In March, students from Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., paid us a visit. Advisory board member Jennifer Maxwell, 13 students and two graduate nurses participated in activities focused on health and education at the Roberto Clemente Health Clinic, as well as at elementary schools and health centers in the Tola area.
They visited the communities of Limón 1, Limón 2, Virgen Morena, El Asentamiento and Las Salinas. During their time at the Clinic, they volunteered at coordinated activities in conjunction with the Ministry of Health. They helped with an ongoing census, and distributed larval control products and applied it to all containers where standing water was present in order to avoid dengue, contagious diseases and epidemics.
The students rotated working at the Clinic, The Salinas Health Center and The Asentamiento Health Center. They helped take vital signs, and measure patients’ weight and height. Some also gave injections and provided first aid in emergencies. Additionally, they helped our pharmacy team reorder medicines and update expiration dates. Lastly, the volunteers worked in our organic garden and sampled fresh honey that had been collected that same day.
They also visited schools in Asentamiento, Limón 1, Las Salinas and Virgin Morena, where they gave talks about…
- The importance of sleeping well
- The importance of washing hands before every meal
- The importance of clean water
- The benefits of the various nutrients found in fruits and vegetables.
The following chart shows the number of children who benefited from these activities:
On March 8, in observation of International Women’s Day, the students organized a small health fair to celebrate the women in the community. They focused the event on women’s care and prevention of common diseases. About 300 women showed up and participated in talks about the importance of having Pap tests, breastfeeding, taking vitamins during pregnancy, monitoring sugar intake and maintaining good nutrition.
Many of the women who attended benefitted from…
- Educational talks
- Free Pap tests
- Packages of clothes
- Free consultations for hypertension and other conditions.
Goodbye, Chana!
In March, we also said goodbye to longtime volunteer Chana N. from University of Toronto, who had been working at the Clinic since early February.
During her time at the Clinic, Chana completed a total of 250 hours and was a great asset to our medical team.
She helped our nurses take vital signs and collect patient data. She also assisted our medical team during emergencies.
Chana helped our Diabetes Club during weekly meetings, and was very involved with all the activities and services provided by the Clinic.
Good luck with your new endeavors, Chana! We cannot wait to have you back!