A big thanks to Cinaesthetic Films for sharing with us this beautifully-made video, shot during a MEDLIFE Mobile Clinic trip to Riobamba, Ecuador in March 2012.
MedLife Ecuador Trip (March 2012) from Cinaesthetic Films on Vimeo.
Interested in a Mobile Clinic? Watch Our Latest Video to Learn How to Attend!
Written by Lindsay BigdaWatch our latest video for all the information you need to sign up, prepare for, and attend a MEDLIFE Mobile Clinic!
2011-2012 Winter Mobile Clinic Recap: Watch Our New Video!
Written by Lindsay BigdaThis winter season, MEDLIFE held one Mobile Clinic in Cusco, Peru; two Mobile Clinics in Lima, Peru; and four Mobile Clinics in Riobamba, Ecuador. In total, 338 students participated, helping to bring primary medical services and sustainable development projects to 5,247 community members across Peru and Ecuador.
During this season, in collaboration with community leaders on the ground, we provided:
- Primary medical services to 4,779 patients
- Pap smear exams to 529 women
- Breast cancer screenings to 321 women
- Dental care to 1,383 patients
- One bathroom project in Ecuador benefiting 88 people
- Four staircase construction projects in Peru benefiting a community of 380 people
Thanks to everyone who participated in each one of our December/January clinics. Check out our video highlights reel below:
2012 Winter Clinics in Ecuador: 3 Weeks, 17 Clinics, and Nearly 2,000 Patients
Written by Laura Keen & Brenda Bravo
Against a panoramic backdrop of lush, terraced fields outside Riobamba, Ecuador hundreds of MEDLIFE students worked tirelessly during three back-to-back January clinics, a MEDLIFE first. Waking early every morning for bus rides through the stunning Andes highlands, students manned clinics throughout the counties of Chimborazo, Colta, and Guamote. Three groups of volunteers attended to over 900 adults and over 800 children while gaining extensive knowledge about the Ecuadorian healthcare system and widespread local ailments and disease.
Each day a group of students also traveled to the site of one of two community development projects: a new bathroom in Pull San Pedro and a spacious classroom for a school filled to capacity in tropical Valle Alto.
Once the clinics wrapped for the day, students played energetically with local children and enjoyed famed Ecuadorian hospitality in the form of never-ending plates of potatoes, corn, and lima beans. Thanks to all our January participants for your enthusiasm and commitment to bringing basic healthcare to these worthy communities!
Preparing for our Mobile Clinics: Community Meetings
Written by Lindsay BigdaAlthough our staff members, doctors, and student volunteers conduct Mobile Clinics that last one to two weeks, the preparation for these clinics begins well in advance. MEDLIFE Fund Project Director Carlos Benavides visits several different communities, assessing needs and attempting to pinpoint locations that will serve the greatest amount of patients. Carlos also looks for a "compromiso" from the community -- a commitment to collaborate with MEDLIFE by providing community support and local labor. Community leaders also pledge to publicize the dates of the clinics and clinic services to the members of their neighborhoods.
Three to four weeks before the clinic date, another meeting is held with each community to share our plans and to receive questions. This meeting serves as an opportunity to speak about common health problems, to inform the community about our Mobile Clinic process, and to explain the types of services we offer.
In preparation for our most recent Mobile Clinic in Lima, Peru, MEDLIFE staff members held a meeting with the community of Villa El Salvador to present information about our diagnostic screenings (breast and cervical cancer) and dental services. Check out our before and after photos below!
MEDLIFE staff members meet with the community of Villa El Salvador in preparation for an upcoming Mobile Clinic:
Photos from a subsequent January Mobile Clinic in Villa El Salvador:
