Iron Deficiency Anemia in Haitian Immigrants Related to Inadequate Nutrition and Parasites

Abstract

The nursing department at the University of North Georgia (UNG) has participated in a study abroad medical mission trip to La Romana, a large city in the Dominican Republic (DR), for the past six years. The nursing volunteer team partners with the Good Samaritan Hospital (Hospital el Buen Samaritano) in order to provide philanthropic healthcare to the local sugar cane plantation population. While the program since its inception has provided much-needed service to Haitian immigrants in the DR, this study seeks to improve the program’s service through research illuminating the problem of anemia in the area and identification of ways to improve adequate nutrition, parasite removal, and education.