 Dra. Lupita in action The new clinic established by our coopertive partner La Comon Yaj Nop Tic is bursting with community interest and support. It has been open for the past two Fridays and each day, more than 50 people have sought care from the GFH-trained nurses and doctors who volunteer their time with the clinic. Community health promoters trained by GFH arrive with women to be screened for cervical cancer.
According to GFH in-country staff Dra. Lupita Jovel, the outpouring of community support is incredible. Meanwhile, co-op partners CESMACH and Triunfo Verde are working on another clinic space just over two hours away in the town of Jaltenango. These new clinics intend to provide the cooperatives’ memberships with continued access to cervical cancer screening services, and other primary health care services.
Last week Dra. Lupita and CESMACH colleague Manual traveled to a community in Siltepec, a remote mountainous municipality where access to cervical cancer screening has been a particular challenge, especially in the rainy season. They were hosted by Monica Cordova Roblero, a nurse trained by GFH in March of 2010. With the support of local community health promoters who recruited women, Dra. Lupita and Monica conducted a one-day screening for cervical cancer. Together they examined 70 women, all of whom were recruited by CESMACH’s community health promoters. Once again, Dra. Lupita reported overwhelming support at the community level for the project.
These supportive supervision visits by GFH’s in-country doctor are integral to our training model. Dra. Lupita and the co-op coordinator work side-by-side with promoters, helping them talk with women about cervical cancer screening. Meanwhile, Dra. Lupita also sees patients with nurse Monica, which enables Dra. Lupita to evaluate and build upon the exam skills of trainees. As part of this, women associated with the coffee cooperative are seen for cervical cancer screening. This cultivates confidence in local screening services by GFH trained doctors and nurses and ongoing demand for screening services.
Stay tuned … as Dra. Lupita will be in touch with more updates and accomplishments next month!
Click on any image to zoom / read captions:
El lunes, 15 de agosto, cooperativa Comon Yaj Nop Tic (Todos lo Pensamos), quien trabaja con Cultivando la Salud (CLS), celebró su reunión anual de socios y la inauguración de su nueva clínica en Chiapas, México. CLS empezó de trabajar con Comon Yaj Nop Tic en diciembre de 2010 y juntos hicieron las actividades de su campaña anual de capacitación y detección de cáncer cérvico-uterino allá en abril de 2011. Bajo el liderazgo de su coordinadora inspiradora Cecy, una enfermera local dedicada Tere, y su directiva y socios trabajadores, esta cooperativa convirtió su sueño de ofrecer servicios de salud accesibles y de alta calidad a sus socios en una realidad.
Durante semanas, ellos trabajaron para rehabilitar un espacio en las oficinas de la organización. Pintaron el cuarto, limpiaron y viajaron a la ciudad para asegurar que tuvieron todo lo que necesitaban para la inauguración. La clínica va a estar abierta los viernes y Comon Yaj Nop Tic ha invitado a socios de tres otras cooperativas locales para acudir a la clínica también. Van a trabajar allá dos médicos y dos enfermeras con una promotora de salud ayudando como asistenta. Van a enfocar en ofrecer servicios de detección de cáncer cérvico-uterino y tratamiento con crioterapia. Doctora Lupita, quien trabaja para CLS, y Cecy coordinaron un horario con los promotores de salud ya capacitados para invitar mujeres de alto riesgo de sus comunidades a la clínica y para seguir con sus capacitaciones de promotores. La clínica también tiene todo lo equipo necesario para ofrecer consultas generales gracias a una donación de medicamentos del hospital local, un glucómetro para moniterear niveles de azúcar, y un estetoscopio y baumo. Van a ofrecer todos los servicios sin cobrar y todos los médicos y enfermeras van a trabajar de manera voluntaria.
Durante la inauguración, la motivación y éxito increíble de esta cooperativa fue celebrada por muchos que han apoyado Comon Yaj Nop Tic y el programa de prevención del cáncer cérvico-uterino en la región. El gobierno municipal de La Concordia, bajo el liderazgo del presidenta generosa Yanet y Dr. Rafael, ofrecieron su apoyo con medicamentos y los servicios de Dr. Rafael cada mes. El día también fue exitoso para Silvia, la coordinadora de CESMACH – la primera cooperativa para trabajar con CLS en la región. Ella ha trabajado sin cansar por cinco años con CLS y fue responsable por haber invitado a las tres otras cooperativas para unirse con el proyecto. Después de visitar la clínica, la primera reacción de los presidentes, coordinadoras y asesores de CESMACH y Triunfo Verde (otra cooperativa local que trabaja con CLS) fue “cuando podemos empezar con la nuestra?” Ellos ya se pusieron de acuerdo para empezar esta semana y trabajar juntos convirtiendo un espacio en las oficinas de CESMACH en Jaltenango en una clínica. Este espacio dará acceso a muchos otros socios que viven lejos de las oficinas de Comon Yaj Nop Tic.
Todos los socios de esta cooperativa maravillosa estaban allá y hablé con algunos después de la inauguración. Un socio a quien conocí cuando fui a una de las comunidades mas lejanas para buscar una promotora me acercó con una sonrisa contagiosa. El ofreció su apoyo para el proyecto cuando nos conocimos en febrero, utilizó su camioneta para traer mujeres a la campaña en abril y ahora me dijo con orgullo, “esto es un sueño hecho en una realidad para nosotros… y en tan poco tiempo.”
Con una cierta tristeza concluyo este reportaje de mi casa en los EEUU. Mi estancia de seis meses en México llegó a su fin y estoy preparándome para empezar un programa de estudios de enfermería-partera que espero que ma va a permitir seguir trabajando con CLS en el futuro y volver a trabajar al lado de todas las personas inspiradoras que tuve el honor de conocer en México. Sin duda, llevaré conmigo algo muy valioso que aprendí en Chiapas: con amor, cariño y la capacidad de trabajar en equipo verdadero, es posible convertir los sueños en una realidad. Un agradecimiento profundo y sincero a todos que han hecho esto posible.
On Monday, August 15th, Grounds for Health (GFH) partner cooperative Comon Yaj Nop Tic (Mayan for Todos lo Pensamos/ We all think together) held their annual member meeting and celebrated the inauguration of their new clinic in Chiapas, Mexico. GFH started working with Comon Yaj Nop Tic in December 2010 and they hosted our training and screening campaign in April 2011. Under the guidance of their inspiring coordinator Cecy, a local dedicated nurse Tere, and their hard-working board and staff–this cooperative has turned their dream of providing accessible, high-quality health care for their members into a reality.
For weeks, they worked to renovate a space at their organization’s offices. They painted the room, cleaned and made trips into the city to make sure they had everything they needed. The clinic will be open on Fridays and Comon Yaj Nop Tic has invited members from three other local cooperatives to utilize services at the clinic as well. It will be staffed by a rotating team of two doctors and two nurses, with a community health promoter working as an assistant. The focus of their care will be to provide cervical cancer screening and treatment with cryotherapy. GFH local doctor Lupita and Cecy have coordinated a schedule with the previously-trained community health promoters to continue bringing high-risk women from their communities to the clinic and to expand upon their promoter trainings. The clinics are also outfitted to provide basic medical consults on an as-needed basis thanks to a generous supply of medications donated by the local hospital, and a glucometer to check blood sugars, stethoscope and blood-pressure cuff. All services will be provided completely free of charge and all involved providers will be donating their time.
At the inauguration, the incredible motivation and success of this cooperative was celebrated by many who have played integral roles in supporting Comon Yaj Nop Tic and the cervical cancer prevention project in the region. The local municipal government in La Concordia, under the generous guidance of presidenta Yanet and Dr. Rafael, has pledged support in the form of sharing Dr. Rafael’s services to the clinic on a monthly basis and supplying other medications. The day also rang with success for Silvia, the coordinator from the original GFH partner-cooperative in the region CESMACH. She has tirelessly worked for five years with Grounds for Health and was responsible for recruiting the 3 other cooperatives to join the project. Upon touring the clinic, the first reactions of the presidents, coordinators and leaders of CESMACH and Triunfo Verde (another local partner cooperative) were, “When can we get started on ours?” They have already agreed to work together, starting this week, to turn a space at CESMACH’s offices in Jaltenango into a clinic. This will allow access to services for many other members located far from Comon Yaj Nop Tic’s offices.
All of the members of this amazing cooperative were also in attendance and I spoke with some of them after the inauguration. One member who I had first met when I headed into one of the more rural communities to look for a promoter approached me with a contagious smile. He had voiced his initial support for the project at our encounter in February, used his truck to help transport women during the campaign in April, and now proudly said, “Esto es un sueno hecho en una realidad para nosotros… y en tan poco tiempo/ This is a dream come true for us… and in such a short amount of time.”
It is with a hint of sadness that I conclude this update from back home in the United States. My six months in Mexico have come to an end as I prepare to begin a midwifery program in the fall that will hopefully allow me to continue working with GFH in the future and return to work side-by-side with all of the inspiring people I had the honor of working with in Mexico. Regardless of what the future holds, I shall carry with me the very valuable lesson that Chiapas has taught me: with love, kindness, and teamwork in its most genuine sense, it is possible to turn dreams into reality. A most sincere thank you to everyone who has made this possible.
Click on any image to zoom:
 La Comon's incredible co-op coordinator Cecy, GFH Program Assistant Rachel, GFH trained Nurse and La Comon member Teresa Two of our co-op partners in Chiapas, Mexico are creating small clinic spaces in their coop offices for continuing their work with GFH and perhaps other primary health care needs of their membership and community. Wow, no?
La Comon Yaj Nop Tic in La Concordia will inaugurate their clinic on August 15th! They are equipped for SVA. Cool! The plan is to have Dra. Lupita there twice a month (doing supportive supervision) and another wonderful family doctor who we have trained will be there twice a month also. Basically each Friday.
And today–we just got word from CESMACH in Jaltenango that they are moving things around in their coop office to create a space there for a similar purpose. Pretty amazing and exciting developments as each of these co-ops takes their work with us on CX CA screening and positions themselves to move it to another level.
 CESMACH's amazing co-op coordinator Silvia  CESMACH Logo  La Comon Logo
 Rachel (right) with Deputy Director Elisa (left), former GFHer Martha (middle), and Martha's baby boy Recently, one of Grounds for Health’s in-country staff members, registered nurse Rachel Ballester, came to spend a few weeks with us in our Vermont office. Rachel has been in Mexico for the past five months, working with co-ops, community health promoters and clinical staff to help bring a high level of health care to local women.
In addition to providing a chance for some R&R, easily accessible hot water and the comforts of home, Rachel’s time here provided a first-hand account of the conditions of our site in Chiapas, Mexico.
From big picture information, such as an increased community interest in the project, to details, such as which places do or don’t have internet access, Rachel brought a wealth of information that can only come from someone who has been living and working out in the field.
During Rachel’s time in Mexico, three new co-ops have joined the project there, bringing the number involved from one to four. Our work in Mexico has taken place in four municipalities: Jaltenengo–where Rachel works–La Concordia, Siltepec and Monte Cristo.
2011 marks the fifth year of the project in Chiapas, but the first year we have expanded to multiple communities simultaneously. Most recently through Rachel’s work, approximately 350 women were screened for cervical cancer during our April campaign in Mexico, and over 500 have been seen through a number of mini-campaigns.
Grounds for Health’s next campaign in Mexico will take place in December, but until then, Rachel and all those who are working hard in the region will make sure women in need get the health care they deserve.
 GFH Intern, Rachel Ballester, RN I’m happy to report that the past two months have been wonderfully full and successful in terms of our program trainings in Mexico and Nicaragua.
The brief update on Mexico is that our recent Level 1 Campaign and Training (April 2011) was a great success. There we are partnering with 4 cooperatives now. In addition to CESMACH, we are also working with Finca Triunfo Verde, Ramal Santa Cruz and La Comon Yaj Nop Tic. We hired a part-time medical coordinator at this site in February 2011: Dr. Lupita Jovel. She has also been joined by Rachel Ballester, RN who joined our team as a program assistant at this site also in February 2011. Together they have been a dynamic duo, and are bringing the quality and depth of work at this site to a whole new level.
Continue reading “Mexico and Nicaragua Program Updates”
 Original hospital in Pochutla, Mexico that was the birthplace of GFH programs August just returned from an extended trip to our sites in Latin America, and despite the after-effects of a horrible cold, her eyes were alight with what she experienced.
When asked about her visit to our original site in Mexico, her voice quivered with excitement: after nearly 15 years, the first clinic Grounds for Health helped establish is more than thriving. What started as a modest cervical cancer prevention campaign has blossomed into a sustainable and effective clinic that administers care to the greater region. Thanks to the passion and expertise of our good friend Dr. Valenzuela—who is the original Mexican physician who requested our help—the program in Pochutla proves the lasting impact Grounds for Health can have.
 August in Pochutla back in 2004
For more, check out her blog entry on the Café Imports Grinder.
Here are a few highlights:
… Not once during my entire trip did I ever feel lonely or bored but rather overflowing with the joy I found in the relationships I established in each area of my Chiapan life, the work I was doing in both cervical cancer prevention and coffee, and from the sheer fact that I was living in a mountainous paradise. …
… Spending a period of time working and living at origin has enriched the way I view working both in coffee and women’s health. It has added dimensions and purpose to all aspects of the work that Café Imports, Grounds for Health, and I do each day. …
Mexico, once again, swept me off my feet. I re-fell in love with working in and around coffee. Daily exercising my passion for empowering women through both words and actions piqued my senses, my heart, and my being. Blending Mexico, coffee, and women’s empowerment: idyllic. Thank you Café Imports, thank you Grounds for Health, and thank you CESMACH for including me in your pursuit of saving lives and ever-increasing the quality and sustainability of coffee.
 As we reported last month, our rockstar volunteer (aren’t they all) Amanda Eastwood would write about her experiences in Chiapas on the Cafe Imports Grinder Blog.
Well, we just got word she posted her article, and it’s a great read.
If you’ve ever wondered what our campaigns are like through the eyes of our volunteers, be sure to check out her post: Amanda’s Grounds for Health trip Update.
A few snippets:
The same afternoon, my new friend Alanna and I took a taxi, to a bus, to a cab, to the airport, to pick up and unite with August, the GFH executive director. Three and a half hours on a bumpy, dirt mountain road later we had finally arrived to Jaltenango de la Paz, Chiapas where the CESMACH Coop is located and where I will be spending June and July this summer providing continued support …
I must stress the imperative role that the CESMACH Coop plays in making this a successful relationship. They are the ones who take time away from their already full work schedules to recruit women and medical providers from their participating communities to come to the trainings, arrange transportation and lodging for them in addition to meals for everyone each day of the training …
My time with CESMACH and the GFH team was a tremendous experience! Not only did I gain a great deal of knowledge by participating in each of the trainings but I was also humbled and honored by the privilege of meeting and working so closely with some of the women who produce coffee …
Read the entire blog post. Thanks, Amanda!
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Dra. Lupita in action
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