Notes from the Field – Page 6

Important Message from Tia’s President on the Influenza Virus

Note: If you have not yet made an investment in a Tia community, we fervently ask you to please make any size contribution you are able. Since we deliver a permanent, sustainable health program for less than $5/person, no amount is too small. With adequate funding, we can greatly extend the reach of programs, which in turn make our lives safer too! We have a lot of work ahead of us to help our friends south of the border and we need your help right away to achieve our mission!

Hello!

I’m sure by now that you have heard a lot about the Swine Flu (H1N1 Virus) outbreak on your radio and television. CNN.com reporter, Jessica Ravitz, contacted me earlier this week to find out how the outbreak is affecting our work. A full story on Tia and how we are affected by the outbreak appears on CNN.com

We are closely monitoring the situation in Mexico and so far, not one case in our communities. In fact, the State of Jalisco, where our next launch will take place in a few weeks, has thus far remained free of the virus. I’ve spoken with Dr. Rico, from Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara and he says they are well-prepared to handle the situation, should the virus appear in Jalisco. Dr. Rico sits on the Board of Epidemiology for the State of Jalisco and therefore knows breaking news.

As of this morning, we are still planning on going forward with the launch. Our launch will not be postponed unless our PMC brigade is needed elsewhere. All of our staff has a filled prescription for the appropriate anti-viral which has been very effective, so none of us will be in any danger. We also plan to voluntarily quarantine ourselves when we return to the U.S.; working from home for the first 3-4 days after we arrive back in Phoenix if the threat still exists.

This outbreak truly serves to illustrate the dire need for our program! Our education programs include intensive instruction on disease prevention, good nutrition and proper hygiene, the best defense against outbreaks like the H1N1. In the villages where we have implemented our program, every household has received this instruction and knows how protect themselves. Unfortunately, many of the poor Mexicans in rural areas have not received education on the importance of hand washing and other preventive measures. Lack of access to healthcare, coupled with malnutrition, makes the poor especially vulnerable to disease and complications.

We want to take this opportunity to thank our donors for supporting our mission! Because of you, the 30,000-50,000 residents of Tia villages are safe! Thank you so much for placing your trust in us. We continuously strive to earn it.

We, in the U.S., see now that what happens to our nearest neighbor and largest trading partner affects us directly too. We are truly citizens of a global community. Please help us spread the word.

Thank you!

Laura Libman

Sayula Follow Up Visit

Rosy, our lead Promotora in El Reparo, Jalisco, is interviewed by Monica Garibay (right) during our follow-up visit in this Sayula Municipality village. Rosy tells Monica that the Promotoras there have been assisting the municipal government with health campaigns in the villages. This is a big self-development step for two reasons: the Promotoras are reaching out to the municipality and asking for help, and the municipality is extended their programs to places that had not enjoyed these services prior to the Tia program implementation.

Rosy also told Monica that as a result of her training, she was able to assist her terminally ill mother and make her comfortable during her last days. She accompanied her mother to doctor’s appointments and received instructions on how to care for her. Though Rosy was very sad to lose her mother, she is grateful that she had the expertise to make her as comfortable as possible, allowing her mother to end her days comfortably surrounded by family and friends at home.

PMC Assists Grateful Residents

Here, Doctora Hayme (sitting in the blue vest) consults with a patient in Citala, Jalisco. A brigade of 25 medicos from the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara’s (UAG), Community Medicine Program (PMC) provided direct patient care, trained Tia’s Promotoras (Community Health Workers), and conducted a baseline data study of the area.

This is the second time Dra. Hayme has joined a Tia brigade. She also accompanied us to the villages near Ojuelos, Jalisco and enjoyed the experience so much, that she signed up for the Teocuitatlan brigade. Thank you Dra. Hayme!

Wednesday evening, residents of Citala (in the municipality of Teocuitatlan) threw a party for the brigade, working most of the day to cook the posole, cut the vegetables and make the tortillas for the fiesta. Above, you can see Dr. Rico (left) and Dr. Juan Pablo (middle at the head of the table) enjoying the meal with members of the brigade.

Great Results from Follow-Up Visit to El Salvador, Jalisco

Laura Libman and Ana Paula Torres (middle) talk to the Promotoras (Community Health Workers) during our follow-up study in El Salvador. Topics of discussion include empowering the Promotoras to seek assistance from the municipal government to maintain sustainability of their health programs, monthly small-group meetings among the promotoras to discuss experiences, consult on cases, share supplies, and to reinforce their skills by practicing on each other and talking about topics from their book, “Donde No Hay Doctor”.

Monica Torres (left) interviews a Promotora during this 3 month follow-up study. The results compiled from this study were amazing! One newborn’s life was saved by a Promotora who gave an anti-scorpion venom injection. Another Promotora saved a 7 year old boy. The boy’s mother came running to the Promotora’s house because her son was choking and turning blue. The Promotora raced to the boy and successfully performed the Heimlich maneuver.

Other Promotoras have been volunteering to assist at the health center (when it is open) and have been helping the doctor by taking vital statistics and other performing other procedures, which freed the doctor’s time to perform more complex procedures and to treat more patients.

Many of the Promotoras have been talking to their neighbors about health topics, including how to improve their diet, the importance of personal hygiene and how to care for illnesses and chronic diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes, which are common maladies in these villages. All of these examples are exciting confirmations that self-development is occurring!

Check back soon! Our graduation ceremony for our Promotoras in the municipality of Teocuitatlan de Corona, Jalisco is tomorrow!

Our February Brigade will head to Teocuitatlan de Corona

Teocuitatlan de Corona is south of Guadalajara on the other side of Lake Chapala, the largest lake in Mexico. During the week of February 25th, we will be training our new Promotoras (Community Health Workers), with the help of our dear friends at UAG’s PMC. Teocuitatlan is the Municipal seat (like a county seat). We will actually be working in the villages on the outskirts of the municipality. Above is a Google Earth satellite photo of the area and below is a road map of the region.