STATE COLLEGE — Mount Nittany Health is proud to have an exceptional team of medical professionals who have extended their services beyond the borders of Pennsylvania to provide comprehensive care, medical services and supplies to villages in Africa.
In 2011, Dr. Samuel Owusu of Geisinger and his wife, nurse Belinda Owusu, founded the nonprofit Ghana Medical Relief with the goal of providing and making health care accessible to underserved communities in Ghana.
“One of the reasons why I became a physician was because, growing up in Ghana, I saw the need. I always wanted to become a physician and to go back and work with communities to improve their health,” said Owusu, a provider at Mount Nittany Medical Center.
Over the past several years, a team of nurses from Mount Nittany Health have joined Owusu’s team of providers and volunteers from around the world to provide care to underserved communities in Ghana. During the most recent trip, the team saw over 6,000 patients in different medical specialty areas including pediatrics, urology, dentistry and gynecology. In addition to providing excellent clinical care, the group also teaches and offers educational opportunities to local medical professionals and community members.
Jessica Lewis, M.S.N., B.S.N., RN, manager, Mount Nittany Health Women and Children’s Services, discussed her experience traveling with the group in 2021: “We helped teach CPR at their school of nursing so they could learn different techniques. They learn with books and have the basic knowledge, but we were able to take high-tech mannequins, so they were able to practice their skills.”
For the medical professionals who travel from central Pennsylvania, it is an eye-opening experience to see a community lacking in resources and supplies. Additionally, many of the diseases and conditions that are easily treated or uncommon in the United States are prevalent in Ghana.
“Malaria is the most common illness in Ghana,” said Betty Getz, R.N., Women and Children’s Services. “We don’t have malaria in the United States because we have bug spray and medicine to treat it. What hits my heart most is the people in Ghana don’t have access to many of the things we take for granted.”
Linda Solano, R.N., Women and Children’s Services, was encouraged by Owusu to volunteer as part of the medical mission. “I’ve worked in the Centre County community and at Mount Nittany Health for many years,” said Solano. “It’s a privilege to share my experience with the underserved people of Ghana. It’s an honor to work with the whole team.”
Ghana Medical Relief is now busy planning its next trip, which is scheduled to take place in July 2023. In collaboration with the central Pennsylvania organization iPETG (Institute for Promoting Health, Education and the Arts, and Technology), headed by Grace Hampton and Nadir Muntaka, the team will travel to the northern city of Tamale, where they hope to provide care to 10,000 people. The organization is always looking for new volunteers, including medical professionals or anyone else who may be interested in helping the cause.
This mission is completely self and community funded. Volunteers seek out fundraising opportunities, such as working the concession stands at Penn State football games.
Ghana Medical Relief is a nonprofit humanitarian organization that delivers health care to various villages in Ghana. Those who are interested in learning more about the organization or making a donation are encouraged to visit the Ghana Medical Relief website, ghanamedicalrelief.com.
Submitted photo
A team of medical professionals from Mount Nittany Health have extended their services to provide comprehensive care, medical services and supplies to villages in Africa. Pictured, from left, are Susie Walker, R.N., Geisinger Medical Group; Jessica Lewis, M.S.N., B.S.N., R.N., manager, Mount Nittany Health Women and Children’s Services; Belinda Owusu, R.N.; Amy Frantz, R.N., Women and Children’s Services; Samuel Owusu, M.D., OB/GYN, Geisinger; Betty Getz, R.N., Women and Children’s Services; and Linda Solano, R.N., Women and Children’s Services.
