The one with the Medical Evacuation

What is Med-Evac? Peace Corps loves it’s abbreviations… this one is much more obvious though, not like APCD, COS, VRF, PCMO…..a Medical Evacuation is when a volunteer is sent out of his or her host country for medical care that cannot be provided at post. Sometimes the evacuation is to another country within the volunteer’s region, and sometimes it is to Peace Corps headquarters in Washington DC, depending completely on the issue at hand. A med-evac can last up to 45 days; at that point if the issue cannot be resolved or stabilized the volunteer goes through a med-sep (medical separation) from Peace Corps (an honorable discharge due to a medical condition that prevents the volunteer from being able to successfully complete his or her service).

Why am I on med-evac? The decision was made between the PCMO’s (Peace Corps Medical Officers) in Honduras and OMS (Office of Medical Services) in Washington. I have developed a condition that they want to monitor and stabilize, and make sure I am healthy enough to go back to Honduras. My chances are good for getting approved to go back to country, but I will probably be here for the majority of the 45-day span.

What does med-evac in Washington DC entail? I am put up at an apartment-style hotel in one of six rooms that Peace Corps leases out for med-evac’d volunteers. I am given a stipend for food (along with a complementary continental breakfast provided at the hotel). I have daily/semi-daily appointments with medical staff at the Peace Corps office. I can meet other evacuated volunteers serving around the world. My time without appointments is my own free time (yesterday I found the White House!). Once I am more settled and less flustered, I will hopefully start working on my manual.

How do I feel about the process thus far? I am impressed. Peace Corps really has made a commitment to its volunteers and I have be treated with nothing but the utmost respect from staff here in Washington. They even sent someone to the airport to bring me to the hotel because my flight came in late and they didn’t want me to have to worry about getting a taxi (even though staff in Honduras had already given me a sufficient amount of dollars to cover the cab fare). The people I am working with are wonderful- empathetic, concerned, and determined to fix the situation. I was given an extra sweater my first day because my case nurse thought I looked cold (she was right). Just walking by the office, seeing large photographs of volunteers serving with quotes from JFK, I am proud to be part of such a passionate organization.

When I first arrived at the office, someone working in the reception room (a former volunteer in Guatemala) said he wanted to guess where I was coming from based solely on my presentation. He guessed Ghana, Africa- he said I looked “too clean” to be coming from Latin America. Hahahaaha. I told him I had already taken 2 (awesome) showers in the 10 hours since my arrival. He understood, and we shared a moment of solidarity based on our service in neighboring countries.