Hospitalito Atitlán Blog

Thanks to Larry and Dianne Finnegan for helping Hospitalito with a booth at the “Uniendo America” Rotary Fair in Antigua this weekend. Rotarian Juan Forester organizes the Fair every year for Rotarians from around the world to become familiar with Rotarians in Guatemala and the projects that they support. Larry prepared a list of medical equipment needed by the Hospitalito. We hope that his efforts will prove to be worthwhile. Thanks Larry and Dianne, we appreciate your support.

Pablo makes pizza Friday and Saturday nights that is greatly appreciated by the medical volunteers. Here he is with Narda Sherman, Dr. Bill Soares and Dr. Ted Ning.

Attention all friends of Hospitalito in Utah - mark your calendars for Presidents’ Day!

Thanks to Dr. Jack Lyons, a dermatologist practicing in Ogden, UT , Snowbasin Ski Resort will be hosting the Nordic Challenge Ski Race, for beginners and experts, on February 15. Check out the Snowbasin Blog for more information on the race, or email snowbasinnordicchallenge@live.com to sign up.

The Lyons family has been generous supporters of Hospitalito Atitlán ever since they visited Santiago Atitlán in 2008. We’re particularly grateful to Eric, Dr. Lyons’ 16-year-old son, for his dedication to helping Hospitalito. It was Eric’s idea of combining his love for skiing and his desire to help build a new hospital in Santiago Atitlán that made this race happen.

So skiers, or friends of skiers, please have some fun and help Hospitalito by signing up and spreading the word to your friends in Utah!

If you’d like to organize an event benefiting Hospitalito Atitlán in your community, please contact us at info@hospitalitoatitlan.org for tips, ideas, and support!

The Queen of Spain has been very generous with Hospitalito Atitlán by sending cases of medicines. When Dra. Irene Quiejú, the director of the National Hospital in Sololá recently contacted the Hospitalito to inquire if we had any medicines to spare, Tono and Dr. Chuc created in inventory of short date medicine from the Queen’s donation and decided to share with the National Hospital where medicine is always in short supply. 

Hospitalito medical volunteers have been very busy this month. Dominc Lang a fourth year medical student from Queensland Australia, Kara Walten and Julie Sullivan from the Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center and University of San Francisco pediatrician Dr. Joshua Bress pose for a photo in the education room.

It was a sweet celebration for Hospitalito’s staff on Friday. Social worker Vicenta Chavajay was married on Saturday. “Chenta” knew that an evening wedding in San Pedro la Laguna wouldn’t allow her co-workers to attend, so she invited everyone to a lovely lunchtime celebration in the education room.  It was a lot of laughs when Felipa presented a wedding veil made from a surgical cap and gauze for the party. Best wishes for the bride and groom.

Dr. Juan Mauel Chuc met with Vifrio executives to accept a donation of rubber flooring for the outdoor waiting room and playground areas of the new hospital. The “caucho” is a product created from used tires and cushions the falls of children. The group also donated playground equipment.  Thanks VIFRIO!!!

The disaster in Haiti hit close to home when the Hospitalito construction commission learned that Walt Ratterman, of SunEPI.org, has been missing in Haiti since the earthquake on Jan. 12. Walt was in Haiti to install a solar array on a hospital. Walt has been a volunteer on Hospitalito Atitlán’s construction team for more than a year. Please keep him in your hearts as the search continues.

January 16^th was the inauguration of the new anesthesia machine and the celebration with our Rotarian friends from Guatemala city of the completion of a Rotary International grant. Club Rotario Guatemala Oeste and the West Salem Oregon Club worked together to complete the application in 2008. The grant totaled more than $72,000 worth of equipment which included an anesthesia machine, a photocopier, nebulizers, blood pressure cuffs, otoscope, portable fetal dopplers, fetal monitors and a 50 KVA diesel generator for the new hospital.

Rotarians Julio Morfina, Club president Miguel Hernandez and Dr. Fernando Leiva present the equipment to K’aslimaal president Francisco Sojuel and Hospitalito medical director Dr. Juan Manuel Chuc.

Two mentors and two students from EWB at the University of Pennsylvania met with the construction commission on Wednesday to discuss possible future projects that would benefit the Hospitalito.

With Dr. Chuc are Tony Sauder, Dr. John Keenen, Sascha Murillo and Elizabeth Warren.

Dave Embree has brought a group of Christian Campus House students to do construction work at the Hospitalito FIVE times. The first was in Panabaj, where they installed tile in the hallways and operating room. In 2006, after the disaster, they donated money for materials and built three medical volunteer cabins on the Hospitalito property. In 2007, they initiated the construction of the new hospital, but building retaining walls.

This week, the CCH students moved earth, rock, sand and gravel to build walls and pulled electrical cable with the electrician. They also brought with them, 15 suitcases of construction materials… electrical boxes and plumbing fixtures.

In the back row of the group photo, you see Ruben Bergstresser, son of K’aslimaal secretary Karina, who earned his community service credit for the Alma School in Panajachel.

Dave and CCH travel around the world on construction trips. The group has built schools, clinics and homes in Thailand, Haiti, and Africa. In the spring they travel with 120 volunteers to Mexico…. Ruben has been invited.