[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3590]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       PEACE CORPS MEDICAL ISSUES

  (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Nick Castle was a bright, energetic 
23-year-old who decided to teach in China, following his graduation 
from UC Berkeley.
  Tragically, Nick became seriously sick after becoming a Peace Corps 
volunteer in China in 2012. He was the victim of an inefficient, under-
equipped, and unresponsive Peace Corps-led medical team there.
  After being prescribed a broad antibiotic, Nick began to experience 
drastic weight loss, but was told he was fine. He was then confined to 
bed, but his doctor never recommended he go to the hospital.
  After experiencing dangerously low blood pressure, Nick was finally 
sent to the hospital. As the ambulance made its way to him, it got 
lost. Then, after picking him up, Nick stopped breathing before the 
ambulance arrived at the hospital. Nick died a few weeks later, in 
early 2013.
  Investigations revealed the Peace Corps medical team misdiagnosed his 
illness. This heartbreaking death of a young man serving our country 
and the world could have been avoided had the Peace Corps staff 
assisted in having a properly trained, equipped, and responsive team.
  Mr. Speaker, Peace Corps volunteers are America's angels abroad. They 
are some of the best that we have. They are the spirit of humanitarian 
assistance, and America must make sure to take care of these amazing 
people when they serve in lands far, far away so that there are no more 
deaths like Nick Castle's.
  And that is just the way it is.

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