Dra. Diane and her anesthesiologist friend Celeste volunteered at Hospitalito this month. It was a pleasure to welcome them and we hope they return.

Marty Yudice is a friend from St. Rita’s Church in Fairfax CA and works for Solar Depot. He arrived at HA this week to work with the electrician and the Hospitalito Board on grants for Solar Energy for the new hospital. Solar Depot donated many components to install parts of the system and we look forward to further collaboration in the future.

It is feria in Santiago Atitlán, July 25^th being the main day. One of the activities leading up to the big parade is the election and crowning of this years queen. Contestants are 18 to 20 years of age, and must have good public speaking skills. In this foto, queens from many other Maya tribes have come for the farewell dance for the outgoing queen. It is a lengthy dance, as she dances several minutes and speaks with each of the other Maya queens.

Dr. Daniel Newman is a second year pediatric resident from Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC. He has been volunteering at HA the month of July seeing many children and assisting during the pediatric surgeries and post-op care. Thank you Dr. Daniel, we hope you return!

Maria Estevez, Yurena Diaz and Aihnoa Fernandez from Madrid are at Hospitalito Atitlán for one month. Maria and Yurena will finish their OB residency at the Clinic San Carlos and Aihonoa is a Gastroenterologist at the General Hospital of the University Gregorio Marañon.

Dr. Heather Pierce is visiting her mother this week and brought a donation of diabetic supplies and nebulizer treatments from Sharon Busken a nurse at her clinic, Callaway Physicians in Fulton Missouri.

Surgeon Luis Felipe Flores and his wife Deborah were at the Hospitalito today for several gall bladder removals and hernia repairs. Dr. Flores currently lives in Austin Texas, but will soon be returning to his homeland to open a clinic in San Pablo la Laguna. 

Ruben Bergstresser and Sameen Nasim Ahmed have been working hard organizing the inventory from the HUGE donation from Medshare International. The full container was funded by the Marin County Guatemalan Mission Program and included hospital beds, an ultrasound machine, surgical microscope, birthing table, exam lights, and 850 boxes of medical supplies. 

Lately the Hospitalito staff has been sharing lunch together, learning from the medical volunteers about “Pot Luck”. Friday, everyone agreed to bring their favorite hierba, or wild plant. We ate Tinej’, Ko’lix, something that grows like a banana, and several salads, plus apple crisp prepared by Sameena Nasim Ahmed, a hard working non-medical volunteer from Minnesota.

The obstetricians with the Saving Mothers group lead a training for the nursing staff in understanding the fetal monitor.