Community Outreach Program

PROMOTORA DE SALUD

I would like to tell you about one of the community outreach programs I will be involved with throughout this year and am very excited about. I will be assisting Dr. Patrick with the promotora program. Clinica Esperanza has been working hard to get this program up and running for a couple years, but have faced obstacles along the way including insufficient funds to maintain the program. The promotora program consists of non-professional healthcare individuals who receive basic health education at our clinic and then they go into their community to educate others. In addition to educating the community, the promotoras provide guidance and assistance for families in locating healthcare resources, such as Clinica Esperanza. 



La Colonia

Shortly after the devastation of Hurricane Mitch, which swept through Central America in 1998, many people from the mainland of Honduras traveled to Roatán looking for tourism jobs and a new hope for their future. According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Hurricane Mitch left approximately 480,000 people homeless. They began to settle on open land in the mountains and eventually these areas became known as the Colonia. Now there are approximately 5,000 people living within multiple Colonias on the Island. The Colonias are located high up in the mountains where there is no running water and living conditions are extremely poor. The “roads” leading up to the Colonia are very steep and difficult to walk especially during rainy season, which lasts from October- February. Homes are made of metal pieces, plastic, wood, and cardboard boxes. Many of the children suffer from malnutrition, parasites, malaria, dehydration, and diarrhea.



Family in Bella Vista Colonia

Last week Dr. Patrick, a volunteer medical resident, Mrs. Flor (promotora), Robert ( editor for the monthly newsletter, The Voice), and I went to visit Bella Vista, Colonia. Robert is writing an article to promote and provide awareness of the promotora program in Roatán. To give you an idea of how difficult the hills are leading up a Colonia: Dr. Patrick was forced to park our truck one forth the way up because the incline and muddy roads made it impossible to continue. We carried on by foot until we stopped to meet a family of eight. Mrs. Flor (promotora) voiced her concern for this family during the last promotora meeting. She said the family has very little food and some of the children appear to be malnourished. We came to find that the youngest child, Jessica, is suffering severely from malnutrition. She is two years old and weighs only 16 pounds! Dr. Patrick spoke with the parents on nutrition and possible food options for the children. He explained the importance of bringing Jessica to the clinic as soon as possible. What is absolutely WONDERFUL about Clinica Esperanza is that each person only pays 70 lempiras ($3.50) to be seen by a physician, which includes all medications. If a person/family is unable to pay, they are NEVER refused and they receive the exact same care. 

We had planned to do a food run this week for that family, however, the mother showed up with four of their youngest children at the clinic today. We were able to give her a sack of flour, sugar, 2 bags of beans and some rice. When I asked if she was going to take a taxi back home, she said they were going to walk... Having walked only a fraction of the distance to their home the other day, I knew it would be especially challenging for Julio, the 11 year old, to carry all that food up the hill. I offered to drive them as far up the Colonia as I could, which they were appreciative for. I will save that story for another day!