Waiting for room assignments at the Hoya Grande School
Up into the mountains once more to the village of Hoya Grande. This was our biggest day, in terms of patients seen, nearly 500 people were seen by the medical staff alone.
(Triage is ready)
(The educational staff is ready)
The educational staff presented health information to the locals about the importance of hand washing, brushing your teeth, etc.
(Pharmacy is settling in)
One of the most useful innovations of the trip was the posting of one of the pharmacy staff, Eric, a pharmacy tech by trade and pre-med student, amongst the providers to keep us up-to-date on medications we had available for our patients.
Perhaps on of the most profound efffects we have is the distribution of parasite medications (as the water sources are used for everything-thus drinking water is contaminated) and vitamins to every patient.
Norma is set to go. As you can see we have erected our privacy chamber once again.
Peter and Melody chat with one of the students while awaiting the onslaught of patients
Greg and his interpreter are setting out their game plan.
Susan and her interpreter, Ian, have bounded and are ready to go. This was the day I encountered my first truly tropical disease; I saw a young man with a parasitic lesion in his eye which we believe was "River Blindness"--you'll have to look that one up, it's amazing and complex. Ian and I saw 70 patients this day.
Some of the locals:
Unlike in America, the patients dress up in their very best clothing to see the medical staff.
The community of Hoya Grande
Day is done:
(this little boy was so vivacious and he loved being in pictures--the students celebrate making it through a very tough day)
Norma and Kathy discuss their day as we prepare to head back to the compound. Kathy (another ER nurse) has seen 79 patients.
We arrived back home after 8 pm and still had to eat and prepare for the next day.
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