Project Updates – Page 48

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!

Busy Week for Tia

Tomorrow (February 23rd), Tia will be conducting our 3 month follow-up study of the villages near El Salvador, Jalisco, which is in the Tequila municipality. We will be surveying both the promotoras (Community Health Workers) and the residents of the area to determine what is needed, what we can do better, and in what areas we have been successful. These studies are particularly useful for us, so that we can constantly improve our model.

Next week, the PMC brigade of medical students and professors from Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara will train our next group of Promotoras near Teocuitatlan de Corona, Jalisco. We are expecting to train and supply 22 promotoras for this area, but as a rule, we always have more volunteers than are needed for the population size. We welcome anyone who wishes to receive health education!

The day after our Teocuitatlan graduation on Friday, Tia will be heading to Sayula, Jalisco to do our follow-up study there. Please check back frequently; there will be updates and new pictures added here almost daily.

THIS THURSDAY!

Thunderbird BandAid: A benefit concert for the Tia Foundation hosted by the Thunderbird Int’l Development Association.

Thursday, February 7th
7:00 p.m. – ?
Location: In the TAC (Airplane Hangar near Campus Entrance) at The Thunderbird School of Global Management at
15249 North 59th Avenue (59th Avenue and Greenway) in Glendale, Arizona

Tickets $10 advance $12 DOS
Ticket price includes a free homemade Mexican dinner and three bands: Bad News Blues Band, What Laura Says Thinks and Feels, and Thunderbird Global Sounds

All proceeds benefit the Tia Foundation, a nonprofit organizations that provides sustainable health development for those in extreme poverty living in remote areas of rural Mexico.

IWC and the Thunderkids will be delivering valentine grams for $1 at the event.

Dinner will include tamales, fresh on-the-spot homemade burritos, beans and rice.

The pub window will be open so you may purchase drinks.

Please contact the Tia Foundation at tiafoundation@cox.net for advance tickets.

We are looking for Sponsors for the event, starting at $100 a sponsorship. Sponsors can set up a booth, banners, distribute coupons and brochures and will be recognized for their contribution at the event. Or you may supply us with your materials and we will distribute them for you. We are expecting an audience of 300.

SUPPORT A VERY GOOD CAUSE AND HAVE A GREAT TIME!