Dear friends of the Roberto Clemente Health Clinic,
Happy March! We hope that this update finds you well and enjoying good health and fortune in 2012! It seems that spring is just around the corner for us here in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. (perhaps a bit earlier than Mother Nature intended), and Nicaragua continues to enjoy beautiful weather. As always, we are thrilled to share news from the Clinic with you, as well as show the profound impact that your support has on our organization, and more importantly, on the people we serve.
Our annual Health Care Fair (“Feria de Salud”) took place on February 4 and went extremely well. Nearly 1,200 residents from surrounding communities received free healthcare from our clinic! This number far surpassed last year’s attendance, as well as the expected turn out for this year. Patients received free check-ups from over 20 medical professionals from Nicaragua and the United States who volunteered their services.
While many parents patiently waited to see a doctor, children joyously participated in games that earned them various prizes, including toothpaste, toothbrushes, toys, and popsicles. The fair provided free services in dentistry, optometry, primary care, as well as lessons on preventative care. A highlight of this year’s fair was the optometric services that were provided. Approximately 300 people walked away with a free, brand new pair of glasses, and many more got free medicines donated by our sponsors.
Furthermore, this year, we were able to use our newly purchased portable ultrasound machine at the Health Care Fair! Thanks to your donations, we were able to obtain this top-of-the-line equipment.
We were delighted to be able to provide this service to numerous patients, and this machine is currently the only ultrasound in the region. The Rivas hospital team will travel with their cardiologist and a list of patients to diagnose patients. Consequently, it will continue to serve as a major game-changer in the community, not only to ensure healthy pregnancies, but also to serve as an essential tool for detecting internal injuries and diagnosing diseases.
Our Medical Advisor, Barbara Jordan, was in charge of bringing the machine to the clinic and training our local staff on how to use it. The machine has three different Dopplers: one for OB/GYN procedures and check-ups, one that is built for abdominal evaluations of internal organs, and one that performs cardiovascular ultrasounds.
Some of our accomplishments in 2011 were having the honor of partnering with TOMS One for One™.
We distributed thousands of TOMS Shoes to children in need. The children received the shoes with excitement, eager to wear and boast their new pair of shoes at school.
And finally, school started this past month in Nicaragua! Through our Programa el Padrino, many gracious donors sponsor individual children, providing for their basic health and educational needs. Our commitment is to provide uniforms, notebooks, and other necessary items for each child in the program.
If you would like to make a donation to our project please click here. You can also register to any of our program and be part of our dear supporters.
Remember to spread the word about the Roberto Clemente Health Clinic on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter (@Nicaclinic)!
Los esperamos en Nicaragua
Juan Muñoz
Executive Director
Please visit our volunteer page.
Phone USA: 1-410-369-0512
Nicaragua: 8675-0100 (Spanish only)
If you would like to make a donation to our project please visit our website, here you can also register to any of our program and be part of our dear supporters.
Remember to spread the word about the Roberto Clemente Health Clinic on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter (@Nicaclinic)!
Thank you for visiting,
Julia Guth
Chair of the Board
Roberto Clemente – Santa Ana Health Clinic