Return to Casa Materna October 2014

October is fast approaching, and a new team of doctors from the Providence Oregon Family Medicine Residency Program is returning to Project Concern International's Casa Materna in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, for more work that needs to be done. The trip is able to happen thanks in large part to the support of Providence Health International, which has identified Guatemala as a region of focus for improvements in health care and has carefully developed strategic partnerships to support this goal. They continue to provide grants for teams who work with many other organizations as well, which is what has helped our trip to be possible. This time our team consists of::

• Dr. Tom Schwartz, Medical Director of the Providence Medical Group's Family Medicine Southeast Clinic, faculty preceptor
• Dr. Brenda Brischetto from PMG Gateway Family Medicine, faculty preceptor
• Dr. Alexis Hansen from the Milwaukie Clinic, second year resident
• Dr. Peter Benziger from the new Hood River Rural Training Track Residency, second year resident
• Suzy Happ, Home Visiting RN with Providence Beginnings, maternity case management program, trip leader.

We have some exciting proposals from Bal Maria, the director of Project Concern International's Huehuetenango Division and head honcho at Casa Materna. The Casa is a halfway house for impoverished women with high-risk pregnancies who come from villages scattered throughout the department of Huehuetenango in order to increase their chances of a safe delivery.  The local health department has asked PCI to roll out a misoprostol-carrying program for the comadronas, or village midwives, in Huehue. This is a life-saving medication that can be quite effective in controlling postpartum hemorrhage, which is a leading cause of maternal mortality in the department of Huehue. PCI has asked our team to develop a protocol to teach to the midwives who will be piloting this program. Along with the misoprostol program and the teaching we will be doing in the villages, we have been asked to provide ongoing ob ultrasound and obstetric care training for Casa Materna staff, as well as rural health consults, and an invitation to work for a couple of days alongside local doctors in the "CAP" or small rural hospital in Jacaltenango. All this work is sure to keep us busy for the 2 weeks we will be there.

We are doing some preliminary fundraising as well, to support ongoing night staff salaries at Casa Materna. Unfortunately, due to funding shortages, Casa Materna can't serve all the women who show up asking for help.  Last year we provided beautiful new beds to the women at the clinic.  This year with your generous donations we can make sure that more women have access to care. Casa Materna has always made due with less and has even weathered financial crises. It is only with the support of foundations and individuals who are committed to the cause of globally equitable access to perinatal care that they can meet the needs of this rural community. If you wish to make a donation, email me at Susan.Happ@Providence.org and I will let you know how to do so. We will keep you updated as our trip approaches and throughout the time we will be there, October 11-25th. Thank you for your ongoing support of our mission to Casa Materna!