Mexico and Nicaragua Program Updates

GFH Intern, Rachel Ballester, RN

I’m happy to report that the past two months have been wonderfully full and successful in terms of our program trainings in Mexico and Nicaragua.

The brief update on Mexico is that our recent Level 1 Campaign and Training (April 2011) was a great success.  There we are partnering with 4 cooperatives now.  In addition to CESMACH, we are also working with Finca Triunfo Verde, Ramal Santa Cruz and La Comon Yaj Nop Tic. We hired a part-time medical coordinator at this site in February 2011: Dr. Lupita Jovel.   She has also been joined by Rachel Ballester, RN who joined our team as a program assistant at this site also in February 2011.  Together they have been a dynamic duo, and are bringing the quality and depth of work at this site to a whole new level.

One week ago, I returned from two weeks in Nicaragua where I was working with our colleague Dra. Barinia Osejo.   A fabulous trip, with back to back trainings and clinical activities.  Prior to my arrival, Executive Director August Burns was also in Nicaragua for one week, meeting with our key local Ministry of Health and coffee cooperative stakeholders in Jinotega, Matagalpa and Madriz.  Our new colleague Kayla Moore also joined us for 10 days, getting her first taste of the work of GFH on the ground.

During those two weeks of training activities, we screened  345 women with a mix of visual inspection and Paps (which will be processed through the usual channels).  Again many of the women whom we saw had never been screened prior.  When possible, we try to arrange our clinical activities in a rural setting closer to where the coop’s membership lives.

The first activity we led was a Level 2 training for doctors and nurses from the Department of Matagalpa whom we trained in November 2010.  This group is comprised of incredibly strong doctors and nurses who have continued to use their skills in VIA and Cryotherapy.  For this first week we were also joined by two GFH volunteers, Grace Mishkin, NP (first trip) and Sarah Morgan, MD (second trip) both of whom were essential and superb addition to our training team.  Together we tested a new Level 2 Refresher Didactic Training and provided screening services for women affiliated with CORWAS, a base cooperative of CECOCAFEN.  The vast majority of women seen had never been screened prior for cervical cancer.

We often heard from the women that they felt that finally the cooperative was taking them into consideration as women: “Pues por fin, nos estan tomando en cuenta.”

CECOCAFEN co-op coordinator Yuritt Zeledon w/ Lucy, who helped with training

During the second week, Barinia and I facilitated the clinical training of 5 doctors and nurses in the Department of Jinotega—all of whom pertain to key CECOCAFEN and SOPPEXCCA communities (El Cua and Wiwili).

This was a small, intimate and efficient training that again took place over 3 days.   In that time we saw 158 women and certified 4 of the providers in VIA and Cryotherapy.  The fifth provider works for the Ministry of Health in Jinotega and oversees the cervical and breast cancer screening programs for that region.

Barinia has undertaken a careful strategy to deepen the work in Matagalpa where we have a current partnership with CECOCAFEN while also taking steps to strengthen capacity and better ensure sustainability in Jinotega, where our formal partnership with SOPPEXCCA has ended.  Meanwhile, Barinia is laying the groundwork for our next project in San Juan del Rio Coco.  The trainings of the health promoters and técnicos are well underway and we will have our first Level 1 Training of doctors and nurses at this new site in late September 2011.

To help make all of this possible, we now have a program assistant in Nicaragua.  Barinia is thrilled about the arrival of Amanda Eastwood, MPH.  Amanda will be working with Barinia at this site for the next 6 months—and helping with all aspects of program management and implementation.  We anticipate that their synergy will be impressive.  Stay tuned!