Welcome to DOCARE International!

DOCARE International is a medical outreach organization comprised of member volunteers who provide and support the delivery of needed health care to indigent and isolated people. Members and contributors support the delivery of health care by participating in medical missions, financially giving to missions and the organization, and donating medical supplies and equipment.

DOCARE members represent a variety of medical disciplines, interests, and geographic regions. DOCARE’s membership includes DO and MD physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, optometrists, podiatrists, physician assistants, veterinarians, and interested lay people who contribute special skills or express an interest in helping disadvantaged communities in remote locations. Members share two common threads that bind them together – their concern of the unmet health needs of people deprived of necessary care because of terrain, language, and/or cultural barriers and their desire to provide the necessary care.

Members of DOCARE have participated in medical missions to northern Mexico to serve the Tarahumara Indians and to Central Yucatan to serve the Mayan Indians. Missions also have occurred in the Caribbean, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Guatemala. An orphanage in Nogales, Mexico also received needed assistance through DOCARE activities.

The locations of the missions change as the need changes. DOCARE offers health care services in new locations based on need – there must be a need based on unavailability of care in the area. The areas must require more help than what the local physicians can provide adequately. Also, the need can include requests for specialty care not readily available in that area.

DOCARE missions can be organized at any time of the year. In the past, these usually have been in the Spring or Fall. The time and duration of the missions are dependent upon the availability of members and their schedules. A mission director handles all of the details of a mission (DOCARE Missions ) and participants bring their own equipment. Upon arrival at the location, DOCARE members are gathered into teams to provide health care services to the host and neighboring communities during the tenure of the stay. DOCARE prefers to have the assistance of local physicians when possible to aid in the success of the program and medical treatment.

DOCARE’s team approach in providing health care is unique in that services may include medical, dental, eye, foot and, on the rare occasion animal health issues. Participation in DOCARE missions is limited to dues-paying members. Health professionals must be licensed in their respective disciplines and all mission participants must pay their own travel expenses – transportation, food, and accommodations. Members are kept informed of DOCARE activities, including scheduled missions, through email and Web site updates.

DOCARE’s operational budget is derived from annual membership dues plus contributions from individuals, church groups, and service organizations familiar with DOCARE and its purpose. DOCARE funds are used to purchase needed drugs, equipment, supplies and services essential to its operation. In addition, pharmaceutical companies donate substantial quantities of medicine, equipment, and instruments for use in DOCARE’s missions.

While DOCARE is not aligned or affiliated with any religious or church organization, its medical outreach efforts often come under the umbrella of established, religious missionary groups only because they typically are located in areas of greatest need. DOCARE also cooperates with other organizations which support and sponsor health care programs in these countries.

The American Osteopathic Association grants Category 1-B CME for DOCARE missions based on the actual hours spent providing health care. Category 1-A CME credits may be available if a formal lecture schedule is organized and completed during the mission.

Founded by an osteopathic physician in 1961, DOCARE International is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization that has gained wide acceptance in host countries and recognition in the United States . The missions, while financed by the individuals, are generally tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. DOCARE is registered with the United States Agency for International Development.

Want to help? Volunteer for a mission!