Clinic Day - Take 2

The day has now come to an end and we are getting ready to have dinner.  The day was quite busy as the team that was going to be in Guatemala City at Jordan Hospital decided to come to the clinic and spend the day.  Jordan Hospital is a private hospital that has a total of 20 inpatient beds with a 2 bed Emergency Department.  The patient census at this time was 5 patients with 1 admit from the Emergency Department for observation.  Interesting what physicians here will admit to the hospital that we in the states would send home with education as what to watch for.  When they were at the hospital, they received a tour and shadowed some of the departments but due to the minimal amount of patients, the experience was not what was expected.

Dawn, Laitia, and Emily worked with Dr. Elry to see the adults in clinic.  They had an experience with a woman who was diagnosed 4 years ago with a goiter and is continuing to be untreated due to the lack of finances for the treatment.  Once this woman and her husband walked into the clinic, you knew exactly why she was there.  Unfortunately there was nothing that we could do for her from a medical standpoint.  Dr. Ernie, Michelle, and Melodie were busy tending to the children that had been presenting with mainly respiratory issues due to the dust in the air and inability to keep their homes clean according to our standards.  The home that we were welcomed into was kept very orderly and they were very proud of their home.  We thank them for giving us the opportunity to see their home.

While we visit El Salitre, just outside of Amatitlan, Dr. Elry sponsors 10 children from the school with a scholarship.  This scholarship entitles these children to education and activities outside of school that encourages them to grow into more spiritual and well-rounded individuals.  During this time they sing and dance to songs about Jesus and how he is an important part of our lives.  Joy taught Dr. Elry and the children a new song with actions called "Jesus Loves Me So".  Thank you Joy for bringing a new song to the children and smiles to their faces with your well planned activities throughout the day.

Tomorrow we will be congregating as a 16 person team again to head into the mountains to run a half day clinic to families that have none to very limited resources to healthcare.  Not quite certain as what to expect but will be a fantastic experience none-the-less.  We will be taking some basic medications and supplies to hopefully be able to provide that essential basic care that we can.  In addition to the basic medical care, being able to provide some health promotion education is "muy importante" in order to prevent some illness.  Critical thinking is something that comes in handy when observing their home environment and what can they do to better their own health.

It is now time to dig into the food that our wonderful chefs, Norma and Liz, cooked for us.  Please come back tomorrow to find out about our day in the mountains and what experiences we have had.

Good Night Friends and Family, we greatly appreciate your support and prayers as we carry out the mission of God!