Intro

In June of 2007, we traveled to the Dominican Republic to investigate the opportunity for implementation of needle-free jet injectors (NFI) in the immunization program.

NFI delivers immunizations via a thin, high-speed liquid stream and eliminates many negative consequences incurred from using needles including biohazard sharps waste, inadvertent needle sticks, and needle reuse. We used individual interviews of health care workers, administrators, public policy makers, and international organization workers to gather feedback on the usability, cost saving potential, and adoptability of NFI technology for immunizations.

-Mike, Azucena, Sapun, and Rich

Monday, June 11, 2007

Day 1: Arrival in Santo Domingo.


We are here! After a short stop through in an overcast New York City, we arrived in Santo Domingo at 2 PM this afternoon and took a cab to our hotel – the Plaza Colonial not far from the Zona Colonial, the old colonial district of the town. We strolled down el Conde, the pedestrian district to grab some dinner. Rich and I had a Dominican specialty – Mofongo – a fried mix of mashed plantains and meat. Sitting out on the street drinking our Presidente Cervezas seemed to be just the thing to do for a Sunday evening. Sundays in Santo Domingo are quite quiet. Most of the stores were closed, even in the touristy district.

This evening our Dominican medical school collaborators stopped by our hotel to discuss plans for the project – we are planning on meeting with them again tomorrow. Tonight, Azucena was fairly certain that the apocalypse was upon us, but it turned out to be a massive thunderstorm, which in turn set off all the car alarms in the city! Tomorrow, we are going to the immunization program at SESPAS, the public health division of the Dominican Republic.

caption: Azucena enjoying her Mango shake at dinner.


-Mike
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