Today was a crazy day. We traveled up the mountains to treat patients at three different clinics. There were about 20 of us that were all packed in the back of a truck along with our lunch and supplies for the day. The two options were to either sit or stand in the flatbed. We were going up and down steep hills throughout the trek. The views were amazing though.
The first clinic was at a coffee plantation. We worked outdoors wherever we could find space. This is where Anna worked:
We saw about 36 patients at this site. Most of the patients were farmers and their families. After seeing patients we had the opportunity to eat lunch. The food was cooked in a small hut that looked like it was on the brink of collapse. However, it didn't and the food we had was incredible.
The coffee plantation was the farthest we went up the mountains. On the way back we stopped at a few of the small towns we saw on the way. We went to a school house where we treated about 20 patients. Again the patient population was farmers who worked hard in their fields. I saw one patient who had chest pain when working that resolved with rest (stable angina). We didn't have the resources to do a full work up on his, so we gave him a beta blocker, aspirin, and advised him to go see a cardiologist if his symptoms change. Even though we were limited in how we could help him, the gentleman was so grateful for the help we were able to offer him.
Finally, we stopped in a small town and saw about a dozen Haitian immigrant workers. Most didn't speak Spanish and were between the ages of 18-22. These men were most likely displaced from Haiti after the earthquake in 2010. It's amazing to think how much these young men have probably gone through in their short lives already.
This was also about the time that it started pouring outside. Our mobile pharmacy was in the back of a pickup truck, so the pharmacy volunteers got soaked. I was amazed by how they just kept going though and dispensing medications/vitamins.
It continued to rain on our way back down to Peralta. It made the already steep and dangerous drive a bit more exciting.
The first clinic was at a coffee plantation. We worked outdoors wherever we could find space. This is where Anna worked:
We saw about 36 patients at this site. Most of the patients were farmers and their families. After seeing patients we had the opportunity to eat lunch. The food was cooked in a small hut that looked like it was on the brink of collapse. However, it didn't and the food we had was incredible.
The coffee plantation was the farthest we went up the mountains. On the way back we stopped at a few of the small towns we saw on the way. We went to a school house where we treated about 20 patients. Again the patient population was farmers who worked hard in their fields. I saw one patient who had chest pain when working that resolved with rest (stable angina). We didn't have the resources to do a full work up on his, so we gave him a beta blocker, aspirin, and advised him to go see a cardiologist if his symptoms change. Even though we were limited in how we could help him, the gentleman was so grateful for the help we were able to offer him.
Finally, we stopped in a small town and saw about a dozen Haitian immigrant workers. Most didn't speak Spanish and were between the ages of 18-22. These men were most likely displaced from Haiti after the earthquake in 2010. It's amazing to think how much these young men have probably gone through in their short lives already.
This was also about the time that it started pouring outside. Our mobile pharmacy was in the back of a pickup truck, so the pharmacy volunteers got soaked. I was amazed by how they just kept going though and dispensing medications/vitamins.
It continued to rain on our way back down to Peralta. It made the already steep and dangerous drive a bit more exciting.
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