Monday, November 7, 2022
The first day of clinic was at El Palmichal Fatima, Taulabe. This community has a population of about 500 people and 125 homes. The water source is located about 1.86 miles away from the community and is piped in. The closet health department is 4.3 miles away where all prenatal, postpartum and newborn care is provided. Common health issues include respiratory, skin issues, hypertension, and diabetes.
Team members first day impression:
Liz: This is Liz's first time in Honduras and first day in clinic. She was unsure of what to expect. She said, 'I felt a little overwhelmed but glad I had friends I could go to". She learned how the clinic would flow.
Dale: Dale stated she was very disappointed no babies came her way today. She was surprised that they had so much access to resources. Many of the patients had been seen at previous visits.
Pam: She worked in the weights and measurements clinic. She discovered 2-3 children with lice. She was surprised by how clean the children's shoes and socks were and found they were reluctant to have their shoes removed to be weighed.
Evelyn: Evelyn worked in the dental clinic, which was new for her. By default, she learned how to correctly sterilize the instruments. She was a comfort to the children. They saw 60 patients total and extracted 45 teeth.
Yolanda: Yolanda found it to be a challenging day working with the EMR. She found a way to work through it. Her highlight of the day was seeing a 6 year-old beautiful little girl with a murmur. Her father stated that when she was running around she would stop, hold her heart, and say it was hurting her. She has been referred for follow up. Yolanda also gave her cross to a woman with a history of epilepsy, who only needed an emotional outlet.
Alex: This was also Alex's first time in Honduras, and he found it be an eye opener to see what people deal with on a daily basis. He was surprised that the kids did not know the basics like dental hygiene.
Jessica: Jessica also struggled with the EMR today. She was surprised to find so many skin issues and made two dermatology referrals today.
Shirley: Shirley stated she completed a lot of good patient education with her interpreter, Carlos. They encountered a little boy with very enlarged tonsils who was referred to ENT. She also gave her cross away to a 55-year-old woman whose eyes reflected a lot of suffering. She had horrible arthritis and swelling in both hands. Despite the swelling, she was doing laundry manually on a daily basis. She was referred and also received Shirley's cross after praying together.
Elvin: Elvin was in the fluoride clinic. He was surprised about how improved the dental care was compared to previous years. He was able to coerce the children into opening up to receive the fluoride treatment.
Nareesa: She was able to see many elderly patients in clinic, which are her favorite. She also saw a baby who was 1 month old, but there were concerns about the baby's developmental progress. There was a gentleman who had pectus carinatum (pigeon chest). He also had COPD including the clubbing of the fingers.
Tim: This was Tim's first visit to Honduras. He worked in the deworming clinic and saw about 150 people. His only regret was that he doesn't know how to speak Spanish so he can communicate with the children better.
Carlos: Worked with Shirley in the medical clinic. They saw a severe case of tonsillitis in a 13-year-old. The mother stated her son had witnessed a traumatic event when he was 10 years old, and this had impacted his mental well-being. He was referred for further assessment.
Matthew: Matt worked in the pharmacy this year. He thought it was nice to see the difference between the medical clinic and the dental clinic.
The night ended with a devotional by Shirley.
"The average child laughs 300 - 400 times a day while adults laugh about 15 times. Laughing aids in digestion, lowers the BP, reduces the stress hormones, increases muscle flexion, boosts the immune system, triggers endorphins, heals broken relationships and generally gives you a sense of well-being. Let's not take everything so seriously. Let's laugh at ourselves a bit this week. Despite the serious work to be done this week, remember God gave us a sense of humor. Let's use it!"
Team Dinwiddie
Shirley Woodlief - Team Leader
Pam Witt
Dr. Nareesa Mohammed-Rajput
Liz Laidlaw
Dale Field
Yolanda Baksh-Mohammed
Jessica Earhart
Matthew Comer
Elvin Floyd
Carlos Munoz
Tim Beck
Alex Comer
Evelyn Eley
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