Goings On

Our last couple of weeks have been packed with activities--some work and some play which is always nice!  Dr. Sara and I (Lisa) were blessed to take part in an educational conference two weeks ago to get certified in cervical cancer screening using the Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (or VIAA) method.  It was a long week of study and clinical practice but well worth it.  As a group we attended to more than 700 women and treated several for precancerous lesions with cryotherapy.  This is a service we want to begin here in our area soon and pray that it will help us reach many women who have never been screened and also open more doors for future evangelism contacts. 

After finishing the course Kemmel and I took advantage of some saved up days and made a trip to Hollywood, FL for some relaxation and a visa renewal stamp.  The tickets on Spirit airlines to Ft. Lauderdale were too cheap to pass up so we took off!  We love Hollywood Beach because of the beautiful beach, long boardwalk and ease of public transportation.  In fact one of our favorite pass times is riding around on the buses and seeing what (and who) there is to see.  Although entertaining, it is sometimes so frustrating waiting on a bus that is late or passed by earlier than you arrived and only comes by every 20-30 minutes.  One day we took the bus to a shopping center with plans to get back in time to eat dinner in the park at the food truck row.  We should have had plenty of time but the bus never came and after waiting an hour it started to rain with us out in the open and no covered bus stop in sight.  After getting completely soaked we decided to scrap the dinner plans and run over to Red Lobster for dinner (I know, "who eats at Red Lobster when they are visiting the coast???")  and just call a cab to take us back to the hotel.  After being seated we saw our bus pass by (1.5 hours late)!  It helps us realize what a lot of people have to go through to get to work and get groceries, and just survive every day, and what a privilege it is to have your own vehicle or live close to work.  It also opened our eyes to the rudeness and indifference people routinely face, and how a kind word or show of compassion shines like a spotlight.

Anyway, we are back in the saddle and tomorrow we get to celebrate 9 baptisms with the church in Xepocol.  They are such a loving church and their good reputation in their town is drawing people to Christ. Praise God and keep looking for opportunities to do good!

Women's Health

Sisters from the Church in Xejox--about 3 hours from Clinica Caris 

It's a beautiful sunny morning and has been pretty dry the last few days.  Our road situation is still not great but at least the mud is less.  Today Kemmel is driving us (Lisa, Sara and our scholarship medical student Nidian Patricia) head to Salama', Baja Vera Paz to attend a week-long training on cervical cancer screening using appropriate technology--vinegar solution and a bright lamp.  This is called Visual Inspection with Acetic acid (VIA) and is at least as sensitive as a Pap smear, but gives immediate results and has no additional lab costs--perfect for Guatemala's rural poor. Although we have been offering Pap smears for years, we are not reaching as many women as we could, due to lab cost ($4) and transportation cost to come to clinic ($2-5)--about a day's wage.  So if we can take this screening to the communities where the women live we offer a valuable service.  Sheri had a class for two women's groups already talking about the importance of cervical cancer screening and she reports having a great deal of dialog and interest from the ladies. 

The VIA course is being offered by Faith in Practice, a non-profit organization here in Guatemala.  Many thanks to them for sharing this with others!  We hope to take advantage of our all-female provider team to help improve the health and lives of women in our area.

Women's Health

One of our clinical focuses in our ministry is Women's Health.  In Guatemala, the overall health of women can be negatively affected by numerous factors: chronic malnutrition, illiteracy, young age of first sexual activity, high childbirth rates, high maternal mortality rates and high cervical cancer rates. Here is a list of services that Health Talents offers.  Currently our staff serves in over 30 communities through local churches, in addition to our central base clinics, Clinica Caris and Clinica Ezell. Our hope is to continue expanding in the future.  If you would like to contribute to this work, just click on DONATE and it will take you to the Health Talents International donations form.  Thank you!

Medical consults  (Mobile community clinics, Clinica Caris, Clinica Ezell)
General medicine
Pap smears and GYN consults
Prenatal care

Dental Services (Mobile community clinics, Clinica Caris, Clinica Ezell)
General consults
Teeth cleaning
Fillings
Dental prosthetics

Bible Seminars for Women

Community Education Program
Bible study classes
Menopause
Mental/Emotional Health
Nutrition
Diabetes
Sex Education/Abuse Prevention
Prenatal education (Nutrition, Warning signs/Emergency planning, Breast Feeding)
Family Planning
Dental Hygeine

Gynecological surgery at Clinica Ezell
Fully equipped surgical facility and volunteer GYN specialists from the U.S.