The first few days in Arcatao, ES
Posted on 21 April 2010
Well, the team has been busy busy busy!! The staff at the Clinic in Arcatao has done an absolutely amazing job getting the word out. They have arranged all the communities to come on different days AND each sub community to come at a certain hour. This is great for the team, as whenever you look out at the crowd there is no more than 45 to 50 people. This has helped considerably with directing and managing the flow of people in line ups.
The team members are all working well. Everyone is helping one another and everyone is embracing their respective roles. The education sessions have a new added flavour with the addition of a team Dietician, Jasmine Ho. Jasmine visited the local market and got to really understand what was available here for the locals and has catered her teaching accordingly. She has also been able to provide one-on-one consultations to patients with certain disease states. She has been quite busy with the number of hypertensive and diabetic cases coming through.
For the first 2 days we have seen about 270 patients. We have been seeing mostly adults which is a departure from previous clinics where the majority of clinic goers were children. This has lead to more intense educational sessions. Also, it affects the clinical stats as we are seeing more chronic disease states. There have been quite a few interesting cases that we have seen so far…
A lady came in to the clinic complaining of decreased hearing. She had a pain in her ear that had been present for quite a while. A close inspection of her ear revealed that it was severely plugged. The nurses started to clean the ears and dirt and ear wax started pouring out. When the doctor took a look he said there was more in there. After 5 minutes of diligently working on her ear, out came a piece of mango that had been lodged in there!! The lady was so excited that she could hear again!!!
A woman came in after delivering her baby not too long before. She had discharge and was bleeding. Dr O’Connor examined her and discovered that her episiotomy was bleeding. He cauterized her at the facility and sent her on her way…..
A family of seven travelled the distance from Honduras. They had been suffering from scabies for years and the lesions were dried and scabbed over. Medication was provided for the entire family, as well as food. The family was quite malnourished and clearly had not eaten much in the past few days.
The best, however, is seeing the looks on the peoples eyes when they are able to get fitted with reading glasses. All of a sudden they can see! and the look of excitement on their face is priceless. They are so thrilled when they can clearly see their family and realize they will now be able to continue their craft. Kate and Laura, have been alternating in this department and certainly find this an inspiring place to work.
Everyone is doing great and the team is all working hard. We are working almost 12 hour days with smiles on our faces, and at night we all sleep well under the sounds of torrential downpour. The first few days have been amazing and just full of great memories.
4 responses to The first few days in Arcatao, ES
Thanks for the updates. We read them every day and enjoy all the news about the team and helping the people of El Salvador. GO TEAM!!!
Inspirational to hear of what you’re doing down there and it seems the satisfaction in the work is as great to all of you as it is for the recipients. My daughter Meghan Lang is with your group and I’m sure it will change her life. Thanks for the reports.
Gerry Lang
Your blogs alwayd leave me feeling as if I was there … I’ve never even been to El Salvador
Thanks for writing from your heart, I look forward to reading more about the work you and your team is doing.
D
great post as usual!