Each year, a team of physicians, nurses, and med students, comes down from Virginia, and together with the clinic of NPH, we travel 6 hours on a bumpy, dirt road in a school bus, to Olanchito, Yoro, and set up a medical brigade for a week. We were last there in the beginning of June. Each year, once we arrive to Olanchito, the priest there sets up the site for the medical brigade, which is generally in a remote, mountain village, where the people have no continuous access to medical care. This past June we were located in Carbajal. We had clinic every day from about 8am, until whenever we finished, which was generally late afternoon.
After having worked with this brigade for the past 3 years, and seeing what works, and what doesn't, we decided to try to organize the brigade a little better in advance, and make some changes with how the brigade runs. Over the past several years, it has become obvious that there is not a whole lot you can accomplish in a week, if you just drop into the village once a year, without having any lasting contact with the local people (priests, doctors, nurses, ect.)
The majority of the patients we see come for consults, because they want their yearly parasite medications, multivitamins, and pain medications. We also see several patients with severe, chronic cases of hypertension, diabetes, etc. This area also has high rates of malaria, chargas, and tuburculosis. So many of the main health problems these people are facing can be prevented. And since prevention is more effective than treatment for everybody, our goal for next year's brigade will be more focused on education and prevention, as we begin to develop lasting health projects with these communities.
The past couple years, after leaving the villages, you begin to evaluate what kind of impact you actually had on those people. Giving people a month's supply of ibuprofen for the back pain they've had for years, and will have their whole life, from the physical labor they do day in and day out, doesn't do them a whole lot of good. Giving children medication once a year for the parasites they continuously have, doesn't do a whole lot of good either. You can't initiate treatment for blood pressure or diabetes, if there is no nurse or doctor around to monitor the results of the medications.
The doctor in charge of the brigade, and his nurse practicioner, came down last week, and we trecked off to the mountains, to plan for next year. The priest from Olanchito that we have been working with for the past three years, took us around to meet the physicians and nurses of the different areas. We got to see the health centers and clinics that are in the areas. It was interesting to see all of the facilities, but the lack of staff and equipment. In most of the areas, they have the buildings, just no doctor or nurse to work there. And, if they do have a doctor or nurse, they have minimal medications, and minimal medical supplies.
After talking with the people of the area, and saw the numbers of people with different diseases and health problems, we came to the conclusion that one of the most effective things we can do there is a water treatment project, to decrease the number of deaths caused by intestinal bacterias and parasites. We're looking into a couple different water treatment systems, which we're hoping to get donated so we can bring them with us, to dispurse within the communities.
Our trip up last week was very effective, and I'm really excited about next year's brigade. It has been difficult going there, and working so hard, and then not really being able to see outcomes. I has been more just "putting the bandaid on the problems", and treating acute illnesses. I'm excited to be able to help in the development of a more long-term project, which will actually make a difference in the long-run.
--the picture is of me and this old man from the village, that was just trotting around on his donkey all day long while we were there. cute man, that had lots to say. you'll see in the background, that our pickup had broken down. so, us women made friends with this man while waiting for the men to fix the car--
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