CUA and The Roberto Clemente health Clinic Unite

Washington, DC - The Catholic University of America made an exciting work-and-play trip to the Roberto Clemente Santa Ana Health Clinic for their university spring break.

With a total of 12 medical students and two faculty members, the group split their time between practical work in the clinic and traveling to surrounding schools to distribute public health education.

After a brief orientation, the volunteers were thrown into daily life at the clinic and the clinic’s history and aspects of clinic life and were explained along the way. Activities accomplished at the clinic include spreading water contamination awareness, preventative medication distribution (thanks to the clinic’s wonderful donors), giving injections and IVs, removing sutures and tending to fractures and broken bones.

Work at the school was interactive and educational, providing students in the area’s different schools with information on personal hygiene (complemented by a rousing sing-along of “Heads, shoulders, knees and toes”) and health education.

The highlight of the trip included a field day for the students, filled with group stretching, impromptu soccer matches and fun-filled activities planned by the CUA students.


The group also de-stressed with yoga breaks at Equilibrio ecological resort, found opportunities to shop and explore at the Masaya market and enjoyed relaxing meals on the beach.

Are you or a group interested in volunteering in Nicaragua? Call us now at
(410) 777-8626 to get more information.

The clinic boasts new minibus

Limon, Nicaragua - After three long months of preparation and several years of saving, the Clinic has finally acquired a new minibus!

The new vehicle will provide a much-needed mode of daily transportation for clinic staff, which has increased from the initial staff of three to its current total of nineteen. Before this exciting acquisition, the staff had to travel either on the unreliable local transportation or find a ride to the clinic. On occasion, the nurses and pharmacists have hitched rides on top of passing-by dump trucks in order to arrive at work on time. The clinic’s monthly volunteers will also rely heavily on the minibus during their volunteer tenures in Limon. Rides to and from the airport will be easier to coordinate and traveling around the community to different projects will help the volunteers access more of the area and interact more easily with the community to maximize their time with the clinic.

Now, the medical and administrative staff will be able to find safe and reliable daily transportation to the clinic in order to treat the patients who rely on their work at the clinic. The minibus will not only serve the clinic as transportation for staff and volunteers, but also will facilitate transportation of medical donations from Managua and other foundations in Nicaragua and reduce the usage of the clinic ambulance for other more important errands. Overall, the addition of the minibus will help alleviate many different daily transportation issues.

The clinic would especially like to thank anyone involved in the process, including the devoted team members who dedicated time to the new acquisition, as well as the donors. Without the undying loyalty of these donors, many current and future projects at the clinic would not be possible.

For more information about the Roberto Clemente Santa Ana Health Clinic contact us at (410) 777-8626

Washington, DC. – Volunteer opportunities worthwhile for both volunteers and volunteer organizations. 

Looking for a fun activity to make for an exciting spring break or summer vacation? Have you ever thought about volunteering abroad? Volunteering has many different benefits for both the organization and the volunteer. Here at the Roberto Clemente Clinic in Limon1, Nicaragua, volunteers provide essential services and assistance to the everyday operations of our everyday clinic staff.

 Volunteering in any capacity is one of the most important contributions we can make to a community. Some of the most incredible and worthy organizations are those that operate with a large volunteer base. Volunteers add fresh energy and a new perspective to projects. Using volunteers also helps the organization promote their mission. And these experiences don’t just help the organizations. Volunteering abroad provides the opportunity to travel and explore a new city, country and culture. The volunteers gain a new life experience, and hopefully a new perspective that they can apply to their own community back home.

 Once someone has decided to pursue a volunteer opportunity, deciding where to volunteer is the next step. A 2010 article in USA Today examines the different factors that go into choosing the right volunteer program. Skepticism about the legitimacy about certain programs asking for large program fees and connection between the volunteer work and the individual’s skill set and passions are important considerations. Well known volunteer organizations include the U.S. Peace Corps Program, WWOOF and United Nations Volunteers. What takes a little more research is finding a smaller, lesser-known organization to fit all of your requirements.

At the Roberto Clemente Clinic in Limon1, Nicaragua, a volunteer can experience all of the benefits mentioned above through one of the many different volunteer opportunities. The only difference is the more intimate setting of a small organization and a tight-knit team that will walk you through the process of a worthwhile experience. Here at the Roberto Clemente Clinic, volunteers provide essential services and assistance to the everyday operations of our clinic.

In 2012, a total of 67 incredible individuals dedicated their time and energy to different tasks around the Clinic, including the construction of a new storage facility, helping out with our deworming program, creating the “Fighting Diabetes Club” and the many who attend our successful annual healthcare fair.

For more information to determine if the Roberto Clemente Clinic, please visit www.nicaclinic.org  or contact our Baltimore office at (410) 777-8626

The Roberto Clemente Clinic – $150,000 can go far in the second poorest country in the Americas

Limón, Nicaragua: The Roberto Health Clinic is happy to announce plans for expansion in 2013. Total amounts of $145,000 in construction costs and $65,000 for equipment costs are requested from community members and like-minded individuals who want to see this expansion become a reality. Help us with a donation today! 

The clinic is currently hosted in a 1,500 sq. ft. facility and strives to improve health outcomes for the surrounding Limon community. The clinic staff hopes that future facility expansion will expand community impact even further.

 

 Floor Plans Donated by David Lopez AIA LEED PA

 Exciting recent additions make expansion a unique and important possibility this year. For the first time since the clinic opened its doors in 2004, a full medical team is on staff and equipped in terms of manpower and resources to serve the Limon community more efficiently than ever.

This makes it possible for the expansion of services to continue in 2013. Also important is the growing number of patients, a number that has quadrupled in recent years. What the clinic now lacks is the physical capacity to treat more patients.

 

With the help of donors, the clinic hopes to include in the expanded building: rooms for consultation, observation, a sterilized surgery room and an open room for training and meetings. These additions have been estimated at $145,000 for construction costs and $65,000 for equipment costs. The equipment will be partially donated and partially purchased from second hand and refurbished shops.

The clinic provides low cost preventative care, emergency services, dental care and laboratory service to the underserved in the area.  Additionally, we build networks by bringing foreign students and medical professionals to Nicaragua and partner with other NGOs locally and internationally.

For more information, please call Juan Muñoz at  410-777-8626

To make a donation, visit this link http://nicaclinic.org/donate/individual-donations today!