A Hospital without Bandaids

Yes, believe it or not, the resources here are so poor in Piura that even the hospital doesn't have bandaids!

Hailey, one of the nursing students found this out the hard way yesterday when she was at an ER in Piura, trying to open an ampule, and it shattered in her hands. She is unable to move the top portion of her finger...so back to the scene of the crime she went, and a doctor looked at it. He thinks she tore a ligament, and it is now casted. We are all hoping she will regain strength soon!

Thankfully, my day was not quite as eventful. I was able to go into the villages to perform assessments at two different homes. It was a humbling experience, to say the least. Families were honored to welcome Dr. Weis and myself into their home. It was interesting, because again, there were few resources to work with. I could not change my gloves as I was used to doing. For a bed bath, two manicures and a shave, I was restricted to using ONE towel [I would have used closer to 15 towels at Sinai]. There was also inconvenient access to water, so I worked with about 20% less water throughout my tasks [Dad, are you proud?].

I spent the afternoon working with Cecilia, a Women's Health nurse, at the the parish's Pro-Vida (Pro-Life) clinic. I was able to do a variety of hands on work. Women came in the clinic for all different reasons. One woman was binding her pregnant belly tightly with a towel to help with pain-VERY concerning for adequate circulation of the baby! Another woman came in that was 35 weeks gestation. I was able to palpate the head, hear fetal heart tones and assess her. The Pro-Vida clinic is really a wonderful service; a place parish members can easily access, and in a place they can feel at home.