CHP Interprofessional Global Health Programs: PT in Guatemala

Our teams stay in the historic town of La Antigua. Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is full of colonial churches and old ruins. Antigua is set-up to host tourists with a variety of activities, attractions and restaurants. Stroll down Fifth Avenue under the famous Santa Catalina arch during your free time, or wander down to the artisans market to purchase an assortment of souvenirs.

Please note:

Guatemala is a destination with known cases of the Zika virus. For information, please monitor the CDC’s webpage. Additional information can also be found on the World Health Organization’s website. Travel to Guatemala is not recommended for pregnant women, women who may be pregnant, or who are actively seeking to become pregnant at the time of travel or near future.

The Program in Physical Therapy aims to expose our students to global health issues, cultural awareness and competence, social justice and healthcare disparities for disadvantaged communities in the United States and abroad through service learning healthcare programs. Our service learning approach envelopes our academic programs with community service in combination with critical, reflective thinking. A team of PT, OT, and SLP professors and students will travel to the Greater Panchoy Valley surrounding La Antigua, Guatemala. We will provide free healthcare services in a variety of settings including free-standing clinics, schools, and home care to the underserved populations in this rural area. Our intention is to serve targeted community needs based on assessments with local leaders, collaborate with the local community, and apply knowledge and skills learned in each discipline’s respective curriculum. In addition, we hope to sponsor and potentially fit wheelchairs at Hope Haven, the only Guatemalan wheelchair distribution center.

We have treated over 10,000 patients during our service learning programs and we have exposed over 400 nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology students, and faculty to this international community. These programs are rich and rewarding experiences as noted by one PT participant. “I am in awe of the people we met here. They are resilient and hardy. It is amazing how just the little care we can offer has so much effect. I wish every PT student could be here and witness this.”

Andrea Oberlander, PT, DPT
203-416-3957
oberlandera@sacredheart.edu

Lodging, located at Posada el Antaño, is included in the program fee. Free Wi-Fi is also available. The hotel's information is as follows:

Posada el Antaño,
6 Avenida Norte #36,
Antigua, Guatemala
011.502.7832.0134
727.230.4704 (this is a VoIP number, therefore, can be dialed as a local number in the U.S.)

All meals are provided and included as part of the program fee. You are responsible for your own snacks, if desired.

Friday is an excursion day to explore Antigua, shop or just relax. Excursions are available for an extra fee and range from $0 - $60. Excursion options may include: Hiking a volcano, zip lining, coffee plantation tour, horseback riding, relaxing at the local resort, and museum tours

Program Costs

The total program cost due to Sacred Heart University is $2,100.

• $955 confirmation fee
• $1,100 program fee
• $45 application fee

Program Fee Includes:

• Program orientation
• International airfare from NY area
• US and local ground transportation from NY area
• Housing in a shared hotel room
• All meals
• Program excursions
• Mandatory basic international health and evacuation insurance

Program Fee Does Not Include:

• Free day excursions
• Snacks
• Major medical insurance
• Visa/resident permit fees (US residents do not need a visa)
• Vaccination fees
• Mandatory trip cancellation insurance
• All personal expenses

Payment Due Dates

• Upon Acceptance: $955 confirmation fee + $45 application fee paid online via credit card or by check made payable to Sacred Heart University.
• August 1: $1,100 program fee paid online via credit card or by check made payable to Sacred Heart University.

Checks can be mailed to Jodi Standrowicz, 5151 Park Avenue, Fairfield, CT 06825.

Jodi Standrowicz, MA
Center for Healthcare Education N104
College of Health Professions
203-396-6579
standrowiczj@sacredheart.edu

This program takes place during Fall Break. Students typically leave SHU early on Saturday morning and return the following Saturday evening. 

• Day 1: Depart the U.S. & arrive in Guatemala
• Day 2: In Country Orientation
• Days 3-6: Clinics; Hope Haven wheelchair center
• Day 7: Excursion Day
• Day 8: Depart Guatemala