Calgary child psychiatrist Dr John
McLennan will never forget the young boy from Sao Paolo's
infamous shantytowns who was falsely jailed for stealing
a car. "After that, his attitude was 'screw you,' he
recalls. "I think he actually went out and stole one."
The boy ended up in jail again
— one of over 300 young prisoners Dr McLennan is
following in the Brazilian city to figure out what it'll
take to get them back on track. The local NGO that's
co-funding Dr McLennan's study gave the boy a video
camera to record and produce a movie about his return
to the community. So he went out and interviewed the
local drug dealers. "We were kind of worried about him,
but it turns out he knew these people," says Dr McLennan.
"He's very excited about this opportunity because he
can say he's getting his life back."
As a med student in the late 80s,
Dr McLennan spent much of his time researching the effects
of undernourishment on children in Los Alcarrizos, a
dirt-poor outskirt of Santo Domingo, work he continues
to this day. And four years ago, he launched this daunting
project in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. "I'm not exactly
sure why I'm drawn to these places," he confesses. "We're
very fortunate in Canada, and we have an obligation
to use those resources to help out."
LIFE
AFTER PRISON
Brazil may be a long way from Calgary, but Dr McLennan
feels right at home: he's spent much of his career analyzing
the organization and delivery of child services —
services these kids desperately need. Roughly 70% of
those enrolled in the study were incarcerated for some
type of theft, and half of their crimes were drug-related.
"We're looking at what happens when they're released,
whether they came back, whether they were killed, whether
they went back to school," Dr McLennan explains. "We
want to follow up back in their community, look at the
development of delinquency, and look at what the educational
system is doing with kids with behavioural problems."
It hasn't been easy. Dr McLennan
and his group lost track of nearly half of the 325 kids
participating in the study, mostly because the detention
facility wasn't as cooperative as they would have hoped.
Other kids were found all too easily — five died
within as many months of their release. Dr McLennan's
final report, which will be published in June, was a
difficult slog, to say the least. But it's all been
worthwhile: many of these kids do get back into school
and off the street, and a big part of the report's focus
will be on distilling the circumstances that have allowed
them to do it.
KIDS
NEED TO EAT, TOO
Meanwhile, Dr. McLennan's work in the Dominican Republic
is ongoing. His current study involves roughly 100 kids
who are being treated at a day health and nutrition
clinic. The children between six months and four years
old are given a fortified formula of milk, sugar, vegetable
oil, vitamins and minerals every day to accelerate their
weight gain. "The overall growth rates haven't been
stellar," Dr. McLennan says, mostly because the clinic
doesn't have in-patient capabilities.
Dr McLennan travels to the clinic
once a year with his wife and two young children. It's
a great change of pace from his more academic pursuits
at the University of Calgary and his weekly ADHD clinic.
His work outside Canada's borders has also taught him
many valuable lessons, including an appreciation for
this country's medical system. "I sometimes tire of
Canadians whining about wait lists. We sometimes lose
perspective. The Canadian healthcare system isn't in
crisis — it's one of the best in the world."
|
