ATSU-CHC CCPA students, faculty provide healthcare in rural Guatemala

ATSU-CHC CCPA students, faculty provide healthcare in rural Guatemala

Over summer break, students from A.T. Still University-College for Healthy Communities' Central Coast Physician Assistant (CCPA) program traveled to Jalapa, Guatemala, to provide whole person healthcare as part of the 2026 Called to Serve Global Medical Outreach mission trip.

The team consisted of first-year students Morgan Bienias, PA, '27, Diane Nguyen, PA, '27, and Savanna Vasquez, PA, '27, second-year students Peter-John Van Beurden, PA, '26, and Kristinicole Gingras, PA, '26, and CCPA faculty members Jacqualine Dancy, MPAS, PA-C, associate professor, Joy Henderson, DMSc, MMS, PA-C, assistant professor, Melissa Day, DMSc, PA-C, associate professor, and Jennifer Harrington, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA, professor, chair, and director, along with a pre-PA student and a translation liaison.

"We delivered whole person healthcare by providing care to the body, mind, and spirit of vulnerable villagers with compassion, humility and curiosity," Dancy said.

The first day was spent serving residents of a local nursing home. Over the following three days, the team provided care in a different village surrounding Jalapa each day, reaching patients who otherwise have little access to healthcare.

"We saw every patient who wanted care," Dancy added. "We did not turn away anyone."