Guatemala, October 2011

  • Guatemala 2011
  • Guatemala 2011
  • Guatemala 2011
  • Guatemala 2011
  • Guatemala 2011
  • Guatemala 2011
  • Guatemala 2011
  • Guatemala 2011
  • Guatemala 2011
  • Guatemala 2011
  • Guatemala 2011
  • Guatemala 2011
  • Guatemala 2011
 MISSION SUMMARY:
Date: October 2011
Location: Rio Dulce, Izabal, Guatemala
Team Size: 9
Length of Mission:  9 days
Number of Patients Treated: 1074

 BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

In October of 2011 an ISHI team of 9 traveled to a remote village in southeastern Guatemala to care for the Mayan Indians living along the Rio Dulce. ISHI's team of all nurses collaborated with Jungle Medic Missions, and spent 9 days working from Jungle Medic's mobile clinic (a bus converted into a fully functioning medical facility), that had the unique ability to reach areas lacking healthcare facilities. According to Bryan Buchanan, founder of Jungle Medic Missions, "there are 137 villages in the Rio Dulce Izabal area of Guatemala that have no medical or dental care at all, and only subsist on corn tortillas for their three meals a day." Team leader Jhoselyn Thomas found this opportunity for ISHI to volunteer and quickly and efficiently organized a team of 9 for this mission.

 OUR PATIENTS AND LOCATION

Team ISHI brought medications, vitamins and medical supplies to use during the clinics. These were donated to ISHI as well as purchased by ISHI and transported by the team to Guatemala. All medications unused were donated to Jungle Medic to be distributed to their patients free of cost.

 MISSION ACHIEVEMENTS:

Examined and treated 1074 patients via the mobile clinic during the week of the mission. With the use of a poster teaching hand care (designed by Debbie Livingston), the team taught simple handwashing methods emphasizing use of soap to promote hand hygiene in the communities visited. Patients with surgical conditions were screened for potential future surgical team. Volunteers re-organized the pharmacy and stock-room at Jungle Medic, helping to discard expired medications and sort and stock available medications for future easy use. ISHI team treated various conditions such as rashes, abdominal pain, worm infestation, urinary infections, respiratory infections, joint pain, gastritis, anemia, and many more conditions. They also performed various procedures including drainage of abscesses, placement of splints on the extremities and wound care.

 MISSION VOLUNTEERS:
(l to r) Jhoselyn Thomas-ER Nurse, Emma Toussaint-ER Nurse, Stephanie Burroughs-ER Nurse, Caitlin Blaskewicz- Administrator, Cathy Blaskewicz-ER Nurse Practitioner, Michele Egarian-ER Nurse Practitioner, (front l to r) Nura Qureshi- Photographer, Janet Clausen-ER Nurse, Nurse Natalia McTighe-ER Nurse.
ISHI Guatemala 2011 Team

 


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