We awoke to find that it had been raining some just before sunrise. Those of us who had planned a trip on bikes to the Mexico border were glad we decided to sleep in. Sleep in until 5:30 or 6 AM. Coffee was ready at 6 AM and breakfast with devotions and organizing at 6:30 AM. The surgery team was ready to go to the hospital by 7:45 and the Village Team was not long behind them. We have 30 on the Village Team, but 12 translators were added from the Catholic Church of Corozal. Four full vans headed to the town of Louisville where the first day clinic was offered.This was the same school/ church where the team last year did a major expansion on the chapel and work on the kindergarten building.
Louisville Church where clinic was held at school adjacent to school
We found the rooms to place the pharmacy, the doctors, the nurses and we registered patients outside. Registration entails numbering the triplicate forms and putting in their name and village and weighing them.
From there patients move to the nurses station to find out the reason they decided to visit the doctor and family history. In many cases blood pressure and glucose level are both assessed.
Two side by side nurses of 6 stations on this week’s team
Patients are then ushered to the next open doctors station and from there they head to the complimentary pharmacy. The medicines are a huge part of the trip cost, second only to the air transportation and the food/lodging budget.
The Surgery Team had a very busy day. They were trying to keep up with the pace they had planned Friday with so many wanting past due surgeries for hernia repairs.
Making the four day schedule for surgery on Friday