Nursing Heart Partners with Johns Hopkins University to Bring Clean Water and Improve Sanitation in Pacoxpon
From Wells to Well-being: Transforming Water Infrastructure and Sanitation in Pacoxpon - Phase 1
![Blanqui and Cesar met regularly with the Pacoxpon COCODE (Community Council for Development) to determine their health priorities.](https://nursingheart.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/NHI-and-Pacoxpon-leadership-2022-150x150.jpg)
![Home visits to identify households without running water set the stage for phase 1.](https://nursingheart.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Surveying-water-needs-150x150.jpg)
![Delivering and unloading the water tanks in the remote mountain village was a logistical challenge.](https://nursingheart.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/unloading-water-tank1-150x150.jpg)
![With help from the villagers, all 43 water tanks made it to their designations in 2021.](https://nursingheart.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/unloading-water-tank-2-150x150.jpg)
![Home installation was a breeze compared to everything that preceded it!](https://nursingheart.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/def81b12-a7a1-4bf4-af1f-87e8d236521c-150x150.jpg)
![Clinical Director Cesar Santos helps cut the ribbon on the first water tank installed.](https://nursingheart.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Cutting-the-ribbon-150x150.jpg)
![Fully installed and filled with abundant winter rainwater.](https://nursingheart.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/New-water-tank1-150x150.jpg)
![Water flowing to the home of this grateful Pacoxpon resident.](https://nursingheart.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Celebrating-Water1-150x150.jpg)
From Wells To Well-Being: Transforming Water Infrastructure And Sanitation In Pacoxpon - Phase 2
![Nursing Heart visits the Pre-school to discuss improvements to the toilet and hand washing stations for phase 2 of the project, August 2022.](https://nursingheart.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Taking-Notes-on-Crummy-Pre-K-bathroom-150x150.jpg)
![Overseeing repairs to the leaky cistern at the Pacoxpon elementary school.](https://nursingheart.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/elementary-school-water-cistern-repair2-150x150.jpg)
![Nursing Heart Board President Amanda Choflet cutting the ribbon on the newly installed bathroom facility at the pre-school, August 2023.](https://nursingheart.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/WhatsApp-Image-2023-08-08-at-7.28.41-PM-4-150x150.jpeg)
![Celebrating the new facility with the Parent Committee.](https://nursingheart.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/WhatsApp-Image-2023-08-08-at-7.28.41-PM-3-150x150.jpeg)
![The debut of the new hand washing station at the Pre-School!](https://nursingheart.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/WhatsApp-Image-2023-08-08-at-7.28.41-PM-2-150x150.jpeg)
![Executive Director Andrew shares the plaque that thanks Nursing Heart, Pacoxpons' leadership and Johns Hopkins University.](https://nursingheart.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/WhatsApp-Image-2023-08-08-at-7.28.41-PM-150x150.jpeg)
![Coming together with village leadership and the parent committee to celebrate a job well-done at the Pre-School.](https://nursingheart.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/WhatsApp-Image-2023-08-08-at-7.28.39-PM-1-150x150.jpeg)
![Inaugurating the new kitchen at the Primary School as part of the community-wide celebration.](https://nursingheart.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/WhatsApp-Image-2023-08-08-at-7.28.15-PM-150x150.jpeg)
![A successful project brings tears to Amanda's eyes amidst a jubilant event.](https://nursingheart.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/WhatsApp-Image-2023-08-08-at-7.28.38-PM-150x150.jpeg)
![Hope for a healthier future for Pacoxpon pervaded the event.](https://nursingheart.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/WhatsApp-Image-2023-08-08-at-7.28.39-PM-150x150.jpeg)
Surveys Help Nurses Better Understand the Healthcare Needs of a Region
In January 2023 Nursing Heart partnered with our longtime allies at the University of Minnesota (UMN). Nursing Heart and UMN conducted another extensive Community Needs Assessment in the village of Tierra Colorada. Nurse Practitioner students from UMN worked together with Nursing Heart’s Community Health Workers to survey dozens of families in Tierra Colorada.
First, UMN students and faculty updated and refined the Health Assessment survey. They identified health trends and patterns with the long-term goal of tailoring interventions to improve health outcomes with support from village leadership. Groups that featured UMN Nurses and faculty, Community Health Workers, interpreters, Nursing Heart staff, and representatives of the Tierra Colorada village council trekked across the expansive, mountainous village and performed assessments with 70 households to gain a significant sample size for analyzing health concerns.
The surveys were conducted during three days of engagement with families. The Nursing Heart and student group came to learn about conditions on the ground that were negatively impacting the health of the residents.
Together the nurses, Nursing Heart team, and Community Health Workers analyzed the data and identified patterns that we presented to Tierra Colorada leadership with suggestions for how to work together to mitigate some of the prevalent health concerns.During the next several months this process was replicated in five other villages in San Martin where Nursing Heart has the presence of at least one Community Health Worker These additional surveys provided clear snapshots of health issues in the area – information that will inform program and clinical decisions into the future.
As of August 2023, Nursing Heart has continued, alongside key partners that include UMN, Johns Hopkins University, and Proyecto Impulso to design initiatives that the Community Health Workers can implement in their communities to manage the health issues that came to light through this arduous and collaborative process.
Facilities Development
Nursing Heart volunteers and partners work closely with Hombres y Mujeres en Accion, a nonprofit regional clinic regional to which Nursing Heart refers patients for follow-up care, to construct clinics, community centers, and community kitchens that improve community health. Our regional allies screen and engage in development work with the communities who request these facilities. Nursing Heart coordinates visiting groups to work alongside local masons, carpenters and construction professionals to construct new facilities. One of our goals is to facilitate fundraising with visiting groups for the construction of these facilities so that the families in the villages can rely on clean, healthy and well-designed facilities that will promote positive health outcomes.