Skip to main content
Chamberlain University, College of Nursing and Health Professionals
Menu

Main navigation redesign

  • Programs
    • Bachelor's Programs
      • Nursing
        • Bachelor Of Science in Nursing (BSN)
        • Bachelor of Science in Nursing Online
        • RN to BSN Option
      • BSN Campus Locations
        • Phoenix, AZ
        • Irwindale, CA
        • Sacramento, CA
        • Jacksonville, FL
        • Miramar, FL
        • Atlanta, GA
        • Addison, IL
        • Chicago, IL
        • Tinley Park, IL
        • Indianapolis, IN
        • New Orleans, LA
        • Troy, MI
        • St. Louis, MO
        • Las Vegas, NV
        • Charlotte, NC
        • North Brunswick, NJ
        • Cleveland, OH
        • Columbus, OH
        • Houston, TX
        • Irving, TX
        • Pearland, TX
        • San Antonio, TX
        • Tysons Corner, VA
    • Master’s Programs
      • Nursing
        • Master Of Science in Nursing (MSN)
        • Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
        • Family Nurse Practitioner
        • Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
        • Graduate Certificates
        • RN to MSN Options
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Master of Public Health
        • Master of Physician Assistant
        • Master of Social Work
    • Doctorate Programs
      • Nursing
        • Doctor of Nursing Practice
    • Certificates
      • Nursing
        • Nursing Certificates
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Public Health Certificate
  • Admission
    • Resources
      • Academic Calendar
      • Academic Catalog
      • Curriculum Plans
    • Become a Student
      • Military Information
      • Transfer Students
  • Financial Aid
    • Tuition & Financial Aid
      • Tuition and Expenses
      • Types of Financial Assistance
      • Financial Aid Forms
      • Partnerships
    • Scholarships and Grants
      • Scholarships
      • Grants
      • Work Study
      • Loans
      • Educational Healthcare Partners
  • Why Chamberlain
    • Our Story
      • History
      • Our Vision
      • Chamberlain Care
      • Diversity and Inclusion
    • About Chamberlain
      • Leadership and Faculty
      • Campus Locations
      • Newsroom
      • Blog
      • Accreditation
      • Student Consumer Information
      • Alumni

Mobile Secondary Navigation

  • Apply
  • Request More Info
  • Request More Info
  • Call
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Request Info

Mobile Utility Navigation

  • Current Students
  • Prospective Students
  • Transfers
  • Military
  • Alumni
  • Partners
  • Employers

Top Utility Navigation

  • Current Students
  • Information For
    • Current Students
    • Prospective Students
    • Transfers
    • Military
    • Alumni
    • Partners
    • Employers
  • Chat
  • 877.751.5783
Chamberlain University, College of Nursing and Health Professionals

Main navigation redesign

  • Programs
    • Bachelor's Programs
      • Nursing
        • Bachelor Of Science in Nursing (BSN)
        • Bachelor of Science in Nursing Online
        • RN to BSN Option
      • BSN Campus Locations
        • Phoenix, AZ
        • Irwindale, CA
        • Sacramento, CA
        • Jacksonville, FL
        • Miramar, FL
        • Atlanta, GA
        • Addison, IL
        • Chicago, IL
        • Tinley Park, IL
        • Indianapolis, IN
        • New Orleans, LA
        • Troy, MI
        • St. Louis, MO
        • Las Vegas, NV
        • Charlotte, NC
        • North Brunswick, NJ
        • Cleveland, OH
        • Columbus, OH
        • Houston, TX
        • Irving, TX
        • Pearland, TX
        • San Antonio, TX
        • Tysons Corner, VA
    • Master’s Programs
      • Nursing
        • Master Of Science in Nursing (MSN)
        • Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
        • Family Nurse Practitioner
        • Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
        • Graduate Certificates
        • RN to MSN Options
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Master of Public Health
        • Master of Physician Assistant
        • Master of Social Work
    • Doctorate Programs
      • Nursing
        • Doctor of Nursing Practice
    • Certificates
      • Nursing
        • Nursing Certificates
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Public Health Certificate
  • Admission

    Admission

    Our team is with you every step of the way, providing the information you need to make the decisions that best serve you.

    • Resources
      • Academic Calendar
      • Academic Catalog
      • Curriculum Plans
    • Become a Student
      • Military Information
      • Transfer Students
    smiling doctor with a young child
    Find My Program

    Find the path to your healthcare career goal.

  • Financial Aid

    Financial Aid

    Get support as you navigate paying for your education. Request information to connect with our admission team to discuss your financial options.

    • Tuition & Financial Aid
      • Tuition and Expenses
      • Types of Financial Assistance
      • Financial Aid Forms
      • Partnerships
    • Scholarships and Grants
      • Scholarships
      • Grants
      • Work Study
      • Loans
      • Educational Healthcare Partners
    smiling doctor with a young child
    Find My Program

    Find the path to your healthcare career goal.

  • Why Chamberlain

    Why Chamberlain

    Chamberlain University has a 130-year history preparing extraordinary nursing graduates and healthcare professionals. 

    • Our Story
      • History
      • Our Vision
      • Chamberlain Care
      • Diversity and Inclusion
    • About Chamberlain
      • Leadership and Faculty
      • Campus Locations
      • Newsroom
      • Blog
      • Accreditation
      • Student Consumer Information
      • Alumni
    smiling doctor with a young child
    Find My Program

    Find the path to your healthcare career goal.

Secondary Header Navigation

  • Apply
  • Request More Info
  • Request More Info
  • Call
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Request Info

Featured

social worker speaking to a child
10 Reasons to Be Proud You're a…
Dr. India Rose headshot
Associate Professor Champions Health…
nursing student holding tablet and glancing out of a window
8 Great Reasons to Earn Your Master of…

Tags

Browse articles by category
Alumni
Campus News
Careers
Health Professions
Nursing Today
Tips for Students

Share

Blog Social Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Home / Blog / Campus News / Chamberlain Student Nurses Visit a Leper Colony in Kenya

Chamberlain Student Nurses Visit a Leper Colony in Kenya

November 01, 2012 by Molly Mattison
lepercolony

On the most recent International Nursing Service Project trip to Kenya, Chamberlain student nurses and faculty treated approximately 2,300 people—most in a makeshift clinic at the mouth of one of Kenya’s largest slums. 

For those unable to travel to the clinic, student nurses traveled to them.

“When we do the home visits, we go into the depths of these neighborhoods,” said Susan Fletcher, EdD, MSN, BSN, professor of international studies at Chamberlain College of Nursing. “The further you go into the slums, the worse it gets—the poverty level increases dramatically.”

What they found on a home visit this trip shocked even Dr. Fletcher, the pioneer of the Project: a segregated leper colony of approximately 100 people in the heart of the slum.

“They were in various stages of leprosy,” Dr. Fletcher said. “For many of them, all of their digits on their hands and feet were gone. Some of them had new sores on the bottom of their heels, which is an indicator that eventually they will lose more of their foot.”

What is Leprosy?

Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, has been around for thousands of years and often has a social stigma attached, due to fear of transmission. Left untreated, the disease continues to progress, causing permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs and eyes, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Chamberlain’s student nurses were immediately struck by the warm nature and positivity of the group, who had clearly suffered so much. One woman with malaria wanted to be sure all the students had taken anti-malarial drugs before they treated her.

“The older people of the group had no fingers and toes, and they were pretty functional without their digits,” said Stephanie Arbogast, a nursing student at Chamberlain’s St. Louis campus. “One woman had Velcro shoes and she wanted to show us how she was able to take them on and off and Velcro them without her fingers.”

Added Dr. Fletcher: “She’s smiling, putting these shoes on her half feet because she doesn’t have toes. There’s another woman who was so excited to show us how she could wash the dishes without hands. The resilience of these people will blow you away.”

Treatment of Leprosy

Today, leprosy can be fully cured through 6-12 months of multi-drug therapy (MDT), according to WHO.

“You don’t have to have any limb loss due to leprosy if it’s diagnosed and treated in early stages,” Dr. Fletcher said. “There is a very good treatment for it so that it doesn’t progress, but unfortunately these folks aren’t getting it.”

The group is not getting the necessary medications, as the Kenyan government does not provide treatment to those from other countries. All the colony’s inhabitants are from the bordering country of Tanzania, Dr. Fletcher said. Given that the medication is cost-prohibitive, the group has gone untreated and the disease has continued to progress unchecked.

After stumbling upon the colony, the Chamberlain group got to work providing the care they could— without the necessary MDT to fully cure the disease— including caring for wounds, some of which were down to the bone from lack of treatment.

“A lot of the older people were not only missing digits, but they were also blind,” Arbogast said. “They don’t get up and move a lot so they had ulcers on their heels. I cleaned out their wounds and showed them how to take care of their wounds and keep them clean.”

Before each trip, the Chamberlain community collects medical supplies and toys to be distributed — for this trip, they collected more than 2,000 pounds of supplies. On the next trip to Kenya, Dr. Fletcher is hoping to collect enough medication to treat all those suffering from Hansen’s disease in this slum.

“We left a lot of dressings there for them to keep the wounds as clean as possible,” Dr. Fletcher said. “And we made a promise that we’d be back.”

Read more about the group’s trip to Kenya.

By Molly Mattison

More from Campus News

View all >
chamberlain conversations with Karen Cox, president of chamberlain university
Chamberlain Conversations – Why Our Social Mission Matters
Read more
Jazmine Hayes as adult
Cancer Survivor Becomes Nurse at Children's Hospital
Read more
Chamberlain University and LCMC Health in Louisiana Welcome…
Read more
empower scholarship fund group photo
Honoring Future Nurses: Chamberlain Scholarships Support…
Read more
Show more >

Request More Information

To receive the Chamberlain University Program Guide, including associated career paths, please select a program of study.

Chamberlain University, College of Nursing and Health Professionals

Secondary Footer Navigation

  • Apply
  • Request More Info
  • Request More Info
  • Call
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Request Info

Student Portal Login

Main Campus
Addison Campus
1221 North Swift Road
Addison, IL 60101 

National Management Offices
500 W. Monroe St, Suite 1300
Chicago, IL 60661

All Campus Locations
Contact

Footer Menu Column 1

  • Online Programs
  • Master of Physician Assistant Studies
  • Alumni Association
  • Chamberlain Marketplace
  • Military
  • Leadership
  • Catalog & Viewbook

Footer Menu Column 2

  • Student Portal
  • Student Consumer Info
  • Accreditation
  • Parent Organization
  • CA Performance Fact Sheets
  • CA BPPE Annual Report
  • CA BPPE Website

Footer Menu Column 3

  • Careers
  • Privacy Policy
  • Online Cookie Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility
  • Student Disability Services
  • Office of Equity and Access

Footer Social Media Navigation

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

2022 Chamberlain Universtiy LLC. All rights reserved.

Footer Menu Line 1

  • Online Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Use
  • *140,000 Chamberlain students, alumni and faculty

    † Chamberlain University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Chamberlain University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, ccneaccreditation.org. The Chamberlain University Doctor of Nursing Practice (delivered via distance education) is accredited by the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA) located at 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20037 (202-909-2526). Chamberlain University’s Master of Public Health Program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, www.ceph.org. For the most updated accreditation information, visit chamberlain.edu/accreditation. Chamberlain University’s Master of Social Work degree program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation, www.cswe.org. The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. has granted Accreditation-Provisional status to the Chamberlain University Physician Assistant Program. 

    To report unresolved complaints to the Illinois Board of Higher Education visit their webpage at https://complaints.ibhe.org/ or by mail to 1 N. Old State Capitol Plaza, Suite 333, Springfield, IL 62701-1377. View Chamberlain's complaint process.

    Chamberlain University confers online degrees from its Main Campus in Addison, IL.

    Chamberlain University is a member of Adtalem Global Education, Inc. www.adtalem.com
    ©2022 Chamberlain University LLC. All rights reserved.