Med Clinic
By The Numbers:
Monday: 96 (Batey la Gina)
Tuesday: 103 (Batey Gauzabal)
Wednesday: 145 (Batey Santarita)
Thursday: 125 (Medical Clinic Yuma)
Friday: 145 (Medical Clinic- La Romana, barrio Pica Piedra)
Total: 614 patients seen
Some of the above numbers are actually a bit skewed, because there were patients who couldn't afford the forms for all of their family members. Each form cost 30 pesos per person in the batey, which is about $0.62 American dollars. Sometimes a mom and baby will come, and the mom will neglect herself- so the doctors "unofficially" treat the whole family. We tried to account for these "unofficial" patients, but of course it isn't an exact science.
Out on the most remote bateys, there were a lot more cases of malnutrition and a lot of musculoskeletal complaints. Most people had not seen a doctor in quite a long time. If they did have any prescriptions, they were very different from the kinds of medicines that people in the city had. A lot of people in the bateys said, "I don't eat everyday; I can't afford to eat every day." They were living 4-8 people in a single shack. As the week progressed, there were fewer cases of teenage pregnancies, more formal diagnoses, and therefore more previously prescribed medicines. Even in the poorest communities, wide disparities in healthcare access and quality persist.
Waiting to be admitted
Waiting room
Seeing the doctors
La Papita
At Batey La Papita, the crew brought in dirt and construction materials for the third new house on the batey. Half of the group was literally moving the earth in order to raise the level of the floor to an appropriate height, while the other group was hauling cinderblocks up a hill to the site of the newest house. We moved 250-350 cinderblocks a day, each one weighing approximately 30 pounds.
Current living conditions at Batey La Papita
One of two completed piles of cinderblocks
To operate most effectively, we created a human assembly line and passed the cinderblocks from person to person. Today, we even had ten community members voluntarily join us! It was such a rewarding experience to engage with the community toward our common goal. Although we didn't finish the entire pile of cinderblocks, we were able to make a massive dent in the work. All left the worksite today with a genuine sense of accomplishment.
Watkinson, UHHSE, and Batey La Papita community members forming a brigade
Joe Hartman School
Our major project at Joe Hartman School was to build a cement floor for what will be the cafeteria. This is an incredibly important endeavor because it directly impacts the quality of the students' education. Without a cafeteria, classes end each day at noon, so that students can go home to eat lunch. Classes do not resume in the afternoon. With a completed cafeteria, the school day can be lengthened to include afternoon classes. This has enormous implications for academic achievement and subsequent life outcomes.
The team was led by a local contractor, Danny, and two interpreters that work with The Mission. On-site Dominican workers helped mix and lay concrete, but our group was responsible for all of the movement. Sometimes we formed assembly lines and passed buckets of concrete from outside to the site of the future cafeteria; other times, we used wheelbarrows as our primary method of transportation. The stamina and work ethic was an incredible site to behold.
Day 1- Leveling the dirt to prepare for laying cement
Day 4- 10am, about 4/5 of the floor completed
Day 4- 1pm, putting on the finishing touches.
We finished our main project at the end of the day on Thursday. That left Friday for some touch-up work: patching some holes in the concrete roof and repainting the garden, which our team built two years ago. While we were preparing the concrete for paint, a chorus of first-graders serenaded us with the alphabet song... literally arm-in-arm. I couldn't possibly put into words how adorable this moment was, so I'll just let the video speak for itself:
Final Thoughts
Despite all of the great work we were able to do, it's a bit disheartening when we realize how much left there is still left to do. For every house we complete, there are many more families still living in shacks made of scrap metal. For every 30-day supply of vitamins we distributed, there are likely many more days before that patient will be seen by another doctor.
Nevertheless, we are taking comfort in knowing that we made our small contribution. Where we leave off this year, we will pick up next year.
Until then, let's hope for a safe flight! We can't wait to see you all so soon. Buenas noches, todos.
No comments:
Post a Comment