MEDLIFE

Watch our latest video for all the information you need to sign up, prepare for, and attend a MEDLIFE Mobile Clinic!

This week, we received updates from our first spring MEDLIFE Mobile Clinic in Tena, Ecuador. Director of MEDLIFE Ecuador Martha Chicaiza shared some of the highlights from last week's particularly hectic and successful Mobile Clinic. Translated below by MEDLIFE Intern Laura Keen:

During a round of routine Pap smears, MEDLIFE staff and volunteers encountered a patient, Alicia Alvaro, who complained of several days of irregular vaginal bleeding. After an examination, the clinic obstetrician informed Martha Chicaiza, MEDLIFE’s Director of Latin American Operations, that the cause of her bleeding was potentially due to a condition known as endometrial hyperplasia, the rapid reproduction of cells in the inner lining of the uterus. At the end of the clinic day, Martha escorted the patient to Tena Hospital where doctors admitted her and scheduled her for a hysterectomy.  

The lengthy procedure was successfully performed on Sunday, March 11th and Alicia is now resting and recovering in her home.

A day later, student volunteers and doctors visited a community where principal complaints consisted of children with mild flu symptoms, a not uncommon occurrence during clinics. Among them, however, two infants presented temperatures of almost 104 degrees fahrenheit -- a temperature that carries with it the risk of convulsion and which could also be a sign of pneumonia. MEDLIFE immediately contracted a local villager with a van to take the children and their mothers to the nearest hospital where they could be further examined. The children remained in the hospital to be treated for pneumonia.

On the same day at the second Tena clinic site, doctors and volunteers encountered a young girl complaining of pain in her arm. The girl presented a severe fracture and requested immediate help. Riding in an ambulance, Martha raced to the nearby site to find the patient and immediately transported her to the closest hospital for attention.

Student volunteers and MEDLIFE staff members were pleased that they were available last week to assist with such significant cases which may have otherwise gone overlooked or untreated. Thank you to all the participants from the March 4-10 Mobile Clinic in Tena, Ecuador!

*PHOTO UPDATE* April 23, 2012:

Seven days after the emergency hysterectomy that saved her life, MEDLIFE staff and volunteers paid Alicia Alvarado a visit to check on her condition; she is recovering superbly and is happy to be home with loved ones again. Director Martha Chicaizo's photographs from their visit to the grateful family's home who had their lives drastically altered thanks to one of our Mobile Clinics:

Alvarado and her family sincerely appreciate the organization's initiative in helping the poor receive medical care and education.  They urge us to continue our work and keep visiting communities like theirs, that are most in need. 

This 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:

MEDLIFE has always been led by extraordinary individuals bent on committing their time, resources, and knowledge to bring Medicine, Education and Development to Low Income Families Everywhere. Tommy Flint has been no exception. As Tommy ends his career with MEDLIFE, our team wishes to extend our gratitude not only for his work as a staff member, but also for his admirable sense of integrity and compassion.

Beginning his MEDLIFE journey in 2009 as an intern in Riobamba, Ecuador, Tommy began assisting MEDLIFE's small staff of three in its mission to improve the overall welfare and health of remote communities in Ecuador. Working with our staff, Tommy was asked to wear multiple hats by providing assistance to the MEDVIDA staff during Mobile Clinics, assisting with patient follow-up, and serving as the liaison between MEDVIDA and all the passionate volunteers in the United States. During 2010 Tommy continued his efforts with MEDLIFE by relocating to Lima, Peru to assume the role of Director of Student Operations in the USA and to aid in expanding MEDVIDA's work into Peru. Working with staff in both MEDLIFE's operations in the USA and in Peru, Tommy worked tirelessly to provide Medicine, Education and Development to MEDLIFE's patients. Tommy aided in MEDLIFE's growth of nearly two-fold over the past year. 

Tommy has contributed to helping MEDLIFE's name become synonymous with excellence, integrity and outstanding quality and service to the communities it serves. Keeping with the vision of MEDLIFE's simple yet goal-focused mission has provided a stepping-stone for MEDLIFE's constant growth -- one which MEDLIFE will use to reach even greater heights.

At a glance:

• 2009 – MEDLIFE Year-long intern: Riobamba, Ecuador
• 2010 – Director of Student Operations: Helped establish MEDVIDA's operations in Peru, aided in MEDLIFE's first ever community development project 
• Fall 2011 – Director of Operations USA - Was part of a team that helped MEDLIFE's student chapter base grow from ~ 25 to 52 universities

Written by MEDLIFE Director of Student Operations, Joseph Tylutki

A few words from Tommy:

Arriving alone at the Riobamba, Ecuador bus station to begin my MEDLIFE internship on Sept 15, 2009, I imagine that I had many of the same hesitations and concerns that most MEDLIFE Mobile Clinic participants initially face. Who will be picking me up? Will I be staying in a mud hut? Do they have internet here? Is it okay that I don't speak much Spanish? And, my most pertinent question: What is it the MEDLIFE does, anyways?

After receiving a gracious welcome from MEDVIDA Director Martha Chicaiza, many of my preoccupations were quickly alleviated. I lived with her and another intern, Isa, in a cozy apartment (I slept in the living room) with running water (not potable), electricity (excepting the daily outages), and, thankfully, internet access (abysmally slow). But although I spent the following months shadowing and assisting Martha in her work, I still found myself struggling to answer a question frequently posed by friends and family back home: So, what exactly do you do down there? While I could define the fundamentals of our operation -- at that time, primary care Mobile Clinics and dedicated patient follow-up care -- it still seemed I was leaving out some essential aspect of MEDLIFE's work.

Over the past two and half years, as the number of universities participating in MEDLIFE's mission has expanded nearly ten-fold, the answer to that question has become even more complex. Our Mobile Clinic program has grown to offer not only a much more varied array of medical services and exams, but also a blossoming educational component. Undergraduate students continue to serve in summer and year-round internships, preparing them for future careers in international development and global health. The most exciting innovation came from the creation of the MEDLIFE Fund, where projects are defined not by MEDLIFE staff, but rather by the needs and desires of the poor communities with which we work. In 2012, MEDLIFE will build stairs in Lima, conduct Pap smear exams and STI screenings, promote child nutrition educational campaigns, construct schools and bathrooms in Ecuador, extract teeth and fill cavities, train student leaders, and provide thousands of people with a consult with a doctor. Can all of that be boiled down into a single mission statement?

Recently, as I reflect on my own involvement with MEDLIFE, I've decided that the most relevant question isn't 'What is MEDLIFE?', but rather, 'Who is MEDLIFE?' MEDLIFE is Carlos Benavides, a former community leader who spends his evenings not at home with his family, but rather in the urban slum of Pamplona, seeking out hillside communities that would benefit from a concrete stairway. MEDLIFE is Jose Rodriguez, a Peruvian doctor who attends to each Mobile Clinic patient with an uncommon level of sensitivity and patience -- for some patients, it may be the first time a doctor has treated them with sympathy and respect. It's Martha Chicaiza, who has dedicated seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, towards the MEDLIFE cause since the first day I met her. It's every single student volunteer who arrives in Latin America full of hope, ambition, and the unshakeable urge to lend a hand to those in need. MEDLIFE is each patient who, after graciously receiving medical treatment, humbly and hopefully requests that MEDLIFE help a sick relative, or that we return to build a set of stairs outside of their home.

MEDLIFE is a group of incredible people, each of whom provide a unique skillset and perspective to our mission. It's a work ethic that demands that we all be ready to do whatever it takes, whenever it takes, to get the job done. It's a mentality that puts the needs of our patients as a top priority. It's a firm belief that our dedicated efforts can lead to long-term improvements in the lives of the poor.

I wish I could list here every single MEDLIFE staff member and intern, and recite their positive qualities and the impression they've made upon me. I wish I could personally tell each student volunteer that their enthusiasm for MEDLIFE's mission is what has driven my work since I arrived in 2009. And I wish I could tell each patient that there are thousands of MEDLIFE supporters in the USA and Canada that care about their well-being.

As I've now superceded my initial three-month commitment to MEDLIFE by some 27 months, the time has finally come for me to seek out new opportunities. I'm profoundly grateful to have met and worked with MEDLIFE staff, interns, and volunteers, and entrust that they will continue to fight for MEDLIFE's cause for years to come. Thank you to everyone who has supported me during my time here.

Sincerely,

Tommy Flint

Thank you to the communities surrounding Riobamba and the student volunteers from Ohio State, Northwestern University, and Florida International University for all their hard work conducting MEDLIFE's first 2011-2012 winter clinic in Ecuador -- we're gearing up for three more clinics this January!

Last week the President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, announced that the country will eradicate malnutrition within the next four years. The government will focus on pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as young children. The pledge is a response to the fact that Ecuador has the fourth highest rate of malnutrition in Latin America, hovering around 19 percent of the country's population. Yet, according to UNICEF, the Chimborazo region of Ecuador -- where MEDLIFE conducts most of its Mobile Clinics and patient follow-up work -- has an even higher malnutrition rate of 44 percent. The Chimborazo region is home to many poor, rural communities, as well as indigenous groups.

“Aliméntate, Ecuador" is a new program that provides pregnant women and mothers of infants with a small stipend to get regular checkups. The program also helps teach mothers about exclusive breastfeeding (when an infant only receives breast milk without any additional food or drink) as well as complementary foods (when additional foods are introduced into a child's diet). According to the program's website, "Aliméntate" has already been successful in reducing rates of anemia by 12 percent during the past year in the community of Manta.

Written by Martha Chicaiza, Director of MEDVIDA Ecuador; Translated into English by Laura Keen, MEDLIFE year-round intern in Lima, Peru

At the swelling feet of the central Andes and off the shores of the Chimbo River lies the Municipality of Cumanda, Ecuador, a three-hour drive from Riobamba. Within this subtropical region around 400 families comprise the population of the small village of Valle Alto.

Only one open-air schoolhouse exists to serve the entire community. Its wooden reed structure and lack of walls leaves students susceptible to the elements, forcing classes to be canceled on rainy days. Community leaders and parents here have solicited MEDLIFE's help in the construction of a small classroom (and if our budget allows it, an accompanying sanitary bathroom) that would almost double the enrollment capacity of the school from 85 children to up to 150.

On the final day of our our recent Mobile Clinic in Riobamba, Ecuador we visited the community of Lirio San Jose, a small village set deep in the rolling hills of Ecuador's Andean highlands. Upon arriving at the schoolhouse where our Clinic would be hosted, our student volunteers were surprised to find a small team of local health professionals that would also be visiting patients that day. This team was comprised of employees of Ecuador's state-run medical system, and they were in the community of Lirio San Jose conducting wellness checks on pregnant women and newborn children in the area.

After speaking with the team, our student volunteers found that Ecuador had recently introduced a new program designed to encourage pregnant women to give birth at local hospitals or health centers, rather than in their own homes. Another effect of the community's physicial isolation, in addition to limited access to general health services, is that many women deliver their children at home rather than traveling to a hospital. This program keeps tabs on pregnant women in the region, assessing their health as their pregnancies' progress, and providing education and incentives to encourage women to visit a hospital to deliver their child.

The construction of a classroom for a rural schoolhouse in Telan Playa, Ecuador marked the birth of the MEDLIFE Fund. From that point onward, MEDLIFE sought out additional sustainable development projects in Peru and Ecuador, and promised to commit 100% of all public donations and student chapter fundraising towards such projects. Read the complete story of the Telan Playa schoolroom project below:

On March 10, 2010 MEDLIFE student volunteers from the University of Vermont and the University of Pennsylvania, accompanied by MEDLIFE staff and medical professionals, traveled to the remote village of Telan Playa to provide individuals and families in need with Mobile Clinic medical services. To reachTelan Playa, the group took an hour-long bus ride from the nearby city of Riobamba, continuing for a short hike on foot when the road became impassable. Upon arriving at the rural schoolhouse where the Clinic was to take place, the student volunteers were warmly greeted by the local K-8 students and their two teachers.

As children filed out of the schoolroom, this greeting exposed the volunteers to an unfortunate reality of the educational infrastructural in Telan Playa. 55 children, ages 5 to 13, were tightly packed into a single, small classroom. Our volunteers learned that the two teachers had been delivering lesson plans simultaneously, from opposite sides of the room. Our student volunteers immediately recognized that the existing setup did not allow these two teachers to provide quality, focused instruction to their students.

MEDLIFE conducted a successful Mobile Clinic that day, providing care to many of the students and to a total of 64 residents of Telan Playa. The group of volunteers returned to Riobamba that evening. Our students, however, were unwilling to sit idly by while the children and teachers of Telan Playa struggled to get by with inadequate resources. They were not about to let MEDLIFE's aid to Telan Playa end with the completion of their week-long Mobile Clinic.

Returning home, these students took matters into their own hands, organizing nationwide fundraising events at MEDLIFE chapters across the USA. By April 24, just 6 weeks after our students visited Telan Playa for the first time, MEDLIFE student members had fundraised enough money to build a second classroom for the school.

MEDVIDA staff in Ecuador, spurred by the injection of funds and enthusiasm from these motivated students, immediately set to work on the project. Martha Chicaiza, Director of MEDVIDA Ecuador, led the charge by coordinating MEDLIFE's efforts with that of the local community leaders and Ecuador's Ministry of Health. MEDLIFE broke ground on the project site in May 2010, and the schoolroom was inaugurated with a visit by MEDLIFE founder Nick Ellis in July 2010. The schoolroom has been operational since the start of the 2010-2011 school year. 

On future Mobile Clinic visits to Telan Playa, our student volunteers are no longer greeted by the disturbing sight of 55 students squeezed into an undersized classroom. Rather, they now find students and teachers taking advantage of the comfort, amplification, and privacy that their second classroom provides.

MEDLIFE is proud to be continuing our work with local institutions, with the shared goal of delivering higher-quality education to the children of Ecuador.

The Telan Playa classroom project has served as a template for future MEDLIFE Fund projects. Our in-country staff encounters ideas for potential projects while visiting communities during Mobile Clinics. From there, MEDLIFE seeks to engage all stakeholders (local families, community leaders, and government institutions) in implementing a solution. This system has led to the development of projects such as the Pamplona, Lima stairway projects and the Colta bathroom construction projects. In the coming hear we hope to expand the MEDLIFE Fund to include even bigger and more advanced projects!