The bus parks outside the entrance to the parish compound. There is a large covered area with classrooms down one side, a stage directly in front and the church on the other side. We meander into the church for mass with the locals. The priest is a vivacious, charismatic man with a good sense of humor. After mass as we receive hugs and kisses from the locals, I meet a young teenage girl named Rocio. We small-chat with her for a bit with me interpreting. This was my first introduction to the rural Salvadorian accent, and it was challenging. She told me of her family, how she lived up in the hills, and where she was in school. Though we did not talk more than twenty minutes, it was a special chat. I only wish I had had time to help her with her math homework. She left a handmade card for me at the pharmacy later in the week that I will always treasure. One never knows how a short conversation can make a lasting impression between two people. She will always be in my prayers.
After mass, the classrooms are transformed into rooms for each clinic and the large covered area is filled with chairs and desks for a makeshift waiting area. Below is a list of the clinics in each classroom:
Ojos 1 y 2: Eye exam room
Optometrists Ken, Walt, and Bob with Andrea and several high school students from elite school in San Salvador interpreting. (Photo below of Bob and Andrea taken by Mary)
Ojos 3: Glasses distribution
Heather, the optician, with Sister Marilee, Leanne (LN), Mary (LN), Carlos (local volunteer), Rosa (local volunteer), and several San Salvador high school students. (The awesome Ojos 3 team below with students taken by Mary)
Mujeres: Women’s Health
Debra (CNM) and I interpreting with Anna, a Salvadorian nurse in training
Pediatria: Kids!
Pediatricians Norm and Dale with Lysette and Pat interpreting
Farmacia: Pharmacy
Melissa (MD) in charge with Moises (LN), Sylvia (Salvadorian doctor), and several more San Salvador high school students (photos below of all the the pharmacy before and after all the tubs were unpacked)
Medicina General: General Medicine
Doctors Charlotte, Lorne, Jon, and OHSU medical student Brit with Fidel, Elba, and Blanca interpreting. Leah (LN) covered all urine, blood sugar tests, and lots of ear wax removal. Jaime (Salvadorian with MD from Cuba) and Dr. Angela (local) arranged all of our referrals to the local hospitals for patients needing more specialized treatment. Salvador, a radiologist from El Salvador, performed ultrasounds.
Each clinic spent a couple hours before and after lunch organizing their rooms. Pharmacy took all day to organize the medicine. In Mujeres, we had some local volunteers with Fidel set up a tarp to divide the room in half, thus providing some privacy for the GYN exams. You can see our GYN table in the Mujeres classroom below.
It was a pleasure to work with these amazing local volunteers from the church for the whole week. Doña Carmen stood all day for the whole week at the door to the Women’s classroom and did a superb job of handling patient flow. Also, she would go find Kathy or Sister Susan for us if we had a question or take patients down to Salvador for an ultrasound. She was a dear friend by the end of the week.
Another important volunteer for the Mujeres room was our local nurse in training, Ana. Ana is 23 yrs old, speaks only spanish, and has a young one of her own at home in the capital of San Salvador. We would have been lost without her help, especially due to one key word: Pap smear. The very first appointment on the first day I used “pappinicolao” for pap smear (what I use when interpreting in the US) and the poor woman gave me a blank stare. Afterwards, Ana informed me that they use “citologia” in El Salvador. That is one of many examples that I could give you of Ana coming to the rescue for Deb and I. Ana became our go-to person for any cultural or Salvadorian language questions.
Following a tasty lunch of lightly seasoned grilled chicken, beet-potato salad (it was pink!), and rice made for us by local women certified to cook for gringos, we finished up our rooms before a presentation by the Salvadorian Department of Health. Then, those of us who were done unpacking joined the people putting 30-day supplies of vitamins into plastic bags for each patient.** It was monotonous work to bag vitamins for three hours, but it was exciting to see the huge tub-fulls of multivitamins, flintstones, gummy bears, etc.
**Note about vitamins: Each patient was given a month supply of vitamins based on their age and needs (women above the age of 50 were also given calcium). We placed 30 in a plastic bag so that the patients would not be tempted to sell them for food and so that more patients would get vitamins.
We climbed into the bus around 6:30 PM for the short drive to Ayagualo. Dinner, a short orientation and early to bed for me.
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