Philippines 2016: Day 3 Jan 19 2016 Tues
Our clinics begin. The team was up and ready to go early- 6:30 breakfast and out on the Jeepney and trucks for departure at 7:15. The Mayor has provided many things for the team including security support, public health nurses, emergency response staff and the transportation for the team and our supplies. We have a 20 person jeepney to get us around which is like an open air truck with bench seats. We pile our hockey bags on top and tie them down….It is really nice to travel with the warm breeze blowing. Some of the team (Gloria, Lillian and Jennifer) are hardy and prefer to travel in the back of the pick-ups that provide support. Today was an unusual clinic day. We had two clinics booked – in Espinosa in the am and St Teresa in the afternoon. Both clinics were in schools – and St Teresa was the school that Anabelle attended. It was a very busy day with large crowds and a lot of kids for fluoride. We saw 260 patients in the am plus 172 fluoride and in the afternoon 420 in the pm with another 127 fluoride. We are asking the Mayor’s staff to organize one clinic site per day and bus people to us- which is much easier than taking down and putting up the clinic due to the lost time seeing patients. We have two clinics again tomorrow – but after that it will be one location per day. The team is coming together and the new staff to the clinic format have jumped in. The flow of patients was excellent with all the support we had. The mayor and his team stopped in to check on us and are bringing in another dentist and MD to help us manage the large numbers turning up for the clinics. In the afternoon we did not have a doctor but our nurse practitioner Allison and pediatric specialist Lorna stepped up to cover. All the stations were swamped with high numbers today and we definitely need more supplies which Anabelle’s family are sourcing for us. As we found last time, there are many very young patients with hypertension, some skin conditions and general health issues. We did see a very ill young man with a facial lymphoma that we are hoping to help more- his father is bringing him back to clinic next Monday. Another child has cotton seeds in his ear- we tried to flush out but were unsuccessful. We will try again on Thurs. The team had a swim after clinic – then dinner and off to bed early. It was a great first clinic day. Linda Philippines Day 2 Jan 17 2016 (Monday)
After the long plane ride, crossing the international dateline/losing a day, and finally getting to our destination, today was a day for the team to recover from jet lag and get ourselves oriented and ready for clinic on Tues. All in all, the team is in good shape, tired but adjusting. Many were up at odd hours as we try to get used to the new time. That first swim in the Pacific Ocean was wonderful. We are staying at a hotel called the Raymen – which is able to accommodate us all, and provide the team with meals and lunches on clinic days. It is on the beach so we really get to feel the “Philippines lifestyle” which is centered on the ocean. At 11 we loaded into trucks, a van and headed to town to see the market and exchange our money. 1 USD = 47.5 Philippino Pesos. The market is a busy place with motorcycles, trucks, bikes. From there we were invited to Anabelle’s family’s home where they had prepared a traditional meal for us. We had bbq pork, rice, shrimp, fish, and crab. They also had mangos that taste like no mango you have ever had. The island is famous for their mangos and ship them to Queen Elizabeth. The Mayor and Governor came to greet us and we had a lovely few hours on the porch with the warm breeze. Around 3 we headed back to the hotel where we opened up every hockey bag and got ready for the clinics starting tomorrow. It was a beehive of activity as we sorted out what to bring, who would be stationed where. We have a great mix of nurses experienced at these clinics and those who are not – and our support team are great to step up and try anything. After a swim and supper we all headed to bed to get ready for the first clinic day tomorrow. Linda Knight CEO Philippines 2016 Day 1 Jan 16/17 (Sunday here!)
After months of planning, fundraising and collecting items, the team is finally off on our adventure to provide clinic services on the island of Guimaras in the Philippines. This is a return trip for a few of us as we provided services in 2013. We have a great team this year and very excited to work with everyone. Here is our team list:
Yesterday, CarePartners' sister agency, Community Nursing Services began its annual medical outreach trip, this year to the Philippines. The first step of this adventure was gathering at Pearson Airport.
Off we go to Annabelle and Pablo's home island in the PhilippinesWatch for regular postings on this News and Events page and see how the journey unfolds. The best of luck to all these travelers! |