Friday, December 19, 2008

Top 15 for USAID Tech Grant

HBI in partnership with Village Health Works (http://villagehealthworks.org/index.html) has been selected to the "Top 15 USAID Development Challenge Projects" moving on to the next round of judging!

Many thanks to all who registered with Netsquared (see: http://www.netsquared.org/) and voted for our project.

To learn more about this collaborative effort to advance electronic medical record keeping and patient-provider communication in resource poor settings, see: http://www.netsquared.org/projects/mobilizing-medical-records-resource-poor-settings

Stay tuned to this BlogSpot to learn more about the next stage of voting!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

About Sally - The Untold Story

Today I had a very interesting conversation with a patient. She is a 45-year old who has seen more than her fair share of hard ache and hard times. She has been living on the streets for the past 4-years and surviving as best she can through sex work and pan handling. She has a daily, unremitting addiction to alcohol – and has only recently freed herself from the bonds of methamphetamine.

I could probably type a paragraph like the preceding for a number of patients that I am fortunate enough to serve – but what makes Sally’s (not her real name) story so compelling is the untold elements of her life. You see – Sally has been working the streets of Portland, selling her body, under the direction of her husband. When economic times became desperate, Sally’s husband demanded that she start working the wee hours of the morning to help keep their drug habit alive.

Sally told me of the pain she feels getting into cars with men she fears will never drive her back to her street corner. She told me of the desperation she felt in staying with a man, her husband, for whom she felt such great contempt. Sally told me of the fear that she felt about her life – the life she has been living in an almost catatonic state, a fear that her life would never change.

Today Sally told me of her hope. She told me that she met a man though her work. A man who frequently came to see her - “and not just for sex.” A man who wanted to take her away from all of her sorrows. She told me that he is serving in the military and would soon return from “Kuwait” to buy a home for them to live in. She told me that he is an honorable man who once paid her husband to take her to dinner – “because he cares about me.” She said she planned to divorce her husband as soon as her “knight” returned. She told me of her great hope that this “man would really take care” of her and protect her.

I could probably convince myself that I helped Sally today. I could tell myself that the medication I provided for her infection and the time I spent listening and caring, helped to provide her with the respect and nurturing that she deserves. Yet – I would be stating these things from the comfort of my warm home, after having eaten a comfortable meal and spent time with my wonderful wife. I would be lying.

For the only true help I can offer to Sally is my continuous fight to try and create more opportunities for people like her to break free of the oppressive bonds of poverty and crippling strain of dysfunctional relationships. The only true help I can offer Sally is to bring more attention to the plight of people like her to a wider audience - so that we can build a future that supports, honors and nurtures all of our brothers and sisters.

My hope, the hope that I bring to Sally, is that we can all work together to create a world that cares so deeply about our communities that we no longer allow people like Sally to suffer in silence.

Today I had a very interesting conversation with a patient . . . and she changed my life.

Friday, November 14, 2008

HBI - In the News


Two great “news” updates from HBI -

(1) In case you miss the Oregonian's article about Mr. Bob Palandech, please see: http://www.oregonlive.com/clackamascounty/index.ssf/2008/11/deep_needs_keep_drawing_retire.html HBI is very proud to be affiliated with Bob and Linda Palandech and their tremendous commitment to "giving back." Way to go Bob and Linda!

(2) The October HBI fundraiser and silent auction was a smashing success. Just over 75 “friends of HBI” took time out of their busy, hectic schedules to join the Board of Directors for an evening of fun. The net proceeds from the event were a little over $17,000. HBI will utilize the generous contributions from our committed stakeholders to help advance education, healthcare and community development with our in-country partners. Thank you to all who attended and volunteered for this inaugural event. Stay tuned to the HBI Website and BlogSpot for information regarding HBI's next fundraiser and ways that you can stay involved.

Thank you to all our supporters.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

HBI - Project Updates

Today wraps up a very busy week of meetings. In fact, I did not know that one could have so many meetings in such a focal period of time. From Monday to Saturday, the HBI team rushed and to and from over 20 meetings. It seemed that we spent most of our time in the car or flagging cabs.

I have now come to realize that one of the greatest impacts a person can make is through the simple act of conversation and discussion. The main objective of these meetings has been to solidify attendance for the HBI and Medical Ministry International (see: http://www.mmint.org/) collaborative Arequipa wide conference in January of 2009.

The city of Arequipa currently counts a population of over 1 million people. Many of its citizens live in abject poverty. There are a number of non-governmental organizations working in Arequipa to provide assistance to the underserved – yet, there is very little collaboration and communication between these organizations and agencies. The purpose of the First Annual “Connect” Conference is to convene social and healthcare service sector NGO’s toward the development of greater collaboration and coalition building.

The Primary Goal of the 2-day conference (19-20 January 2009) is to develop an ongoing forum for communication among Arequipa-wide healthcare and social service organizations that assist the poor, to cooperatively better serve patients and to work together to solve common problems. We have developed a questionnaire and distributed this material along with a formal invitation to over 50 non-governmental organizations, faith based agencies and private sector groups.

We will compile the responses from the questionnaires into a booklet that can be referenced for future collaboration and partnerships. HBI and MMI both recognize that the need of developing nations is far greater than any one resource to facilitate – and it is only through collaborations and partnerships that we can effectively address the growing and ever changing concerns of an underserved population.

In addition to planning for the Connect Conference, we have been really busy re-writing a grant Letter of Inquiry (LOI) that we hope to submit to a large foundation before the end of 2008. The grant application will allow for a major expansion of the feeding program in the Alto Cayma communities and work to integrate nutrition and food science education into the delivery of meals.

Little attention has been paid to the interrelatedness of malnutrition and a communities access to nutritional and life skills education. With many of the residents of the Alto Cayma communities coming to the urban region from rural parts of Peru – the level of functional literacy and life skills is quite low. The proposed project will integrate health, education and nutrition delivery systems into a single focused program.

Finally, our week consisted of meetings and planning session to prepare for another conference in April of 2009. HBI will be convening the Second Annual Alto Cayma Health Professions Conference and Training Symposium. The training symposium, facilitated through volunteer healthcare professionals (physician, nurses, dentists, and healthcare administrators) from the United States and Peru who have expertise in the subject matter they will be presenting, will be a two-day intensive experience with both didactic and hands-on training.

So ends a great week of planning, preparing and communicating about unique ways that HBI can help to “bridge” resources and solutions for the needs of our in-country partners in their on-going work to deliver care, advocacy, and hope to some of the poorest communities in the western hemisphere. Even though I am exhausted, I could not have asked for a more meaningful way to spend my time. Please stay tuned to the HBI BlogSpot – we will have updates on our full schedule of projects and programs for 2009.

Thank you for your support and on-going commitment to the people of Peru.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Lima - The city that never sleeps

I was just in Lima - well, not just . . . make that three months ago. Yet, so much has changed. Lima (and Peru for that matter) is riding the crest of a very prosperous economic and development wave. There is more construction, more visible economic infusion and more tangible identification of "new" wealth than I have seen in my 15-years of travel to Peru.

One very real example of this new wealth is the number of new-fangled cars on the roads. It seems that every where you turn (pun intended) you see new cars and new car billboards. Volkswagen, Nissan, and even BMW and Mercedes have capitalized on the prosperity of Peru and are seeking consumer converts. Yes, Lima - the City of Kings - has truly regained its regal status and is proud to show the world.

My concern, the concern that I have voiced over and over again for the past few years, is this - will any of the new wealth reach the impoverished people that make up the majority of this country's population (a recent report estimated that 45% of Peru’s population lives in poverty). Will there be a trickle down to those unable to even conceive of a fancy new car?

I heard a story today that makes me hope that it will.

Today I was told of a young woman who was recently taken to the hospital. A woman of 42 years who has been widowed and left to raise four children. A woman who suffers from severe pulmonary fibrosis and is on constant supplemental oxygen.

The priest who told me this story said that she has been visiting the woman in the hospital (she was fortunate enough to have Social Security insurance from her husband - a man who died from kidney failure only a few short weeks ago) and making special trips to the family's home to visit the children.

The family "home" is made up of plastic tarp covered walls and a tin roof. There is no running water and the only commode in the entire area for a community of over 200 people is a hole cut into the ground. The floors are dirt and the dampness and cold spring air invade the room like a frost.

The priest told me that all four children have been taking this "very badly." From the 16-year old girl who has been staying away from her younger siblings and seeking solace on the streets, to the 5 and 6 year olds who are inconsolable in their crying. The neighbors have pulled together; and the children are sleeping on the floor in the home of a single mother with only one child.

The prognosis is not good for the woman in the hospital. The priest told me that the doctors do not expect her to live much longer.

After I was told this story I was left with emptiness inside. Even as I type this post I am perplexed by this seemingly insurmountable dilemma - a young woman meeting an untimely death, and four young children left orphaned in one of the poorest countries in Latin America.

What will become of these children? I am not sure. The only thing I know is that a brave priest is working tirelessly to bring hope and strength to these tender lives in spite of the desperation that is occurring all around them.

Consumerism and the false sense of gratification that we receive when we indulge our “wants” – does not come close to the meaningful impact that this priest is making. In a country where new car sales have gone up over 50% - there must be room for four children to find a safe and loving place to begin to re-build their precious lives.

It is my hope that Peru will find a passion to reach out to the “lost” children of the Pueblo Jovenes and create a safety net of hope for the thousands of children that are facing a similar story to the one I outlined above. It is my profound hope that my next trip to Peru is equally punctuated by a palpable sense of change. A change that seeks to reach out to the poor and marginalized – and to give them hope!

Please join me in praying, in offering good thoughts, in keeping these children and this remarkable priest in your heart. We are our brothers and sisters keepers - and today I met a person who is living this moral mandate everyday!

Monday, October 13, 2008

HBI Fundraiser - GREAT EVENT

The Health Bridges International "Silent Auction and Fundraiser Event" was a smashing success. Over seventy-five HBI stakeholders took time out of their busy, hectic schedules to join the Board of Directors for an evening of organizational updates and strategy sharing.

Please stay tuned to the HBI BlogSpot for a full report on the event - including photos, financial updates and a review of the evening’s events.

A VERY BIG THANK YOU goes out to all participants in this marvelous event and to all of the very generous supporters of HBI.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Food Prices Keep Rising






Peru food prices double in some cases triple - Consumers concerned

In an article that appeared on the "Living in Peru" Website - La Republica news journal in Lima confirms the growing economic hardships facing many of Peru's citizens. The cost of basic goods and services are rising at alarming rates - far outpacing inflation and "trickle down" economic impacts. Although Peru is "exploding" with international and regional investment - a majority of this new found wealth has had any impact on the lower socioeconomic strata. Instead - the divide between the "have" and "have not" elements of the society is getting wider and wider.

Israel Ruiz writes in the "Living in Peru" Economic section - After visiting the main markets throughout different districts in Lima - that while the prices of some food products had decreased, there were others that were rising.

This was the case of chicken and limes in the country's capital. While the price of chicken has dropped as low as 5.50 soles per kilo in Lima markets, the price of limes has jumped from 3.50 soles per kilo to 6 soles per kilo.

Other prices that shocked consumers in Lima were the price of peas, which cost approximately 2.40 soles per kilo last week but now cost 4 soles per kilo. Peru's potato, one of the most inexpensive products on the market has also begun to increase in cost. The price of potatoes has increased 20 percent in the past several days, reported La Republica.

"At least (the price of) chicken is going down, but instead other products needed for cooking such as potatoes are increasing," said Elizabeth Gómez, a regular customer at Limoncillo market in Rimac.

The price of fish, which was an alternative to chicken just last week, has increased in price as well. Mackerel, which used to cost three soles per kilo is now costing six soles per kilo. This is also the case of bonito fish, which has shot from three soles per kilo to nine soles per kilogram.

"Before we used to sell twenty kilos of fish per day, now we sell that in two days," said a merchant at Lima's Mercado Central.

Economic times are changing - but unfortunately these shifts in financial "fortune" seem to be having a rather devastating impact on the lives and where-withal of everyday citizens of Peru.

Credit: Living in Peru by Israel J. Ruiz (first appeared on 25 September, 2008)

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Fall Fundraiser

You are cordially invited to a celebration of the work of Health Bridges International, Inc.

Date: Thursday, October 9, 2008

Time: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Place: Arlington Club, 811 S.W. Salmon Street, Portland, Oregon
[Please use the nearby parking lots in the 900 block of S.W. Salmon or the
700 block of S.W. Taylor Street]

Tickets: $50 per person [No ticket sales at the door, please either buy your tickets online at www.hbint.org (the on-line ticket sales site will be up-and-running the week of August 18) or by mail no later than October 1, 2008. Please note: THERE WILL BE NO DAY OF EVENT TICKET SALES.

Dress: Business attire, please. The Arlington Club has a strict “no jeans” dress code.

Join us after work for hors d’ oeuvres and libations• Presentation on HBI’s recent activities,
• Current projects and programs
• Exciting plans for the future
• A silent fundraising auction

Contributions to Health Bridges International, Inc. are deductible for income tax purposes. IRS 501(c)(3) Tax ID #20-3681041, Oregon Department of Justice Charitable Organization Registration #36015.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Earthquake Hits Arequipa

Peru: Magnitude 6 earthquake shakes southern city of Arequipa

Arequipa, one of Peru's southern cities and the country's second largest, was hit by a magnitude 6.0 earthquake early Tuesday morning, reported the US Geological Survey.

It was reported that residents in and near the city of Arequipa, which is 721 kilometers (448 miles) southeast of Lima, were startled and ran out of their homes when the shaking began. Preliminary conversations with HBI in-country partners reveals that all are safe and the damage to property is at a minimum. More details from this massive earthquake will follow in future HBI Blog posts.

According to the US Geological Survey, the epicenter of the quake was in a mountainous region 53 kilometers (33 miles) north-northwest of the city - an area where HBI has worked for some 5 years now. While local media and civil defense authorities have reported that there are not any initial signs of injuries or damage, it is known that a magnitude 6 quake can cause serious damage.

It was reported the earthquake was felt in neighboring regions as well. There were reports of movement in the regions of Moquegua and Tacna.

Please note - a majority of the information in this post was taken directly from: Living in Peru website by Israel J. Ruiz

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Team Peru 2008 - Wrap-up






The 2008 Team Peru campaign has come to an end. The team has gone their separate directions – some for exotic excursion trips to Machu Pichu or the mighty Amazon jungle, and some on their way back to their U.K and North American homes. Everyone, regardless of their destinations, has left this experience profoundly impacted by our work.

Our last week of the outreach campaign was in the southern Peruvian city of Arequipa; and had our team working on a variety of projects. Some of our team in the Alto Cayma communities helped with a construction project on a one room home for a single mother and her special needs children. The intrepid laborers helped with mixing concrete, carrying wheelbarrow loads of sand, and hosting piles of bricks. The project enabled a family to have running water, an operational commode and a separate space for hygienic food preparation in their modest home. It was a very fulfilling project that had our team’s members working side by side with our Peruvian partners; and learning first hand about the struggles of desperate poverty.

Our team of three Portland, Oregon based electricians helped to complete the re-wire of the Policlinico Maria Madres de Dios with a new electric infrastructure and new voltage converters. The group, working in collaboration with a Peruvian electrician, added a separate line of 120-volt electricity to run the multitude of donated medical equipment in the clinic. For years, the clinic has had to run their important diagnostic equipment through a converter. The project undertaken by our team allowed for a more seamless use of equipment and a safe guard to prevent overloading valuable equipment.

In yet another community based project, a team of tireless volunteers from our campaign helped to re-paint the exterior of the Mission of Alto Cayma’s child care center and micro-economic center. Scraping layers of old paint and sanding the rough edges on the buildings lava rock walls – kept the work team busy for a number of hours. The camaraderie and commitment to finishing the project – kept the team committed to the long hours for the entire week. Alas, there remains more than enough painting to keep future teams busy for weeks to come.

In the clinic - our team of five North American nurses held a one-day series of workshops for their Peruvian colleagues. The workshops, designed to create professional exchange and open dialogue around clinical care challenges, were a big hit by everyone attending. Subjects ranged from best practice guidelines for diabetes and hypertension, to massage therapy and community nursing. The real beauty of this collegial exchange was the trans-cultural interactions that occurred. Nurses from North and South American had the opportunity to discuss the unique triumphs and challenges of practicing nursing in two very different environments.

Our team dentist was busy. In one clinic outreach to a community school – Dr. Tom Palandech examined over 100 children in a little over 5 hours. He helped to provide follow-up care for the patients screened in the school at the Policlinico and worked side-by-side with his Peruvian colleagues. Dr. Palandech, a career-long Public Health dentist, was well prepared for the differences in practice style that he encountered in Peru (as he has participated in a previous Team Peru outreach and spent his entire career in community dentistry with the U.S. Government’s Indian Health Services) and enjoyed the opportunity to learn, serve and grow. By the end of the trip – Dr. Tom was a committed member of the HBI Team.

Finally, HBI will be starting a community based survey project in the communities of Alto Cayma. Thanks in great part to a team of U.S. and Peruvian medical students (a team of five medical students from all around the U.S. have been placed in Peru through the HBI Health Professions Student Placement Program for the summer moths of 2008) – the survey will look to gain a broad epidemiological profile of the people of Alto Cayma. Our team will administer a multi-faceted survey that hopes to further define access and utilization to medical and dental care – as well as basic information about the barriers to accessing care and simple economic measures. The survey is set to start on Monday, 30 June and will continue through the month of September. More details about this important research project will appear on the HBI Website and through our BlogSpot.

During our last day of the outreach campaign our team met with Father Alex to “wrap-up” our experiences and our projects. During this meeting, Father Alex reinforced the importance of viewing our time in Peru as a great opportunity to learn about service – and not a “mad dashed race” to complete a number of projects or to see hundreds of patients. He told our team that the greatest gift we bring to the communities were we work is ourselves. He spoke of the genuine “connections” that are created when we "serve another person without expectation."

As we ended our final team meeting – the group felt a collective sense of accomplishment from our two-week outreach efforts; not for the projects we completed or the patients we served, but simply for the tremendous lessons we learned.

No campaign is complete without a farewell dinner party. Our party was a gastronomic explosion of Peruvian delights. With over 80 dishes represented on the evening tables – the toughest decision team participants had to make was not “what to eat,” but “when to stop eating.” Never a group to leave a table full of food – the team packed up the left over food and shared the delicacies with family and friends.

So ends another Team Peru Medical, Dental and Social Outreach. We want to extend a very big "Thank You" to everyone who participated in, contributed to, and supported the 2008 Team Peru Outreach Campaign. Your support means so much to us!

Please stay tuned to our website for more information about the on-going work of Health Bridges International and the 2009 Team Peru Health Care Outreach Campaign.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Mountain Outreach - Building Bridges

Wednesday was a fantastic day that had the outreach team working in the high Andes. We conducted clinic at over 14,000 feet above sea level in a mining camp. Our team of healthcare providers were able to serve in a number of different ways – from the direct delivery of medical care (mostly upper respiratory tract infections) to dental care (extractions and screening examinations) to health education and physical therapy instruction. In a little over 6 hours our team attended to almost 150 patients. Our campaign is conducted in collaboration with our long term in-country partner agency – The Mission of Alto Cayma.

For over 12 years the Mission of Saint Paul has been delivering integrated care to the underserved communities of Alto Cayma. The mission has a “brick and mortar” clinic that delivers healthcare services to over 22,000 patients each year and provides over 600 meals each day to the most marginalized of the community. Current programs are facilitated out of Parish owned amenities and are under the direction and fiduciary auspices of the Parish Council.

Working in a team based approach – the mission utilizes the “triage” services of a social worker to identify and enroll persons into a social advocacy program. The mission has developed comprehensive vocational training programs and child advocacy projects that help to link underserved families with educational, social and economic resources. The Mission provides outreach to isolated mountain communities two days per month and helps to ensure adequate access to medical and dental care through the main clinic. Our remote clinic was an extension of the on-going longitudinal healthcare provided by the Mission; and is designed to continually connect marginalized populations to services.

One bi struggle the Mission is currently facing is the advancing cost of food. As the cost of basic food stuffs and general healthcare services have far outpaced the wages available to the people of Alto Cayma employed in the informal sector – the need for more expanded advocacy services is ever apparent. Many of the families living in Alto Cayma fall into the lowest socioeconomic strata as determined by the Government of Peru – and do not posses the economic leverage to purchase even the simplest staples of food and housing/shelter.

Our collaborative plans call for the expansion of the nutrition and feeding program and an expansion of the integrated healthcare delivery model that will provide greater access to general healthcare services to a broader geographic area. You can support to this expanded capacity project by donating to Health Bridges International.

Once again – thank you for your continued interest in the work of HBI and our “bridge building” efforts.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Sometimes it feels like you are sticking a finger in the dike

Today was another day of outreach into a community school. We were a scaled down team of providers that worked out of the Maria Madre Clinic in Alto Cayma. In just over 5 hours were attended over 140 children – many suffering from malnutrition, advanced peri-oral disease and respiratory tract infections.

The amazing part of working in Alto Cayma is the opportunity for longitudinal care. As our clinic outreach efforts are merely extensions of the on-going work that Father Alex’s clinic provides in the community – our efforts are closely tied to a bigger mission which is to change the plight of poverty in this vast peri-urban settlement.

The number of children seen in the outreach with significant malnourishment was astounding. It seemed like ever other child was classified as falling below the 5th percentile for weight, height and age matched indicators. Our response to this issue is to develop a program that sends a social worker into the homes of the highest need families and works to identify resources for social and economic advocacy. We have “flagged” all of the patient’s charts and plan to conduct home visits and re-check the children’s height, weight and hemoglobin status in the next 3-months.

Long term visions include the expansion of a nutrition/feeding program and the development of a mobile health care clinic to serve the school and surrounding area with twice monthly health screening and wellness clinics. We are also evaluating the development of a “school based health clinic” model that will send nurses from the clinic into the schools surrounding the parish every week for triage services and to continually track high risk children and their families; our ultimate goal is to create a “safety net” mechanism to catch children most vulnerable to homelessness or the myriad of preventable pediatric maladies.

Wednesday has our team in the mountains working in an isolated mining community at almost 15,000 feet above sea-level. Our goal is to bring medical and dental care to an impoverished area and to support the on-going efforts of the Parish of Father Alex. Stay tuned to our BlogSpot for more updates.

Monday, June 23, 2008

HBI Team Peru - Week 1

Our first week of clinic has been a smashing success. In just over 4 and ½ days of clinic our team of Peruvian and American healthcare providers were able to provide medical, dental, psychological evaluation and focused counseling and health education services to just over 840 patients. Our fantastic team of dedicated providers made this week of clinic one of our most successful outreach events yet!

Our project was conducted in the communities of Mala, Chincha, Pucusana and Asia (communities strongly impacted by the massive earthquake of August of 2007 – see: http://hbint.blogspot.com/2007/08/internatioanl-aid-for-peru-help-is-on.html). This last week was our 11th outreach campaign into these communities and was conducted in collaboration with our long term partner Union Biblica del Peru and is a part of our bigger schools based outreach program.

The Health Bridges International Schools Advocacy for the Vulnerable and Endangered Children (SAVE) program is a comprehensive approach to addressing poverty and childhood endangerment. The foundational element of the SAVE outreach program is volunteer mission teams – staffed by Peruvian and U.S. physicians, dentists, nurses, psychologists and dedicated helpers. Working in close partnership with Union Biblica – HBI is attempting to create a programmatic response that will make a meaningful impact in the lives of homeless and abandon youth. The programmatic goal of the SAVE outreach project is to create a “response” that will work to prevent familial breakdown before young children become abandoned to the streets.

The schools based outreach program is designed toward reaching into the poorest communities – areas where families are at greatest risk of breaking down. The SAVE program focuses on geographic areas in the country of Peru where economic depravity and social violence fracture family stability; areas where the children that live on the streets of Lima are coming from. This week found us working in such schools; institutions with very little resources and few of the standard academic opportunities found in the U.S.

The mission of the SAVE program is to identify youth who are at greatest risk for homelessness – and connect these children to outreach workers. The outreach/social workers then build trust and relationship with the family unit to provide a broad range of services that are designed at keeping the family from fracturing. As is the case in most developing nations, the community schools of rural and impoverished areas are often the strongest element of the social network. Partnering with teachers and community leaders enables the SAVE program to build a “safety net” in communities that are extremely vulnerable to economic and political ebbs and flows.

In essence, the SAVE program is designed at offering an “up stream” approach to a social problem that is firmly entrenched in economic disparity. Research studies have now connected the degree of social capital in a community (as defined by the collective efficacy or the belief a community has in its own abilities to create and structure change) to health outcomes, economic prosperity and crime figure adjustments. What this means for the SAVE outreach program is that by creating an even stronger community foundation in the schools - homelessness can be prevented in vulnerable youth populations.

This last week had our teams working in some of the poorest schools in Peru. Through compassion and true commitment to providing the highest quality healthcare services possibly – our team was able to reach out and hopefully change the lives of desperately impoverished children.

As the bulk of our school based program is designed around identifying children who are at greatest risk of homelessness and abandonment to the streets – our greatest assets are the community workers from Union Biblica who spend so much of their time working in the schools where we provide clinics. Union Biblica helps with case management of identified high risk children and family level interventions. The social workers from Union Biblica have great relationships with the teachers, staff and children of the schools where we work. The Union Biblica social workers were available all week to consult with a physician or provider about a potential “Vulnerable Youth” – and help to connect the youth with resources. The Union Biblica schools workers then help with follow-up and even conduct home visits when needed.

In a home visit scenario, the Union Biblica social worker develops a more global understanding of the family’s needs and the stressors that are underlying family unity and cohesion. The social worker works very closely with the child’s school and assigned teacher to create a comprehensive care plan to prevent further vulnerability with in the child’s development. Throughout of week of clinics we were very fortunate to have Alan Chang as our Union Biblica Schools Outreach Worker. Alan’s dedication to serving the underserved and commitment to helping vulnerable children was a real motivation for all of our team members.

This next week has our team working in the southern Peruvian city of Arequipa with another long term HBI partner and long term program collaborator - the Mission of Alto Cayma. Stay tuned to our BlogSpot for updates and on-going news of HBI’s Team Peru 2008 Campaign. Thank you for your support!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Is it really any better?

Peru: 90 percent of Peruvians feel country's growth has not helped them

For almost 15 years HBI has worked and traveled to Peru. Our organization has spent an enormous amount of time in a variety of economic sectors - from the very wealthy of Miraflores and San Isidro - to the desperately impoverished of the high Sierras. One thing that has been painfully obvious over the last couple of years is the growing divide between the wealthy of Lima and Arequipa and the increasing levels of poverty amongst the people of rural communities.

As this divide grows greater and greater it will be ever more important that organizations work to create programs and projects that help to bridge this tremendous division. More and more emphasis must be placed on creating effective and sustainable models of infrastructure and professional development for Peruvians to assist the marginalized segments of their population.

Pasted below is a news article that appeared on the daily website "Living in Peru" (see: http://www.livinginperu.com/). The information outlined in this brief articles confirms the long held assumptions of many social scientists and social justice activists - the economies of Latin America (and more specifically Peru) are growing like "gang busters", but the impact of this massive economic revolution is not penetrating down to the people who need it the most.

Author: Israel J. Ruiz - "Ninety percent of Peruvians feel the country's economic growth over the past several years has affected them very little or none at all, revealed a national poll carried out by CPI polling firm.

• According to the survey, 71.9 percent of the people polled throughout the Andean country affirmed that Peru's growing economy had "not benefited Peruvians at all", while 19.3 percent of those polled stated it had benefited them "little".

• Polls showed that more people outside of Lima (78.6%) felt they had not been affected positively by the country's growing economy.

• 68.6 percent of residents surveyed in Lima assured they had not benefited from the country's improved economy.

• On the other hand, there were more people in Lima (23.6%) than in provinces (13.6%) that said their livelihoods were "a little better".

• CPI's survey revealed that only 3.5 percent of the people living in Peru that were surveyed said the country's growth had had a positive effect on their lives.

The study also showed that the main problems Alan Garcia's administration had not solved were poverty, low wages and unemployment. It was reported that more people living outside of Lima made these complaints. 1,443 people were polled in 24 of Peru's regions."

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Team Peru 2008


And off we go - this summer marks the ELEVENTH Team Peru Medical, Dental and Social Outreach to Peru. This team promises to be an amazing experience with a broad group of team participants, a diverse set of projects lined-up and an enormous amount of donated supplies. In fact, this year has been our best year yet for raising support (financial) and procuring supplies.

The main objectives for this outreach campaign are:
(1) To continue to support our in-country partner Union Biblica del Peru in their efforts to bring preventive medical, dental and social care services to impoverished children. Our work continues to focus on using screening methods to identify children who are most vulnerable to becoming abandoned. We work to connect families of need with social service advocates to prevent homelessness and family fracturing.

(2) We will be working in the Mission of Alto Cayma to bring support and assistance to the on-going community health care efforts of this Parish run program. Our campaign will help with the construction of a home for a medically fragile child, the delivery of health care services to isolated mountain communities, and we will be working with our Peruvian colleagues (nurses, physicians, dentists, and social workers) around "mini" educational forums and training symposiums.

(3) We will be continuing to work with Union Biblica to bring construction assistance to their "for profit" (i.e. money generating - the monies that are received from the rental of the property go directly into the various ministries of the agency) Camp Kawai in the costal Community of Mala. We will work on a few re-building projects as a result of the devastating earthquakes of 2007.

(4) Finally, in keeping with the organizational mission of HBI - we will be working to build bridges between our North American volunteers and our in-country partners. Our goal is to create "relationships" for change that will allow people from various walks of life to partner their resources and share their talents.

Look for updates from our 2008 Team Peru Outreach posted to this Blog Spot throughout the month of June.

Thank you for your continued support.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Economic Growth in Peru

World Bank: Economic growth helped reduce poverty in Peru

From the ANDINA News Agency - The sustainable economic growth of Peru brought greater investments, more employment and better incomes, which contributed to diminish poverty, not only in the urban areas but also in the rural ones, reported today the World Bank.

The regional director of the World Bank for Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, Felipe Jaramillo, said this growth is linked to the bigger investments of the last two or three years, the good economic management, a better access to foreign markets and some of Peru’s government programs.

“What we see is that there is a virtuous circle in the Peruvian economy, because is growing and it has started to create work, each time of a better quality and for the whole Peru”, he said.

The international representative also stressed on the study called “Poverty in Peru 2007”- whose results represent the sustainable economic growth of Peru during the last years.

“We think these estimates should not impress anyone since Peru has achieved a high suitable growth during the last years”, he said.

(Please note: This news story originally appeared in the "Living in Peru" News Archive on May 27, 2008)

2008 Alto Cayma Medical Conference















The First Annual Alto Cayma Medical Conference and Training Symposium

In keeping with the organizational mission to provide opportunities and programmatic responses for in-country organizations and individuals, Health Bridges International, Inc. developed and produced the “First Annual Alto Cayma Medical Conference and Training Symposium” in April of 2008.

The training, facilitated through a dedicated group of volunteer healthcare professionals from the United States and Peru, was a two-day intensive learning experience with both didactic and hands-on instruction. Over 30 invited participants enrolled in the various workshops and didactic lectures – with the highlight of the event being the informal networking conversations and exchanges that developed during the program breaks. Overwhelmingly conference participants rated their attendance at the event as a great success.

The main purpose of the conference was to unite young Peruvian medical and healthcare professionals who are enthusiastic and passionate about working with underserved communities. With eleven concurrent workshops, facilitated by speakers with recognized expertise in their professional disciplines and fields, the conference included a broad range of topics as diverse as - “Nursing Skills Updates” and “Diagnostic Ultrasound for the Primary Care Provider.” The symposium brought together energetic young professionals and top presenters to create an environment for learning and sharing. Post conference surveys demonstrated a significant learning impact on the participants – with a majority of attendees rating their knowledge and skills of the subject matters presented at the conference as vastly improved after their participation in the training.

Equally important to the mission of HBI is the creation of sustainable improvements in people’s health – this was facilitated by the conference through the creation of a training and learning symposium for Peruvian health care providers. HBI is dedicated to supporting and mentoring the next generation of “change agents” in communities and countries of need, the “First Annual Alto Cayma Medical Conference and Training Symposium” helped to bridge in-country providers with North American volunteers to create collegial exchanges and opportunities for mentoring, professional development and knowledge and skills acquisition. Overwhelmingly – the conference was a great success.

Post Conference Survey Question:
After Attending Conference - how would you rate your knowledge and skills?

Participant’s Response:
“The speakers were very good. They removed many doubts and provided themes and ideas that I can apply to my patients.”

Number of Participants = 43

Number of Workshops = 11

Number of Invited Speakers = 12

Friday, March 14, 2008

Updates from Peru

Two new updates from Peru: Times are changing in Peru, and nowhere is this more evident than in how the political system is handling many of the formidable challenges facing the country. Two brief wire service articles that first appeared on the website “Living in Peru” (see: http://www.livinginperu.com/) provide a very fitting example of such challenges and the governments responses.

Congress approves new divorce bill in Peru

(LIP-ir) -- In a plenary session of congress Thursday afternoon, congress approved a bill that is to make it easier for Peruvians to get a divorce.

With a 61 - 8 votes, a bill that will allow couples in Peru to get divorced at municipalities and notaries across the country was passed.

The project was presented in 2006 by Congresswoman Rosario Sasieta, who claimed the divorce process in the country was an extremely heavy and unnecessary burden on Peru's judicial system, stating that the whole system was put into action to handle one divorce.

She also explained that Peruvians had to pay a great deal of money for a divorce and that the process was too long.

With the recently approved bill, citizens that mutually agree to end their marriage will be able to do so through municipalities and notaries.

It was reported that this would only apply to couples that had already established the custody of their children and the distribution of property and possessions.

Many Peruvians applauded the effort and stated it would solve many couples' problems.

On the other hand, Monsignor Luis Bambarén affirmed that this was not a good decision and would only lead to more divorces and "quick fixes". He stated that more attention should be given to strengthening families.

There are currently 3.6 million divorce cases pending in Peru's court system.

Doctors end 21-day strike in Peru

(LIP-ir) -- Several hours after a 5-hour meeting with authorities from Peru's Ministry of Health, the Peruvian Doctors Association announced Tuesday afternoon that it was going to end its strike.

At a union branch in Lince, Dr. Julio Vargas, president of the Peruvian Doctors Association, accompanied by Health Minister, Dr. Hernan Garrido Lecca, announced that the union had agreed to end the strike, which began on January 8 with 13,000 doctors.

Peru's Ministry of Health held a meeting with representatives from the Peruvian Doctors Association from 8:30 a.m. Tuesday until approximately 2 p.m. After the meeting, Vargas stated he would take the Health Ministry's proposals to union leaders and decide if the strike would continue.

He added that the Doctors Association was always willing to negotiate with the Health Ministry to come to an understanding, stating that despite the strike, patients had been cared for.

Vargas pointed out that patients had not been transferred to other hospitals as a sign of good faith. Doctors had threatened to begin releasing patients if demands were not met. The government assured doctors that if these measures were taken they would be prosecuted.

According to Vargas, the union was requesting that health service in Peru be improved so patients in the country could be better assisted.

Requests also included a higher budget to establish an adequate system and work with human resources departments, which were unmotivated because of low salaries.

Vargas explained that there were 7,000 medical centers that did not have the necessary funds or equipment to provide a quality service to patients.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Building Bridges





(PICTURE: The Alto Cayma Medical Clinic, Arequipa, Peru, SA)
I am on my way to Arequipa to help with the organization of a historic event for both HBI and the Alto Cayma Medical Clinic. The purpose of this trip is to help organize and structure the "First Annual Alto Cayma Medical Conference and Training Symposium."

Father Alex and the Policlinico Maria Madre de la Misiones (the Alto Cayma Clinic) recently received two separate shipments of supplies from the United States. These supplies, medical equipment and durable goods, are a great compliment to the current infrastructure of the clinic. Some of the new equipment - two diagnostic ultrasound machines, a flexible sigmoidoscopy and endocosopy unit, and a 12-lead EKG unit – is above and beyond the current skills of the clinic staff.

HBI will help the Policlinico Maria Madre de la Misiones to organize and implement a small health care training conference for the providers working in the clinic. The training, facilitated through volunteer medical professionals from the United States who have expertise in the subject matter they will be presenting, will be a two-day intensive experience with both didactic and hands-on training. A select group of providers have been identified and have indicated their interest and availability in participating in the conference.

Equally important to the Policlinico Maria Madre de la Misiones is the identification and recruitment of Peruvian medical specialists to volunteer in the clinic. More and more patients are being seen in the clinic that requires specialty consultations and examinations. In order to more efficiently deliver specialty care – the clinic needs to attract a pool of volunteers that can donate their time weekly or monthly to provide specialty consultations. Essentially the clinic would create a mechanism for bringing more comprehensive care directly to the patients rather than referring them for care – which requires organizing child care, time away from work, transportation and assorted other expenses (both tangible and intangible). The conference will invite select specialists from the Arequipa area to participate in the trainings – as a mechanism for recruiting their involvement in the clinics operations.

This conference is an important "next step" in the development of HBI, as the conference helps to facilitate sustainable improvements in people’s health through increasing in-country public health clinic’s training and services. It creates a sustainable services - a major mission and focus of all HBI programs and projects. Most of all HBI is dedicated to supporting and mentoring the next generation of “change agents” in communities and countries of need. This conference allows HBI to unite in-country providers with North American volunteers to create collegial exchanges and opportunities for mentoring.

Please stay tuned to this Blog site for updates on the conference and ways that you can help to support the work of Health Bridges International as we work to build sustainable "bridges" for change around the world.

Thank you for all your support - Wayne Centrone, HBI Board President

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Physicians Strike in Peru

13,000 Doctors Begin Strike in Peru

(LIP-ir) -- Julio Vargas, the president of the Peruvian Doctors Association, announced Monday that doctors would begin a strike on Tuesday January 8. As promised, over 13,000 doctors in the Andean country began a strike on Tuesday morning. According to Vargas, the union is requesting that health service in Peru be improved so patients in the country can be better assisted. Requests also include a higher budget to establish an adequate system and work with human resources departments, which are unmotivated because of low salaries.

Vargas explained that there were 7,000 medical centers that did not have the necessary funds or equipment to provide a quality service to patients."We are not even asking for a higher pay, but for bonuses that we are legally entitled to. Bonuses that would in some way ease the depressing economical situation doctors are living," affirmed Vargas. Peru's new Health Minister, Hernán Garrido Lecca labeled the strike "unfair" and demanded that the union end the strike so that negotiations could proceed. The Health Minister visited several of Lima's hospitals early this morning and stated that doctors were working as usual.

Emergency rooms, intensive care units and other such services will continue to operate, said César Palomino, the general secretary for the Peruvian Doctors Association.

Sunday, January 6, 2008

An update from Peru

Peru's Government Begins Program to Keep Children from Begging on Streets

(LIP-ir) -- The Ministry of Women & Social Development (MIMDES) will carry out the first “raid” of parents who rent or use their children by dressing them in rags and have them beg in the streets, announced Minister Susana Pinilla.Although she did not mention where these raids would take place exactly, Pinilla explained that a ministerial group was evaluating the punishment bad parents would receive for these acts against children's rights."Any person that uses a child for these activities will receive a serious punishment, this is to avoid the use of children for begging on the streets in different ways, for example, begging on a corner, selling on the streets or used as ‘mules’", she stated.

She said the Ministry of Women would not allow children to work because this was a commitment made in the Free Trade Agreement between Peru and the United States.“We are firm on this subject, it is better that Peru's society understands the consequences of their actions, because we will use all the law's power to avoid this situation”, she stressed.On previous occasions, this initiative was named “Campaign against begging”, in which Peru's National Police along with the Public Ministry and the Ministry of Women took in abandoned street kids and placed them in the care of the National Institute of Family Welfare.

News source: ANDINA