Health Team

August 14, 2009. Monthly Update by Roberto Suazo. We have been busy so far this month of August! From driving far distances to deliver medical care to the underserved, to teaching kids how to brush their teeth, August is in full swing. With the help of our friend Jessica, a dentist, we were able to not only teach kids the importance of brushing their teeth, but demonstrate the correct way and give toothbrushes as an incentive. Proper dental hygiene is especially important for the remote community of Miguel Cristiano, as it sits right on the border of Honduras, in an area barely accessible by vehicles. The people and children of the community do not always have access to proper medical care, much less proper dental care. Therefore, an education class on brushing teeth with toothpaste and using floride is so imperative to the prevention aspect of health. Other days, you can find me dispensing medicines for patients. The doctors write a prescription, send the patient to see me, and I fill their order. My favorite part about my job is the patient interaction. I have the opportunity to not only see the patient, but educate them on ways prevent certain illnesses, talk to them, and make them smile.

 

 

July 17, 2009. Monthly update by Stacey Denham. The health team has been out of control since the last update in June!! And out of control in a GREAT way! Today marked the halfway point of our SNAC program. Every other month we measure the height, weight, and calculate the BMI of the children in school in Villa Catalina, as well as Chunco. By taking these measurements, we hope to track the growth trends of the kids enrolled in the feeding program in Villa, and those without a feeding program in Chunco. This information will allow us to assess the nutrition and malnutrition affecting the children, and thereby improve the feeding centers by improving the quality of the food, such as: more protein, vegetables from the school garden, fruits. We also hope to include a vitamin program within the feeding center. (for ways to help in our new program such as providing vitamins, please email stacey - stacey@amigosforchrist.org). As for the rest of the month of July, a charla for the kids will take place next week. This charla will include a play in which the kids may participate in. It's allll about VITAMIN MAN!!!! We hope to explain the importance of taking your vitamins and eating foods rich in vitamins rather than sugary snacks. The kids will learn all about this, have the option of participating in the play, and produce the play on stage in Villa Catalina. July will end with two more Charlas, and a focus on community outreach to asses the health needs at a personal level. The health team thanks EVERYONE for participating, praying, and supporting us. It is remarkable to see the interest and relationships pouring out from the community. *Just a reminder! We are always in need of medicines, vitamins, instruments, donations. If you are interested in supporting the team in this way or coming to visit to donate your time and skill, please don't hesitate! Contact Rachel, myself, or the doctoras. We would love to have you! Until next time! - stacey

 

 

 

June 26, 2009. Monthly Update by Rachel Elledge. This past month has boasted some huge "little victories" for the health team. This year, we have been working on moving towards a more preventative approach and trying to make our program more effective all the way around. We did a major inventory of all of our medicines and supplies this month so we can better track all of our donations, what we're buying, and how much we're using per month. June 12, we held a diabetes health fair at Villa Catalina. It was an amazing success with 50+ adults showing up to get their blood sugar tested and learning about diabetes. After inviting the whole community door-to-door on Tuesday morning, we were a little nervous about how the attendance would be come Friday. Needless to say, we were ecstatic and overwhelmed by the turnout. Stacey and I were near tears as we started the educational portion of the morning with Doctor Tania. The morning also consisted of games, a pinata, and prizes. The community was very engaged, asking questions, wanting to get their blood tested, wanting to get their weight and height taken, and concerned about their health. It was a huge success for our health team! The next week we hosted a group of students from Wake Forest University in North Carolina. They came down specifically to work on health issues and were such a joy to have. One day they held classes for each grade level on hand-washing complete with games, songs, and skits. Another day, they helped us with a continuation of our diabetes class by teaching the community members how to make a healthy meal and testing more blood sugars. We were more than impressed with their willingness to jump right in there with whatever Spanish skills they had and try to teach the people. We hope we will be able to welcome them back in the future! Great things have been happening here in Nicaragua and we invite you to become part of them. Check out our Health Team Project Page to learn more about our program and how you can get involved! We look forward to seeing you all soon either here in Nicaragua or at our Amigos Fiesta in September! All my best- Rachel.

 

May 18, 2009. Monthly update by Stacey Denham. May has been a month filled with preparation and excitement! We were blessed to have not only an energetic group from Georgia Southern working alongside us, but also Dr. Richard Nutt and his staff of nurses. Dr. Richard will be coming down again in the fall to perform orthopedic surgeries for patients around the area in dire need. Patients lined up for hours just to sign up and be seen by the medical staff. This week, the Amigos medical team will once again be holding SNAC in Villa Catalina and in the new community of Chunco. It is exciting to see all the kids line up, ready to stand up straight and tall to measure their height and weight! SNAC is an incredible opportunity to not only provide outreach to the community and its leaders about nutrition, but also to get the kids excited about their health. This next week is a week of preparation as we get ready to house group after group for the summer Nica extravaganza! Stay tuned for more exciting info and developments!!!

 

 

 

April 30, 2009. Monthly Update by Doctor Dinorah Larios. Lately I have been working on the mobile medical brigade bringing health care to the rural communities in northwest Nicaragua. At the beginning of April, we were lucky to have a few members of the Prince of Peace group come along with us in the med van. The next week, I took a couple days out of my busy schedule to accompany the San Jose group to Chacaraseca and work on the water system. I was really impressed by the group's enthusiasm and willingness to bring the gift of water to the neediest families in rural Nicaragua. It was hard work, but we had a great time! This next month, I'm looking forward to working on the SNAC nutrition program, presenting health seminars, and spending time at the Villa Catalina and Santa Matilde clinics.

April 27, 2009. Monthly Update by Doctor Tania Gomez The past two weeks I have been busy with the medical team and the mission trips that have come down to visit us. Two weeks ago, I made a trip to Chacaraseca (a farming village near Leon) and helped the San Jose missionaries build a clean water distribution system. They all seemed so happy to be there helping out those in need in the community. I have also been attending to patients in the Amigos clinics in Villa Catalina and Santa Matilde. This next month I'm looking forward to health seminars in the communities and finishing up our rennovation of the Santa Matilde clinic.

 

April 1, 2009. Monthly update by Doctor Dinorah Larios. The past week for the health team has been very exciting! Last week we were joined by Dr. Denise Miller's surgical brigade from all over the United States. They performed over 60 surgeries at the hospital in Betania from hernia repairs to gall bladder replacements. Dr. Jim Morang, dentist, saw over 130 patients between Villa Santa Catalina and the Fe y Alegria health center, pulling over 200 teeth and performing 3 dental surgeries. We are so grateful to the doctors for coming and cannot wait until they return again in September. Last week we continued on with our health classes in the villages. We had a great turnout in Villa Catalina and were able to educate over 40 people on women's diseases. In other news, we have received the funds we need to repair the health center in Santa Matilde! It has been in desperate need for so long and it's finally going to receive a makeover! Thanks to amazing donors, we our going to be able to paint it inside and out, repair doors and windows, and install a handwashing sink. We are doing well here and are looking forward to another great month in the health department!

March 6, 2009. Monthly update by Stacey Denham. The Health Team has hit the ground running this March, with the introduction of the new preventative health program! This will include activities such as Charlas, the SNAC program, community outreach and assessments, and ways to raise funding and sustainment of medical supplies for the clinics and mobile medical clinic. This month's Charla will be centered around the education of STD's and the prevention/transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. By incorporating charla's into the community, we hope to bring education and further prevention of common diseases through discussion, games, and fun incentives. The SNAC program is working in tandem with the education team to track the height and weight patterns as well as the nutrition trends of our students. Students will be assessed, to assure our children are receiving the proper nutrition they need through the feeding center program. By reaching out to the community, the health team aims to assess the felt health needs of the community. By spending time with each family, we aim to not only form relationships and create a sense of unity, but we also will determine which illnesses are most common and seen as most severe to each family. Relationships are of the upmost importance to the health team, it is through these bonds that communities grow and strengthen to reach their full potential. As always, we are in dire need of funding and medical supplies. We are working with contacts in the states to increase these funds, but could always use more help! If anyone would like to contribute or has an idea, please feel free to contact the health team on our page or through email! All ideas are welcome and accepted! See you next month!