Bolivia: Global Health Lessons in Ecotourism & Community Health
- GPH Staff
- Mar 25, 2020
- 1 min read
Updated: Apr 22, 2020
Presenter: Charissa Zhu, Psychology & Family Science, Global Public Health Scholars
I traveled to various locations in Bolivia to learn more aboutindigenous healthcare, ecotourism, and integrative health. We talked to indigenous community members, local field experts, and healthcare workers to gain a deeper understanding on the complex nature of indigenous healthcare and its relationship with the concept of One Health, which refers to the connected health outcomes of animals, people, and the environment. Through our discussions, we discovered that the best way to support indigenous and community health was to provide financial aid to local healthcare workers who already have established relationships with remote indigenous communities and provide healthcare, albeit at an increasingly lower rate due to a lack of funding.
I really like that you brought One Health learning to the forefront of your presentation. Your personality and storytelling ability comes through. I look forward to seeing how you use this learning to teach others about supporting remote communities and disease prevention. Very informative, Charissa!
Hi Charissa!
I love the fact that you were able to study abroad in such a way for your practicum! It must've been a life-changing experience. Did you see any difference between each of the communities when it came to their public health interventions, or did it seem fairly universal across each community? Also, do you believe that teaching indigenous people about ideas such as dental hygiene enough? What could be done to ensure that people who do not have access to typical medical interventions such as a doctor are getting care (is self-efficacy a goal, or is furthering the necessary access to these areas)?
Hey Charissa! My dad is from Bolivia and while I haven't had the opportunity to visit (yet!) I was really interested and familiar with what you were talking about with healthcare and ecotourism. I did however visit the floating island of Lake Titicaca and thought it was so cool how they did just what you were saying, using their resources to develop medical herbs and more to supplement for the healthcare they may not have the most direct access to. This semester and last we have talked a lot about access to health care and there are many social determinants that may affect that such as status and place of residence. But even in areas like Bolivia that do have…
Fantastic job, Charissa! This must have been an amazing experience for you! What are one or two potential solutions you can think of for the challenges you observed during your travels?