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MEDICAL STAFF
This is the current medical staff.
Gerard Rudy, Sara, the university-trained midwife, and Gerard's wife Norvelle.
Because there are so few of us, we have many tasks.
Patients in our clinic: We see 5,000 outpatients and 700 inpatients a year. We admit about
1 in 7 people. We take care of some very sick people. We do this on $220,000 to $250,000 per year. |
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ULTRASOUND
We diagnose. In an area of 80,000 people, there are only 3 x-ray machines and 3 ultrasounds. We have one of each,
as does our sister clinic. There is no CT scan or MRI in our area. (shown left)
WE ARE CURRENTLY IN NEED OF: Nurses, Midwives, Physician Assistants, and Nurse Practitioners.
We attend 160-180 deliveries each year. A
number of those are complicated. We care for patients with pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. We do c-sections and apply
forceps. We give IV fluid and oxytocin. We transfuse blood. These are things that keep women alive. Around the
world, mostly in developing countries, 500,000 women die each year from complications related to pregnancy and
childbirth.
(shown right) |
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ESTRELLITA
We look for ways to help people with special
needs. This is Estrellita. She needed heart surgery in the States. In order to get her to Indianapolis, her father
needed to give signed permission for her to leave the country. At 30 years old, he was undocumented. We helped
him get that done. She had surgery and is well. (shown left, Sept. 09, 7 Years Old, with Dad.)
THELMA
Thelma is now 23 years old, more or less. She had a vesicovaginal fistula or VVF. This happened because she was
unable to deliver her child on her own and there was no one around, way up river, who could do a c-section or apply
forceps. In the 30 hours that she was at “almost delivered”, her baby died. The pressure between the baby’s head
and her pelvis damaged tissue. This opened a new exit for urine. She was incontinent. A friend of ours brought
her down river to us so we could make the diagnosis. He also provided some support for her. Thelma went to the
capital and had surgery at the University Hospital. She returned to her community and is now mostly dry. Since
then, her sister came to the Clinic and had a successful delivery! (shown right)
CARLOS & SAM
Carlos is 12 years old. When Norvelle found
him, he had been draining pus from his shoulder for a year. The local doctor referred him to the city. Mom didn't
have the money to go. Sam, a volunteer this summer, gave Carlos' mom $50 to get to Ahuas. They came. With x-ray,
Norvelle confirmed the diagnosis. She operated to clean up the bone and remove dead bone. He needed 4-6 weeks of
antibiotics and was still on them when we left. |
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XIOMARA
Xiomara has use of her left hand today. Praise God! If you look closely, you can see the scar on her forearm. An
assailant slashed into her left forearm with a machete on a Sunday. The machete cut through a bone, an artery,
and lots of tendons. She arrived on Monday at sunset. The cut tendons meant she couldn't lift her wrist or straighten
her fingers. She was economically unable to go elsewhere. X-ray and internet consult with an orthopedic surgeon
in Chicago helped me prepare for surgery. We were able to tie off an artery, plate her broken bone and reattach
multiple tendons. With time and antibiotics and healing, she is able to grip and to extend her fingers and wrist.
Her hand is not the way God made it, but it works. (shown left)
ALAS DE SOCORRO
We face on-going challenges. Transportation costs are rising and the airplanes need new engines. While the Clinic
and Alas de Socorro are distinct organizations, we are interdependent. Clinic life would be much different without
the support of mission pilots and planes. |
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SOLAR PANELS
The price of Diesel for our generators is
going up. We spend close to $15,000 per year on diesel fuel for the generator. We have 2 solar panels. We are raising
funds for more.
PETER & HAZEL: We have a teacher for Peter and Hazel, my son and my niece. We are
looking for a new teacher to start in January before Diane leaves.
NURSING STAFF: Our nurses currently make about
half the salary that their counterparts with the government make. We need to find a way to fix that. |
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We understand that the economy is hurting here. Consider that
50% of Central American exports go to the U.S. People are hurting in Honduras, too. The price of fuel is rising.
The dollar is falling against the euro. Medication prices are rising. Most of our patients are without salary and
do not perceive a rise in income. Instead of travelling by air, more people are traveling by boat. Instead of traveling
by boat, more people are walking. We have more people walking now from villages 3 ½ to 4 hours away. If
a child is sick, mom or dad carries him that distance.
Among missionaries in Ahuas, we ask the question:
"In the face of these rising costs, how do we find new and creative ways to continue to serve the poor among
us?"
How you can help
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