Jordan Soupiset, MD: Mountain Area Health Education Center, FM– PGY1

Honduras: January 2026

 Our crew of fourteen medical professionals from Asheville, NC embarked on a two-week brigade, to Camasca, Honduras in “La Frontera” region, near the border shared with El Salvador. Our trip was delayed by the winter storm between January 24th and 26th, but we eventually arrived at our destination as a group on Tuesday, January 27th. We were greeted by a number of individuals who work for Shoulder-to-Shoulder (Hombro-a-Hombro) including the site director Gustavo, several interpreters–Doris, Tonya, and Abraham, and the cook of our delicious meals, Doña Maria.

 We spent many consecutive days traveling to nearby communities, each just a short 30-to-60-minute drive from Camasca. We set up temporary daytime clinics in schools during their winter break so community members could easily walk to access health care. Additionally, we conducted several home visits where we were able to better care for those with transportation or ambulation limitations.

  Overall, my desire to serve communities with systems-based gaps in healthcare access and continuity was emboldened, and my knowledge of the unique health challenges in Honduras and its Frontera region was expanded. I would very much like to help navigate, advocate for, and alleviate systems-based problems in a global-health capacity in the future. This trip was an invaluable experience that allowed me the opportunity to practice medicine in an entirely different cultural setting than Western North Carolina. I also was able to see the ways in which I can be more grateful for the care we have access to in the U.S. while still holding onto hope and advocating for change in Camasca.

  Thank you, stewards of The Benjamin H. Josephson, M.D. Fund, for making the financial aspects of this trip possible and for forwarding my education and experience in the field of global health.