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was raided by 15 armed military police who broke into the hospital in the early morning hours, later claiming they were searching for illegal drugs. But Garifuna people and other members of the community rose up in defense of their hospital, making the 14-hour trip to the capital to protest alongside nurses and doctors from the hospital. The hospital has faced numerous other threats since then, yet today it is expanding to include a new surgical wing, and the staff and community are more committed than ever to provide free, quality healthcare. In August of 2013, the National Autono - mous University of Honduras anthropology department sponsored a screening of Revolu- tionary Medicine, a documentary film about the First Garifuna Hospital of Ciriboya, which my doctoral student (at American University) Beth Geglia co-directed with journalist Jesse Freeston. Although the screening took place during a school vacation, more than 50 stu- dents, professors, members of the general public, and journalists showed up to watch the film and meet Geglia and one of the hospital's founders, Dr. Luther Castillo. The documentary tells the story of the hospital in the words of Garifuna community leaders, including Dr. Castillo. In order to illustrate the obstacles faced by the Garifuna people, Dr. Castillo shared a personal story. Once, he was a few minutes late to a meeting with some doctors he had not yet met. Upon seeing him, the doctor who opened the door said to him "Hold on, hold on, we're having a meeting in here. Wait, are you the guy who is going to dance for us tonight?" Dr. Castillo explains, "When people look at [Garifuna people], they see dancers or athletes, but they don't want to see scientists because they cannot accept that the children of the poor have arrived." Inspired by the hospital's story, a group of UNAH medical students organized their own screening a few days later in Hospital Escuela's auditorium. More than 100 students turned out, curious to learn about a different model of healthcare coming from a historically excluded ethnic group that could serve as a model for all. A group of those students began to work with the hospital's direc- tors to organize a student brigade to the remote hospital. Two months later, when 120 of my nursing students saw the film as part of their class, a dozen of them joined the brigade. Together with the Garifuna doctors from Ciriboya, the students designed a study to determine the prevalence of hemoglobin S (which can result in sickle cell anemia) in Ciriboya. Populations with African heritage are more likely to inherit hemoglobin S, a variant of normal adult hemoglobin (hemoglobin A). The study is of great importance for Ciriboya and for the hospital, since it will help med- ical professionals to design more effective prevention and treatment programs, and also more broadly for the advancement of scientific knowledge about hemoglobinopathy. Students received the full support of their university, which provided transportation to the hospital (a two-day bus trip) and the use of the university's genetics laboratory. More than $3,000 to help fund the brigade was donated by individuals and labor groups in the United States who were inspired by the students' drive to learn about and par- ticipate in a model of healthcare as a tool for social justice. Sacramento labor council president and longtime supporter of the hospital, Bill Camp, provided invaluable help coordinating donations through the California Honduras Institute for Medical and Education Support (CHIMES). The mayor of Iriona, Aníbal Duarte (who was murdered four months later, in May 2014) made municipal funds available for students to stay in a local hotel, and residents of Ciriboya also opened their homes to students and accompanying brigade members. Health- care professionals from the Cuban medical brigade (which helps staff the hospital) provided on-site assistance and laboratory support for the students' project and opened their homes as a space for group debate and reflection. On Jan. 7, 2014, some 24 Honduran nursing and medical students 18 N A T I O N A L N U R S E W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 "We cannot wait for Honduran healthcare to change systematically from above if we are not working as brothers and sisters toward economic and scientific progress at the community level. As a nurse from my country, I am called to visit communities like this and others like it to help make profound changes at the roots of our society." —nursing student Vivian Rochely Suazo Chavarría.