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Medical Missions, Community Health Missions, and Senior Care

Frontera de Salud is an interdisciplinary student run organization focused on service to underserved communities in Texas. This includes mission trips to Presidio, Texas, Senior Care in Galveston, Texas, and health fairs held in Galveston. To join and/or support their efforts, please follow this link to Frontera de Salud UTMB Facebook.

Frontera Past Events

  • Painting with Holland House Residents
    1. Date: 8/12/2022
    2. Officers: Yang Liu, Tuan Pham, Jacob Coronado, Srikruthi Krishnachaitanya, Alejandra Reyna
    3. Members: 4
    4. This was a senior care event at Holland House to encourage residents to paint and meet new UTMB students. Ceramic figures and coasters were provided along with acrylic and watercolor paints. A total of 12 residents came by to paint over the course of the 2-hour event.
    5. The goal was to promote social interaction and provide residents with an opportunity to express their creativity. Twelve residents participated in the event, and we were able to establish a positive relationship with the residents. The primary challenge was that some residents had mobility issues, making it difficult for them to participate fully. However, we provided them with assistance, and they were able to enjoy the event. The response was positive, and we plan to continue these types of activities.

    Members painting with Holland House residents (R to L) - FdS4: Michael Garza, Jacob Coronado, Yang Liu, Elysse Reyes, David Essex, Devin Davis

  • St. Vincent's Harvest and Distribution Days
    1. Dates: Mostly every week from 2/11/2022 until 2/28/2023
    2. Officers: Jacob Coronado, Tuan Pham, Yang Liu, Michelle Chan, Alejandra Reyna
    3. Members: 4-7
    4. Frontera de Salud (FdS) partnered with Seeding Galveston to grow vegetables and help donate them to Holland House. This event took place every week on "Harvest Day” where officers and volunteers came to the garden to perform maintenance, harvest the vegetables, and deliver to Holland House. Beds were watered on a daily to bi-daily basis depending on the season and longer maintenance days were scheduled as needed. Harvest Day would also change depending on the season as schedules changed at UTMB and at Holland House, but would generally be on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Wednesdays.
    5. The goal was to improve the availability of fresh and nutritious food to Holland House residents. Over 500 pounds of vegetables were donated to Holland House, and we were able to establish an effective partnership with Seeding Galveston. The primary challenge was the coordination of schedules, as we had to schedule Harvest Day around the changing schedules of UTMB and Holland House. In the future, we plan to expand the scope of the event by inviting more student organizations to participate and donate to other local charities.

     

    Resident at Holland House with FdS Members Depicted (R to L) - FdS1: Jennifer Ng, Daisy Gomez, and Melissa Leal

    Two FdS officers maintaining garden bed at Seeding Galveston (L to R) – FdS2: Michelle Chan Jacob Coronado

    FdS Officers and Volunteers at Holland House (L to R) - FdS3: Jacob Coronado, Jayanand Mijagiri, Yang Liu, Julie Pham, Tuan Pham, Jennifer Hernandez, Giavanna Garcia

  • National Night Out Booth at Holland House
    1. Date: 10/04/2022
    2. Officers: Tuan Pham, Jacob Coronado
    3. Members: 3
    4. Students had a small booth at the National Night Out Community Event at Holland House to give away veggies harvested from Seeding Galveston farm and to advertise about the building of the garden beds. The director, Odelia Williams invited us to attend as she expected many residents to participate and felt we would contribute to the festive atmosphere and hoped to get residents excited about the garden bed project.
  • La Michoacana Flu Vaccination Drive with Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) and Latin Medical Student Association (LMSA)
    1. Date: 10/15/2022
    2. Officers: Tuan Pham, Srikruthi Krishnachaitanya, Jacob Coronado
    3. Members: 5 (from FdS)
    4. FdS partnered with the Family Medicine Interest Group and the Latin Medical Student Association to train students and administer flu vaccines to community members. The vaccine booth was stationed outside a La Michoacana Meat Market in Galveston. Many patients were Spanish-speakers and FdS members had the opportunity to practice their medical Spanish. In addition, sunscreen, umbrellas, and winter and sun-protection clothing items were donated to patients to encourage them to stay warm and protected from the sun.

    FdS Members with volunteers from FMIG and LMSA - FdS5: Foreground (L to R): Alondra Uribe Sanchez (FdS), Kyra Roa, Rose Le, Bianca Rangel, Loreily Limon, Background (L to R): Srikruthi Krishnachaitanya (FdS), Kimberly Sanchez-Quintero (FdS), Elizabeth Tran (FdS), Jacob Coronado (FdS), Emma Tomes (FdS), Forrest Jones, Stanley Troung (FdS), Daniel Young, Tuan Pham (FdS), Jonathan Nielsen

  • Painting with Holland House Residents - October Event
    1. Date: 10/24/2022
    2. Officers: Heather Howard, Jacob Coronado, Tuan Pham, Yang Liu
    3. Volunteers: 2
    4. FdS hosted a painting event at Holland House with ceramic coasters and figures. Acrylic and watercolor paints were provided. 10 residents came by over the course of 2 hours to paint.

    FdS Officers setting up painting stations for residents – FdS7: Heather Howard (black scrubs) and Tuan Pham (red shirt)

    Holland House resident Painting - FdS8: Carla Grubbs

    FdS students with residents in community room – FdS9: Heather Howard, Elizabeth Tran, Tuan Pham, Yang Liu

  • ¿Hablas Espanol? Interprofessional Spanish Workshop
    1. Date: 10/24/2022
    2. Officers: Tuan Pham, Jacob Coronado, Yang Liu
    3. Members: 16
    4. FdS partnered with the Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity UTMB Chapter (COTAD UTMB) and Qué Quiere Decir (QQD) to host a Spanish workshop. This session focused on introduction and obtaining a chief complaint.
  • St. Vincent's Health Fair Sleep Hygiene Booth
    1. Date: 11/12/2022
    2. Officers: Tuan Pham, Jacob Coronado, Alejandra Reyna
    3. Members: 4
    4. FdS and ENT Interest Group hosted an information booth at St. Vincent’s Health Fair on Sleep Apnea and Sleep Hygiene to give community members an opportunity to learn the importance of sleep medicine.

    FdS members with ENTIG members (L to R) - FdS10: Adeola Ajijolaiya, Wilhelmina Tan, Zulfa Quadri, Laura Galvan (FdS), Stanley Troung (FdS), Jeff Bowcutt (FdS), Tuan Pham (FdS), Brittany Dang (FdS): 

  • Thanksgiving Gift Bag Making Event for Holland House Residents
    1. Date: 11/14/2022
    2. Officers: Tuan Pham, Yang Liu, Jacob Coronado
    3. Members: 2
    4. FdS members hosted a small Thanksgiving gift bag making event for residents to make gift bags for friends and family members they will visit over Thanksgiving holiday or for themselves.

    FdS members set out items to be filled in goodie bags (L to R) – FdS11: Jayanand Mijagiri and Yang Liu

  • ¿Hablas Espanol? Interprofessional Spanish Workshop - November Event
    1. Date: 11/28/2022
    2. Officers: Tuan Pham, Jacob Coronado
    3. Members: 8
    4. Second meeting in IPE Spanish Workshop series w/ COTAD UTMB and QQD. Officers from the Latin Medical Student Association (LMSA) also joined to help. This workshop focused on roleplaying. Topics included taking vital signs and interviewing patients with dementia, hyperactivity, and abdominal pain.
  • Christmas Gift Bags for Holland House Making Event
    1. Date: 12/2/2022
    2. Officers: Tuan Pham, Jacob Coronado, Yang Liu, Srikruthi Krishnachaitanya, Alejandra Reyna
    3. Members: 11
    4. FdS members met in Old Red building at UTMB to decorate gift bags for residents at Holland House. The decorated gift bags would be distributed to Holland House residents to make gift bags with handwritten letters.

    FdS members pose with created gift bags (L to R) - FdS12: Tuan Pham, Jessica Tierney, Jacob Coronado, Stanley Troung, Yang Liu, Srikruthi Krishnachaitanya, Chrstine Christensen, Marissa Halvorson, Alejandra Reyna, Jennifer Ng, Jayanand Mijagiri, Kimberly Sanchez-Quintero

  • Christmas Letter Writing & Gift Bag Distribution at Holland House Event
    1. Date: 12/5/2022
    2. Officers: Tuan Pham, Yang Liu, Jacob Coronado
    3. Members: 5
    4. This event was for residents at Holland House to create Christmas gift bags using the bags decorated by FdS members. Bags were pre-filled with Christmas related goodies and a letter writing station was provided for residents to write and decorate letters for friends and family.

    FdS students posing with letter writing materials (L to R) - FdS13: Elizabeth Tran, Yang Liu, Tuan Pham, Stanley Troung, Nova Claire Philips, Elysse Reyes, Megan Offutt, Jayanand Mijagiri, Jacob Coronado 

  • Christmas Toys for Candelaria Wrapping Event
    1. Date: 12/8/2022
    2. Officers: Tuan Pham, Yang Liu, Jacob Coronado
    3. Members: 6
    4. FdS members organized health care items, screening items, and medicines to be taken on the FdS Big Bend Medical Mission Trip. Also organized medical and health care items to be donated to healthcare providers in Big Bend region and to residents of Candelaria. Toys were also gift wrapped for Christmas to be donated to children in Presidio and Candelaria.
  • Frontera de Salud Big Bend Medical Mission Trip
    1. Dates: 12/17/2022-12/23/2022
    2. Officers: Tuan Pham, Yang Liu, Jacob Coronado
    3. Members: 15
    4. This medical mission trip took us to Brewster and Presidio County. The first two days were spent traveling to Alpine, TX. We stopped in San Antonio on the first day and explored the riverwalk during Ford Fiesta de las Luminarias around Christmastime. We arrived in Alpine, TX on Sunday and had the chance to explore Alpine, visit Dr. Billings and his family, meet the two Drs. Ray, eat at local restaurants, and then drove to see the Marfa lights that evening. On Monday morning, we split ourselves into two groups. One group of nursing and medical students worked with Dr. Ray at the Presidio Medical Clinic while the other group went to Terlingua, TX to tour the local EMS center and speak with the emergency response crew and learn what their jobs were like being so isolated and self-reliant. After the tour, students were directed to the Big Bend Resort & Adventures Hotel where they were able to help set up a pop-up screening clinic and screen residents of Terlingua for medical problems. Residents with more serious medical problems were referred and given the contact information for office of Dr. Ray at the Presidio Medical Clinic.

      That evening, the students met back in Alpine for dinner and after, they hiked up Hancock hill to see the city at night. On Tuesday morning, a group of students went to hike in the Davis Mountains State Park. When they returned, the group then again was split into two, with a group of nursing and medical students heading to Presidio to work with Dr. Ray. The remaining students stayed in Alpine to tour and help set up a pop-up clinic at the Sunshine clinic located in town.

      Later in the day, Dr. Billings took a smaller group of UTMB students to Marathon, TX along with a few students from the SOM at Texas Tech Lubbock to set up another pop-up clinic. Horses were also brought with them for a impromptu animal therapy lesson. That evening, students met back in Alpine for dinner and had the opportunity to travel to the McDonald Observatory for the star party event there.

      On Wednesday morning, students were able to travel to Candelaria, TX to bring medical supplies, clothing items, and presents for the children. Students were also able to explore the small border town and meet with some of the residents there. Any extra presents not given away in Candelaria were brought back to the Presidio clinic for the clinic staff to hand out. After a brief stop in Presidio, students then traveled back to San Antonio and then Galveston, concluding the trip.

    (L to R) - FdS14; Background: Kimberly Sanchez-Quintero, Jenny Jaimes, Elysse Reyes, Kevin Chen, Liam de Vassal, Jacob Coronado; Middle Row: Jayanand Mijagirim Tuan Pham, Nova Claire Philips, Emma Tomes, Yang Liue, Alondra Uribe-Sanchez, Adonai Paz; Foreground:  Laura Galvan, Dr. Norma Perez, Elizabeth Tran.

    FdS Members at Presidio County Medical Clinic (L to R) - FdS15; Background: Tuan Pham, Liam de Vassal, Elysse Reyes, Jayanand Mijagiri, Stanley Troung, Nova Claire Philips, Alondra Uribe-Sanchez, Adonai Paz, Dakota Rodgers; Middle: Emma Tomes, Jenny Jaimes, Kevin Chen, Kimberly Sanchez-Quintero; Foreground: Laura Galvan, Jacob Coronado, Yang Liu, Izzy Favela, Elizabeth Tran

    FdS members organizing supplies at the Sunshine Clinic in Alpine for screening event (L to R) - FdS16: Stanley Troung, Liam de Vassal, Kevin Chen, Emma Tomes

    FdS Members at Screening Clinic in Marathon with students from Texas Tech Lubbock SOM – FdS17: Elysse Reyes, Laura Galvan, Jenny Jaimes, Jacob Coronado

  • ¿Hablas Espanol? Interprofessional Spanish Workshop (February Event)
    1. Date: 2/6/2023
    2. Officers: Tuan Pham and Jacob Coronado
    3. Members: 4
    4. Third event Interprofessional Spanish workshop event with COTAD UTMB, LMSA, QQD to learn new medical vocabulary using Loteria.
  • Frontera Holland House Garden Bed Construction
    1. Date: 2/25/2023
    2. Officers: Jacob Coronado, Tuan Pham, Yang Liu
    3. Members: 32
    4. FdS built 3 garden beds at Holland House courtyard with additional funding from the President’s Cabinet Award at UTMB. Interviews with 16 residents were also conducted before construction of beds to learn about what residents knew about their own health, gather advice for future events, address needs, recognize resident eating habits, and gather suggestions for what residents wanted to see grown in the beds. This interview was a part of an FdS program Quality Improvement research project at Holland House.

     

    FdS Members in front of garden beds with Director of Galveston Housing Authority (L to R) - FdS18: Background: Randy Manning, Ms. Odelia Williams, Justin Zhu, Jacob Coronado, Tuan Pham, Jayanand Mijagiri, Yang Liu, Isabel Lewis, Emma Tomes, Nathaniel Holman; Foreground: Lydia Jepsen, Stanley Troung, and Katherine Clemens

    FdS Members constructing garden bed (L to R) - FdS 19: Jayanand Mijagiri, Alejandra Reyna, Justin Zhu

    FdS Members placing garden bed (L to R) - FdS20: Sasha Ortiz and Randy Manning

    FdS Members filling wheelbarrows and buckets to transport soil to garden beds (L to R) - FdS21: Stanley Troung, Jenny Jaimes, Nathan Holman

  • ¿Hablas Espanol? Interprofessional Spanish Workshop (March Event)
    1. Date: 3/1/2023
    2. Officers: Tuan Pham and Jacob Coronado
    3. Members: 6
    4. Fourth interprofessional Spanish workshop event with COTAD UTMB, LMSA, and QQD to do more involved roleplaying of neurological and psychiatric cases.
  • Frontera Garden Bed Planting
    1. Date: 3/4/2023
    2. Officers: Jacob Coronado, Tuan Pham, Yang Liu
    3. Members: 6
    4. FdS partnered with students from Student National Medical Association at UTMB (SNMA) to plant vegetables at the garden beds at Holland House.

    FdS students (L to R) - FdS22: Background: Kimberly Sanchez-Quintero, Katherine Clemens, Jayanand Mijagiri, Yang Liu, Jacob Coronado, Tuan Pham, Randy Manning; Foreground: Stanley Troung, Elysse Reyes

    FdS members planting vegetables – FdS23: Emma Tomes, Kimberly Sanchez Quintero, Randy Manning, Katherine Clemens, Jennifer Hernandez

    Planting of vegetables


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