About Med Centro Healthcare Systems
As a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), Med Centro provides integrated primary health services to over 50,000 unduplicated patients, annually, in southern Puerto Rico. Med Centro's mission speaks to its commitment to innovation and continuous improvement: "¡Siempre hacia nuevas fronteras!" ("Forever new frontiers!")
An Elite Team Designed for Disaster Response
Following the devastation brought by Hurricane María in 2017, Puerto Rico experienced 2,975 deaths attributed to untreated conditions, not traumatic injuries. With climate change promising more frequent and more powerful storms, Executive Director Allan Cintrón Salichs conceived Med Centro's "Elite Clinical Response Team" (ECRT): A multi-disciplinary unit ready to live in affected areas to guarantee a continuum of care and prevent deaths due to untreated chronic diseases.
Allan knew, instinctively, that doing so would require a very different skill- and mindset. "They just weren't prepared," he recalls. "They had no references on what can be done under stressful situations. As a HIOBS alumni (1989) I knew they could do so much more, but I also knew they needed to have their own expedition experience to improve their life skill capabilities to deploy as an Elite Clinical Response Team (ECRT) during future disasters on the Island."
Objectives Met
- Strengthened resilience by overcoming challenges in unfamiliar settings
- Established unbreakable bonds amongst team members who are certain to face harsh conditions in the future
- Provided opportunities to exercise and witness leadership in action
- Enhanced organizational culture while relying on one another as “crew, not passengers”
Med Centro ECRT is probably the only group of its kind in the nation and HIOBS's 14-day course provided the perfect training setting to bond the team toward one aim: To serve, to strive and not to yield.
Strengthening Teamwork and Building Resilience in Stressful Situations
Phase 1: Assess & Design
Allan envisioned a rigorous expeditionary sailing course in Maine, much like the one he'd experienced in 1989. Presented with the opportunity to conduct the course at HIOBS base in the Florida Keys—nearer to home—Allan insisted that Maine's cold waters and variable weather conditions would play an essential role in pushing ECRT members outside their comfort zones.
"Having 13 souls (including two HIOBS instructors) living together for the first time, in 30-foot open boat for nearly 14 days, with everything nature unpredictably has to throw at you, day and night, in a totally different environment from what you are accustomed, including language, is a challenge by itself," said Allan.
Phase 2: Engage & Impact
In 2022, Covid-19 cut short the inaugural Med Centro ECRT sailing expedition, but in 2023 the full cohort of eleven clinicians returned to Maine and completed the full 14-day experience. In 2024, Med Centro's second ECRT cohort arrived in Maine, eager to tackle challenges in an unfamiliar environment, and pushed themselves beyond their comfort zones to enhance their skills in leadership, teaming, and cultural exchange.
Phase 3: Apply & Reinforce
As of 2024, twenty-two Med Centro ECRT members -- medical doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, dentists, physical therapists, and logistical staff -- have experienced Hurricane Island Outward Bound School's unique brand of education. During a visit to Puerto Rico in November 2024, OBP staff collaborated with these ECRT alumni (including Allan) to address the entire Med Centro workforce at an annual training event, drawing direct connections between key learnings from their expeditions and the challenging, vital work they do to serve their communities and patients.
My most difficult moment was when I served as captain and we went through a storm. It is undoubtedly very difficult to lead in a crisis, but not when we realize everything we are capable of with teamwork….The experience taught me how important it is to risk being outside of our comfort zone, to become a better leader and a better colleague, and how teamwork overcomes adversity.
This experience taught me to be strong in difficult moments and to work as a team. It taught me what I am capable of doing, and most importantly, it created a bond with my coworkers that no one can take away.
By learning the skills that HIOBS taught me, I feel more prepared to try new things to solve problems and achieve my goals. Also, I feel more humbled when patients talk about their hardships and I can relate in some way due to the experience at HIOBS.
Interested in Learning More?
While Maine is the home base of the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, Outward Bound Professional conducts programs in diverse locations throughout the United States and around the world, from beautiful wilderness settings to urban business centers. With nearly 50 Outward Bound Schools on six continents, we’re near at hand to serve, to strive, and not to yield.
Contact us now to discuss how an Outward Bound Professional program can be tailored to meet your organization’s goals.
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