Dr. Ithan Peltan’s article on Hospitalito Atitlán’s disaster recovery was published recently in a medical journal. It has been almost five years since Tropical Storm Stan, but some of us will never forget.
http://pdm.medicine.wisc.edu/Volume_24/issue_6/peltan.pdf.
This is the third time that volunteers from Trinity Lutheran Church have worked on the construction site. Some of the same people were here when construction started in November 2008. In this photo, Dr. Chuc, Dr. Kevin Bjork, David Swager and group leader Tom Theits pose (and rest) from filling buckets of gravel. Tomorrow, surgeon Dr. Kevin will be volunteering in the operating room.
The largest section of the roof on the second floor was poured today. What teamwork. 50,000 pounds of cement went into this section, about a third used in the pour last June. The sun was not too strong and the rains stayed away… perfect for this task.
Nicole Young-Lin (far right) works for an organization called Saving Mothers and has been meeting with Santiago Atitlán’s traditional midwives. She provides hygienic birthing kits and works with the staff at Hospitalito Atitlán to do trainings in Tz’utujil on safe birthing techniques.
Rotarians from Salem Oregon arrived ready to work at the Hospitalito this week. This is the third work trip led by Phil Sperl who first arrived in Santiago Atitlán to help renovate the inpatient ward at the old hospital in Panabaj. The group of seven have planted trees, painted, sifted sand, cleaned and Architect David Holton tried his hand at chipping rocks Atiteco style. He was so impressed with the stonework on the new hospital that he had see how they did it. The workmen were impressed with his ability.
Nursing staff were given training today in how to operate new IV pumps that arrived from a Rotary International Grant from the East Salem Oregon Rotary and Club Rotario Guatemala Oeste. The pumps are a part of a very large Rotary grant… that is updating a lot of medical equipment…. AND these pumps speak Spanish!!!
Cold and flu season is arriving with the rains and today Hospitalito’s staff were vaccinated today for H1N1 by the Centro de Salud. Jacinto Garcia Chipir receives his vaccine when the Centro’s nursing staff arrived at HA.
Everyone who has ever volunteered at Hospitalito Atitlán knows Fredy Lacán. He started working more than five years ago when he helped install the electrical at the old hospital in Panabaj and since then he has continued as guardian.
Many may remember daughter Melissa, frequently a patient at HA. Melissa brought great luck to the family last week when she purchased a Q25 card for minutes on their cell phone. As soon as the number was entered, she received the message that she had won a pick-up! Family members joked with Melissa and told her it wasn’t true, but Claro, the phone company kept calling, and finally insisted that they go to the phone company office in Panajachel. Still doubtful, Mom and Melissa crossed the lake (Fredy was at work).
Sal and Maru Danial visited this week. They are the directors of the Samir D. Gergis Charitable Trust and made a generous donation towards the operational costs of Hospitalito Atitlán. Thank you for your confidence!
Anne Flosi arrived in November to volunteer as a nurse for six months. Her time in Santiago Atitlán is coming to an end, so we were happy she was able to join the HA staff at the beach. Anne provided medical care for Aklax whose scrape from a soccer injury (don’t play on concrete) was irritated by a fall in the surf.
Still celebrating the fifth anniversary of Hospitalito Atitlán the staff, some Board members and medical volunteers traveled to the Pacific coastal beach at Tecojate for the day. Aklax donated his van and everyone enjoyed the sun, surf and seafood.
José Reanda met with the manager of a nature reserve on the Atitlán volcano to collect donations from the hospital donation box placed in the hotel museum. Tarrales is an old coffee farm on the road from Santiago Atitlán to the Pacific Coast of Guatemala. The reserve offers tours to climb the volcano Atitlán, bird watching and ornamental plant tours. The owner has promised to donate plants from the nursery to landscape the new hospital.
For the past ten years the Marin Guatemala Mission Program, headquartered at St. Rita parish in Fairfax, California has sent containers to the Guatemala highlands containing vitamins, school supplies, shoes and clothing,and household goods for the people of the region. Bill Cuneo a member of Amigos Hospitalito Atitlán is part of this group. He is a dear friend who brings many good friends to visit. Today, HA received a truckload of hospital beds and medical supplies from our friends in Fairfax, CA.
Dr. Gabriel Flaxman is a family practice resident volunteer from The University of California in San Francisco and Dra. Amaia Pellejero is a community and family physician in Spain and will be in Santiago Atitlán at the Hospitalito for the months of April and May.
We are happy to welcome another British medical volunteer to Hospitalito Atitlán. Dra. Hege Mostad is a family practice physician at Westminster Hospital in London. Hege had planned to volunteer at HA in 2008, but an unfortunate ice skating accident left her in the hospital with a broken leg, instead of on her flight to Guatemala. We are happy she finally arrived.
Antonio has his work cut out for him organizing this donation to Hospitalito Atitlán from the International Humanitarian Surgical Team. The donation is inventoried and organized… color-coded boxes for Pre-OP, Post-OP, OB/Gyn, Exam, etc. IHST also donated an anesthesia machine and MUCH more. Thank you!!!