organizations such as Taller Salud, COPI, and El Ancón.

Thanks to the participation of these talented young people, the message and importance of environmental conservation will reach more people. This learning and reflection experience will allow these future doctors to establish a better relationship with the environment and share this information in their daily practice with patients and communities when they begin their careers. 

We thank Professor López Maldonado and her students, as well as the communities that have welcomed us. At the Estuary, we want to contribute to developing a healthier and more resilient watershed. We are confident that through collaborations like this, we will achieve it.