Adventure in The Dominican Republic

October 30th, 2017

Cedar City, Utah
Southern Utah University

Landon Porter is a student at Southern Utah University located in Cedar City Utah. As a
member of Rural Health Scholars, Landon had the opportunity to plan, execute and volunteer on
a service trip to The Dominican Republic to help run basic medical and dental clinics in rural
areas of the country. Natives who live in rural areas in The Dominican Republic are not capable
of having access to medical or dental care like people who live in major cities. The purpose of
this trip was to go to them and provide them with minor healthcare practices and medicines that
they desperately need. This trip took place from May 5th to May 13th 2017.

Along with a team of four pre-dental students, Landon shadowed a native dentist while
they traveled to these rural areas to set up medical outposts for people to visit to get work done.
For four days and four different rural villages that were located about 5-8 hours away from the
capital city of Santo Domingo, they set up in schools, concrete buildings, and even under straw
huts to help look at peoples mouths and teeth. Not having access to power tools, normal dental
chairs, lights, equipment and technology they were pretty limited in the amount of work and
detail that they could perform, but still were able to perform extractions as well as give
medications and antibiotics to help infections.

This project and service trip to The Dominican Republic was lead out by Solid Rock
International, an institution charity program set up in the D.R. for the sole purpose of providing
healthcare to rural areas in that country. As well as working with Solid Rock International, this
project was run for the purpose of fulfilling an EDGE project through the Global Engagement
Center at Southern Utah University. An EDGE project allows students at SUU the chance to get
out and provide service, care, and help to those in the community as well as around the globe.
These projects are delicately planned and lead out by the student with a mentor before they
graduate. This was considered Landons EDGE project before graduating from SUU.

Considering the magnitude of a project this big, the efforts that RHS and Landon gave
out was a tremendous benefit to the native people of The Dominican Republic. It was a
successful trip with many enjoyable and excitable stories and experiences. If you have further
questions or require further information you can reach Landon at the following information:

Email - landon.porter93@gmail.com
Facebook - Landon Porter
Phone - (801) 971-5554
Mailing Address - 158 N 400 W #6 Cedar City Utah 84720

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