Juli Huang; Photo courtesy of Juli Huang

It’s happened to lots of Matador members: you get together with some friends, have a couple drinks, talk about travel, and before you know it, you’ve dreamed up your next adventure.

For Matador intern Juli Huang, it happened at a birthday party last month. After telling some people about her volunteer work with a community health clinic in Berkeley, California and her passion for advocating health care for everyone, Juli learned about Global Medical Brigades, an organization that brings together medical professionals, students, lay health care workers, and volunteers to provide health care and health education to communities in Latin America that lack health care access, resources, and information.

After learning more about the organization, Juli signed on for a week-long volunteer trip in Honduras that will take place in January 2010.

The trip is an extension of the work she’s been doing in Berkeley. As she says, “the provision of health care as a basic human service independent of privilege or race or condition or history is extremely important to me. And though I am not interested in embarking down the path to becoming a medical professional, helping to provide people with the information to exercise more agency over their own health is something I feel strongly about.”

As part of the medical brigade, Juli will help with patient intake, triage, pharmacy, and education. Depending on the amount of money the organization raises prior to the trip, she may also be involved in public health education workshops in Honduras, focusing in particular on getting word out about how hand-washing and sanitized water can cut down on the number diarrheal deaths and disease transmission. If you’d like to make a donation to support the brigade’s work, click here.

We look forward to her first-person dispatches from Honduras.

Community Connection:

Want to learn more about volunteer opportunities abroad? Check out Matador’s organizational member listings here.

Photo: Esparta

I’m writing from New York City, where, at last count, the Department of Health reported 44 confirmed swine flu cases.

While New Yorkers are being advised not to panic and to go about their normal routines, two schools where students have been diagnosed with flu have closed temporarily and new flu clusters have been identified. Already, local tourism officials are taking measures to ensure that the swine flu scare doesn’t cause travelers to avoid New York City.

Regardless of whether concern is warranted, though, it’s becoming increasingly clear that swine flu is already having a significant impact on travel and tourism.

Here’s a round up of the latest news about how swine flu is changing travel recommendations and plans:

-Argentina and Cuba announced today that they are temporarily suspending flights to and from Mexico, which is currently the center of the swine flu crisis.Similar measures were taken by Canada’s WestJet and Air Canada airlines.

-Mexico City has banned most public events and has closed schools, public pools, gyms and sports clubs, theaters, nightclubs until further notice as a precautionary measure intended to contain the spread of the virus. In Mexico City? Don’t expect to go out to eat; all restaurants have been told they can serve take-out only.

Photo: playadura

-At present, Mexico City’s massive subway system is still running, though the city government continues to evaluate whether shutting the Metro temporarily will help control the crisis.

-Britain has suspended all consular and visa services at its Mexico City office until further notice.

-The European Union issued travel warnings to its citizens, advising them to postpone non-essential travel to the United States and Mexico.

-Swine flu cases were either identified or being investigated in the following countries as of Tuesday, April 28: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Guatemala, Israel, New Zealand, Peru, South Korea, Spain, the UK, and seven EU states. As the number of cases are determined, voluntary travel restrictions to and from these countries may be put in place.

-The governments of Russia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan announced they would quarantine any visitors to their countries who show symptoms of swine flu.

-On April 27, the World Health Organization indicated that it does NOT support the suspension of travel or the closure of borders by national governments. It does, however, encourage travelers without a non-urgent need to travel to reconsider their plans. The WHO also recommended that anyone feeling ill should not travel, and anyone who becomes ill after traveling should seek immediate medical attention.

-To keep track of developments and recommendations for travel to and within the United States, visit the Centers for Disease Control’s swine flu page here. The CDC also maintains a link to swine flu travel alerts.

-To keep track of developments and recommendations for travel elsewhere in the world, read the World Health Organization’s daily updates here.

Community Connection:

Have you changed your travel plans due to swine flu? Are you currently in Mexico? Share your experiences below.

Here in the US, we complain a lot about our healthcare system.

Our eyes grow big at the seemingly mythical tales told by the likes of Michael Moore in “Sicko”:

All new mothers in France receive drop-in household assistance?!

Doctors perform emergency house calls?! Heck, I’d be happy with some health insurance!

By comparison, our system seems hopelessly antiquated.

But around the US, both patients and providers are getting fed up and have started thinking outside the box.

A recent article in GOOD magazine highlighted the work of Jay Parkinson, a 32 year old Brooklyn-based doctor who’s determined to make health care more accessible and more affordable by going high-tech.

Parkinson started Hello Health, a collective of doctors who operate independently of insurance companies, charging members a $35 monthly membership fee to begin accessing services.

Think of it as the 21st century doctor’s home visit: a regular consult, boosted with modern day tools like IM and e-mail consultations. Hello Health’s website has a social networking feel, and Dr. Parkinson is totally hip to YouTube. In face, here’s one of his videos:

What do you think about “Medicine 2.0″? Is the Hello Health model a viable alternative to the care you’re receiving now? Share your feedback in the comments.

Photo: Pocketdora (Flickr creative commons)