Wednesday, August 10, 2022
It was an exciting day as we visited a brand-new location in the Community Development Program. This was the first visit by a Medical Mountain Team to Plan Grande, Santa Cruz de Yojoa, Cortes, a community made up of 120 families with 755 residents.
It’s always incredible to see how the community members immediately gather around our bus and trucks to help unload and get all the totes, boxes, bags, and fans to their respective clinic areas. The children are especially proud to help, often carrying boxes that look bigger than the person carrying it.
We saw 173 patients today. The most common medical issues were hypertension, viral illness, and poor dental health.
For those who don’t know, the daily flow of a Mountain Medical Team visit includes:
Registration – demographic information, photos, and consent to care are obtained.
Triage – COVID screening, temperature check, and identification of the patient’s chief complaint.
Deworming medication and vitamins
Blood pressure and pulse readings
Height and weight measurements for all children under the age of 12. Head circumference is measured for children less than three years old. These numbers are recorded and tracked to monitor growth percentiles over time.
Medical evaluation for every person. Mild conditions are treated with common medications and lifestyle recommendations. Patients with more serious issues are referred for a higher level of care.
Vision screening for children, and the distribution of reading glasses and/or sunglasses for adults as appropriate.
Dental – fluoride treatments for all children age 4-12. Children and adults who have tooth complaints are seen by a dentist. Extractions, sealants, and fillings can be performed.
One of today’s interesting cases was a five-year-old boy with a hemangioma covering a large portion of his face. His grandmother reported that he started having grand mal seizures a year ago, but he did not receive effective treatment. We were able to refer him to a neurologist for an accurate diagnosis and treatment. It was very satisfying to give his family hope for improved health in the future.
Four members gave away their agape crosses today. Jo Ellen gave hers to an 87-year-old gentleman who recently lost most of his family in a fire. He has moved in with his niece and her family and is settling into a new routine. Keeley shared her cross with a 50-year-old man with elevated blood pressure. He’s never been on blood pressure medication, and he asked if his hypertension could be stress related. In addition to his preparation for the first clinic visit, he had just lost one of his close friends.
Frances gave her agape cross to a boy named Tomas who was the last dental patient of the day. He had a very painful tooth infection and was very scared during his treatment with the dentist. After that, he still had to receive his fluoride treatment. Rather than being upset and resistant, he was very brave and smiled a lot. When he received the cross, his smile covered his whole face, and both he and his mom blessed Frances with big hugs.
Megan was especially touched by a beautiful little girl in a purple dress. She remained at the clinic most of the day and was so excited to help load the bus when it was time for us to leave. Megan said “Jesu Cristo” to her, and the little girl immediately folded her hands in a sweet prayer position. She asked Megan if she would be coming back.
Our evening devotion focused on how and why we were called to serve on this trip. We were reminded that we are here to serve, as explained in Mark 10:42-45. Megan encouraged us to continue to serve once we return home, especially in ways that others are unlikely to. She presented each team member with three small crosses to share with others in the future.
It was a great introduction to the Plan Grande community. We can’t wait to see how these families grow and learn on their adventure to better health!
~ The En Sus Pasos team “In His Steps”
