So, we have come to the end of yet another mission and it has been an incredible experience once again. This specific blog entry is a bit of a collection of my own thoughts from the week. I know, since I am one of the bloggers you have already heard my voice through the stories quite a bit but I wanted to capture a few things that didn’t really fit anywhere else.
First, let me introduce myself. I am Andy North and I work at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals in southern Nevada and Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Reno doing a variety of things ranging from advocacy to marketing. Just like my job at home, in Guatemala I have had the opportunity to do many different jobs. During the day I have worked on patient flow through the clinic, taken vital signs, run hemoglobin (and other) lab tests, and of course, taken photos. This week alone I have taken over 1,000 photos because there have been so many wonderful experiences.
At night I interview my fellow workers and then try to write out their experiences in a meaningful way for you. Most nights it’s just me and my laptop until late but I love the work as it gives me a chance to reflect on what happened during the day.
Last year we went out to each of the villages to provide care, and I feel we did great work but I left with the feeling that we really needed to spend more time educating the people on how to care for themselves. I think everyone else had the same thought as this mission seems to have an education theme. The people came to us every day instead of us going to them and that gave the health providers the opportunity to keep the clinics open longer and spend more time with each patient. We brought along someone that could teach the people to fix their worst health problem, poor nutrition. And, probably best of all, we invited the local volunteers and health professionals to an entire day of education.
The education day was today and our doctors and nurses provided lessons to the volunteers on proper posture and lifting techniques, basic first aid, basic emergency care and how to both take and understand vital signs. They received backpacks with thermometers, blood pressure cuffs and other basic tools for care as well as the training on how to use them. The local doctors and nurses received advanced training on some of these same subjects.
In addition, they all received training concerning proper nutrition and how it can be one of the best tools against some of the more common ailments faced by the people of Esquipulas. The training included pictures of local fruits and explanations of their nutritional content and how they can help.
By the end of the day those that participated were all smiles. They were excited to go out and use what they had learned in the communities where they live. From my perspective, this particular day is probably one of the most important I have been a part of here in Guatemala. The local volunteers and medical professionals had an opportunity to learn new skills that they can use to help their friends and neighbors during the weeks and months when we are not here. Education, along with some of the other projects we are implementing such as a clean rain water capture system are all core to the real mission of making a sustainable impact.
Finally, I want to shift gears for just a second and thank the young men that are volunteering here from St. John’s University in Minnesota. Last year we had Phil and Theo (hopefully you guys see this, the playground you built is amazing) and they helped us out every day. This year we had Adam Sheldon and Luke Ekelund for the entire week and Patrick Deering and Matt Ott for part of the week. They did anemia checks, dental varnishes, blood pressure, pulse checks, worked as assistants to the pharmacists and continually ran back and forth between the clinics.
Adam Sheldon doing anemia checks.
Luke Ekelund giving a tour of the basilica bell tower.
Yesterday was our last clinic day and at the larger clinic we arrived to see hundreds of people waiting. In all we saw more than 200 women and children at that one site and the smaller clinic was also extremely busy. Like every other day this week, Adam and Luke dug right in and worked until they looked like they were about to pass out. As a matter of fact, near the end of the day Adam finally admitted he was not feeling well and when his temperature was taken it was 103 degrees! Luckily we had medicine to give him and sent him back to the Basilica to sleep (he is feeling much better today). While we don’t condone working in such a condition, it is just one example of many of just how extraordinary these young men really are. Here is a great big thank you to all of you from all of us.
So, I end where I started, in front of my laptop. It has been a wonderful journey and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to come back again this year.
Thank you for taking the time daily to update us on the trip and show us the pictures and give us a little insight as to the help you are all giving the people in Guatemala. Thanks again
Posted by: Kyle | October 25, 2009 at 02:03 AM