This morning our maid told us about a huge group of Americans who have arrived in our little town for a 2-day medical clinic. She had gone down there early, as they were giving out numbers, but she left when they offered her #60.
We drove down the road, and I was astonished at the sheer number of vehicles and people involved. I went over and introduced myself, and asked if I could help in any way. I was immediately given a job - they had 7 women sitting at tables under outdoor canopies taking the info from the patients [name, DOB, address, ailments, etc.], and then they would call for a 'walker' to take that person over to the proper area/doctor. There were specialists in several fields: Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Pediatrics, OB/GYN, Dentistry, etc. All were from the University of Miami.
My job was to make sure the chairs were continually filled with people, as some of the doctors had no patients because they weren't processing fast enough up front. When the dentist was free, I had to address the group and find out if anyone needed a tooth or teeth extracted.
I was SO impressed with the volunteers - I never even saw one of the doctors, they were much too busy inside to see the light of day. The rest were medical students, high school students volunteering as translators, chaperones, etc.
One woman asked me how I learned to speak English so well. Many wondered how I found my way to this little campo in the middle of nowhere. Many of the locals seemed to know who I was, asked about Mr. AE. The doctor who stitched him up the day of the pick-axe accident came over to ask about him.
I came home with more aches & pains than I left with, from standing for hours, but it was worth it. Tomorrow is another day!
This was their last stop, they've been in other towns all week, and many of the doctors are leaving tomorrow afternoon. Remarkable program, remarkable people, and much needed help here.
We drove down the road, and I was astonished at the sheer number of vehicles and people involved. I went over and introduced myself, and asked if I could help in any way. I was immediately given a job - they had 7 women sitting at tables under outdoor canopies taking the info from the patients [name, DOB, address, ailments, etc.], and then they would call for a 'walker' to take that person over to the proper area/doctor. There were specialists in several fields: Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Pediatrics, OB/GYN, Dentistry, etc. All were from the University of Miami.
My job was to make sure the chairs were continually filled with people, as some of the doctors had no patients because they weren't processing fast enough up front. When the dentist was free, I had to address the group and find out if anyone needed a tooth or teeth extracted.
I was SO impressed with the volunteers - I never even saw one of the doctors, they were much too busy inside to see the light of day. The rest were medical students, high school students volunteering as translators, chaperones, etc.
One woman asked me how I learned to speak English so well. Many wondered how I found my way to this little campo in the middle of nowhere. Many of the locals seemed to know who I was, asked about Mr. AE. The doctor who stitched him up the day of the pick-axe accident came over to ask about him.
I came home with more aches & pains than I left with, from standing for hours, but it was worth it. Tomorrow is another day!
This was their last stop, they've been in other towns all week, and many of the doctors are leaving tomorrow afternoon. Remarkable program, remarkable people, and much needed help here.