Wednesday, October 26, 2022
Today was a day of flexibility. Our team of six has become a team of three for various reasons out of our control. Diane Youmans, Arun James and I have moved to plan B for the trip and are trusting God will assist us through all that is planned.
We definitely miss the others who were to be with us, but as good missioners, we have readjusted.
This morning started with a wonderful breakfast meeting with our long time NICU project supporter, Dra. Ada Contreras. We discussed the plans for our next education conference in the fall of 2023. This particular conference will be much larger and include a wider variety of medical professionals all focused on the care of sick babies.
Our next activity included a visit to Hospital Mario Catarino Reves, the largest public hospital in the country and the tertiary center for all newborns needing intensive care. We were so excited to see the positive changes that have been made over the two years since our last visit. There are still many challenges: not enough staffing, equipment that does not work properly, missing pieces of equipment, a lack of medications and supplies. The nurses and physicians in this unit care for an overwhelming number of tiny patients but do it with focus and determination. We learn more each time we visit and try very hard to support these medical professionals as best we can.
The late afternoon was spent doing a run through of the class for tomorrow with our Honduran NICU nurses who will become STABLE instructors. They are excited, nervous and so thankful for this opportunity. They are going to rock this!!
This evening our Merendon Rotary Club ladies hosted a Halloween party that we were invited to attend. They work very hard to support and care for their city and country, but also know how to have fun. It was a great way to end the day.
Tomorrow will be busy with our STABLE certification course event.
As always, your thoughts and prayers are welcome!
~Patti Wagner, Medical Director
