Nursing Heart, Inc.
Asociación Corazón de Enfermería
July 2018 – June 2019 Summary of Activities
Nursing Heart/ACE wraps up another incredibly successful season! There were almost 5,382 patient encounters with Guatemalan residents during the various activities offered by NHI/ACE during the 2018-2019 season, representing more than a 20% increase from 2017-2018. Activities included School Wellness Screenings, General Acute Care Clinics, Women’s Cervical Cancer Screenings, HTN/DM Clinics, and Foot Care Clinics. In addition, more than 367 family members continue to be impacted from the installation of a safe, efficient and environmentally conscious Chapina Stove in their homes, an increase of 60% from 2017-2018. Health and educational impacts are often difficult to measure and certainly go far beyond these direct individual encounters…and for this we Thank YOU! Thank you for your generous support of time, money and resources this year – we couldn’t have done it without you!
Fourteen different groups came from the US to serve the Guatemalan people this season. The 209 individuals include:
- 173 RN and NP students
- 14 University Faculty
- 36 Other professionals and volunteers
So much of our work involves relationships with strong partners. With their partnership and support, we completed 1 construction project for a medical clinic in the community of Chigonzalez, 1 public health survey in Pacoxpón, and 14 clinics in collaboration with Hombres y Mujeres en Acción/People for Guatemala in San Martín Jilotepeque (http://www.peopleforguatemala.org). We found success with various new projects this year, such as the public health partnership in Pacoxpón and the beginnings of a new program with Clemson University School of Nursing. We continue to explore new ways to come together to benefit the people of rural Guatemala.
Guatemalan Nursing Students from the Universidad Rafael Landívar worked with Nursing Heart in 6 of our General Acute Care Clinics near Antigua this year. Students assisted with vital signs, provided patient advocacy and language translation while earning clinical practice hours towards their nursing degree.
Here is a breakdown of our statistics for this season. Numbers from 2017-2018 are in parentheses. For more information about our various programs and projects, or to find out how you can be more involved, please feel free to explore this website or contact us at: info@nursingheart.org.
School Wellness Screenings
- Schools Visited: 15 (12)
- Children Seen: 2,057 (1,610)
- Albendazole Doses Provided: 1,058 (831)
- Fluoride Treatments Applied: 2,053 (1,548)
- Medical Referrals: 59 (44)
- Dental Referrals: 257 (716)
General Acute Care NP Clinics:
- Clinics Conducted: 6 (10)
- Patients Evaluated: 2,038 (1,585)
- Patients Referred: 306 (414)
Women’s Cervical Cancer Screenings:
- Women’s Clinics Conducted: 6 (8)
- Women Screened (IVAA): 694 (540)
- Positive Results: 30 — 4.3% (29 — 5.4%)
- Cryotherapy Treatments Conducted (including for Ectropion): 27 (30)
- Vaginal Infections Treated: 170 (171)
- Women Referred: 14 (24)
Foot Care Clinics:
- Clinics Conducted: 6 (5)
- Patients Seen: 157 (135)
HTN/DM Clinics:
- Conducted monthly with an average of 36 (35) participants/month.
- Patient encounters from June 2018 – July 2019: 436 (March 2017 – May 2018: 526)
Chapina Stove Installations:
- Stoves Installed: 69 (51)
- Direct family members impacted: 367 (229)
Community Health Project in Pacoxpón (new project for 2018-2019):
- Households surveyed: 68
- Households regularly attending health training sessions: 60
Construction Projects:
- 1: Medical clinic/comunitario in Chigonzalez with Nursing Heart and Homres y Mujeres en Acción.
