Board Member From California Sees Progress of Rural Nicaraguan Clinic First-Hand
Limon 1, Nicaragua: In recent months, the newly appointed member of the Board of Directors, Barbara Jordan, MS PA-C, had a very productive visit to The Roberto Clemente Health Clinic. In addition to her medical expertise, she provided visionary leadership to the clinic.
“As a new executive board member, this was one of my most challenging trips to date” said Jordan. “Our clinic is absolutely bursting at the seams with positive changes and rapid growth.”
She arrived to the hustle and bustle of 15 volunteers from San Francisco State University School of Nursing. She guided them as they gave impromptu charlas about family planning to the patients in the waiting room. She led their efforts in cleaning and organizing the entire clinic, preparing emergency packs for the ambulance, and re-writing protocols on sterilization techniques. “They were a fabulous group and I thoroughly enjoyed working with them. The head nursing student, Mary- Elizabeth and her fiancé Scott, a non- medical person were both godsends. Scott’s help with the pharmacy database and software update was invaluable and Mary-Elizabeth’s ideas for the clinic really moved things along,” Jordan said.
Prior to her arrival, the clinic team interviewed five applicants for the Biointensive Garden Project and had narrowed the choices down to two strong candidates. Along with Gustavo Ibarra, the Operational Manager, and Doctor Francis Guevara, the Medical Director, Jordan interviewed them a second time and created a plan for each of the applicants to spend time working with and learning from the experts at the site of the Biointensive Gardening headquarters outside of Masaya, Nicaragua.
Additionally, Jordan was pleased to witness the installation of the Water Treatment Project equipment on the last day of her visit. At the end of this trip, Jordan expressed gratitude for being able to bond with the clinic staff on a deeper level. “Each time I am able to spend time and work with this wonderful group of doctors, nurses and staff, I am in awe of what they accomplish and how many people they are able to help on a daily basis, despite the challenges of working in an area with limited resources. They are my everyday heroes.”
The Roberto Clemente Health Clinic provides health care to over 12,000 underprivileged Nicaraguans per year. The clinic provides general and emergency medical care, dental care, ambulatory surgery, lab work, and preventative health education. The clinic also provides volunteer opportunities for health professionals and students of all levels. Volunteering at The Roberto Clemente Health Clinic is the perfect way to combine benevolence with medical education.
For more information about The Roberto Clemente Health Clinic, visit our website at www.nicaclinic.org or call Juan Muñoz at 410-369-0512.