MEDICAL TEAM PLANS TRIP TO JAMAICA

For five years now, Ranford Hewitt and Jim Caughlan have worked together as ministers, trying to meet the varying needs of their congregations.

But they've worked in different countries. Hewitt leads a congregation in St. Mary, Jamaica. Caughlan heads a church in Cape Girardeau.

Sometimes Hewitt's work is a little harder because of the obstacles he faces in his native country. Members of his congregation live in one of the poorest areas of Jamaica.

In April, the two churches and pastors will work side by side during a weeklong medical mission trip.

Members of the Evangelical United Church of Christ in Cape Girardeau and several area doctors and nurses will visit the Carron Hall church.

Much of their work will be to assess the medical needs of the community and try to offer as much help as possible during their stay.

"When we get there, our goal is to set up a sort of MASH unit out of the orphanage and do some basic screenings," said Karen Horrell, a nurse at Southeast Missouri Hospital and member of Evangelical church.

"We'll try to direct them as best we can," she said.

The group hopes to make a difference in the health care at the village but knows it won't be a lifetime change.

"Even if we can make a difference for a year, then another group could come along and pick up where we left off," Horrell said.

But their work may not be easy. The team is still in need of some medical supplies. They estimate their expenses to be near the $20,000 mark.

"It's expensive to try and set this up," Horrell said. "There are things we have to buy and then we have the cost of freight to get it there."

But the group has received some donations and will be working a concession stand at the TWA Dome during the pope's visit next month to raise more money.

"We still have a wish list," she said. Some of the items on that list would seem like basic medical supplies but are not easily found in Jamaica. They include needles, stethoscopes, needles, thermometers, diabetic testing supplies, sheets and towels.

Because the area around the Carron Hall church is basically a rural, farming village, many of the people have never even been to a doctor before, Horrell said.

She said the team -- which includes 11 nurses, a general practitioner, two dentists, an obstetrician and medical director -- expects to see lots of cases of diabetes and high blood pressure.

They will set up two surgical suites at the orphanage, which is run by the church, to allow space for minor surgeries.

"We want to provide them with as much medical care as we can," Horrell said.

Most of the members of the medical team have never been on a mission trip like this before, Horrell said. "We've heard a little bit of the tales of what their life will be like."

Caughlan has visited Jamaica before and will go again with the medical team. Hewitt has not been to the United States. The churches Caughlan and Hewitt lead have had a partnership for five years.

For information about the trip or to make a donation, call the Evangelical United Church of Christ at 335-5611.