Gordon Cowley, Making a Difference Foundation Board Member, volunteered and co-lead a medical mission trip in October 2023 in Cusco, Peru. He shared some of his thoughts from his week in clinic and the impact the work had on both the people of Peru and the volunteers. Thank you, Gordon!
“I had the privilege of joining the Making a Difference Foundation on a medical mission trip to Peru, in partnership with A Broader View Volunteers. I joined a team of 10 healthcare providers who spent 5 days working at pop-up clinics around the Cusco area. We were expecting to see 350 people, however, more than 800 people showed up to the clinics. It was humbling to arrive each morning to a long line of people waiting to be seen.
I was so impressed with the providers that volunteered. They were eager to give their time and expertise to the communities we visited. They were dedicated to giving quality healthcare with the resources available, and they treated every patient with care and compassion.
Each provider had some connection to CHG Healthcare, either as a past or current locums’ provider. One provider told me the reason she chooses to work for CHG is because it is the only staffing company that she is aware of that has a charitable foundation. She wants to work with a company that shares her values of giving back to communities. Additionally, we had several Marathon Health employees and providers. Some of the providers had been on previous medical mission trips, and for others, this was their first experience.
(CHG Healthcare is the founder of the Making a Difference Foundation and CHG Healthcare is a client of Marathon Health.)
The providers put their hearts into the work, and even skipped lunches and stayed late at clinic to make sure every person was seen. We all came together for the common good of these communities. I felt like we made a big impact in the communities we visited.
It was wonderful to participate in a Making a Difference Foundation medical mission trip, and it helped solidify that the work we do really does matter. We make a difference in the world.”
