Medical Brigade

Why we do medical brigades

Primary care brigades are an important part of MEDLIFE’s mission to help the poor live healthier lives. Our brigades provide medical and dental services for patients with extremely limited means of obtaining good care. It is crucial for our professionals as well as student participants to understand that there are limits to the care we can provide on the trip. Many people feel that medical missions are not sustainable, and usually we would say they’re right, but when we committ ourselves to patient care beyond our medical brigades, and give our staff the tools to help poor patients year round we can change that. MEDLIFE works year-round to arrange follow-up care for those patients that need further medical assistance. Furthermore, each brigade is a critical piece of MEDLIFE’s greater commitment to the communities we serve. Cumulatively, our brigades visit and revisit communities, building strong relationships through which we can begin working toward more sustainable solutions. For example, MEDLIFE is currently raising funds toward the construction of a permanent clinic to provide low-cost care for the residents of Cebadas, Ecuador. As a first step, MEDLIFE is working to establish a pharmacy to provide more consistent access to medications for our patients. From short term trips to long term sustainability, that’s the goal.

If you are interested in participating in a medical mission look at possible dates below and click apply. If you choose to apply to a medical brigade you will be asked to pay $100 (which is non-refundable) to hold your spot in that medical mission.  Your participation in the brigade will be confirmed when you have completed 100% of the application, paid the full mission fee and purchased your ticket.  Then you’ll be ready to go!