Dr. Coral Matus, Dr. Gary Collins and Nurse Midwife Ginny Hiltner lead the first
"Emergency Newborn Basic Life Support" conference in Peten, Guatemala!
With over 100 midwives and health promoters attending, Coral, Gary and Ginny were able to teach many useful skills to resuscitate newborn babies.The enthusiastic audience was very attentive and enthusiastic and although none of the them have access to a bag and mask for neonatal resuscitation, they rapidly demonstrated correct use with the mannequin to the amazement of our team. In the past, they have needed to rely on mouth-to-mouth when resuscitation was needed. With their eagerness to learn this technique, we are committed to providing them with this needed equipment. When Dr. Gary returned, his comment was "As I think back on some of the children who I was not able to help as much as I wished, I think the the people I can help the most are those who are not yet born"
Our pediatric team led by Dr. Gary Collins and Dr. Coral Matus visit Guatemala every 2-3 months. In addition to running a pediatric clinic, they supervise a "Children's Health Week" every 6 months. Included in this week are health education, deworming treatments, dental fluoride treatments and regular monitoring of vaccinations, height, weights and other measures of health including basic blood work. See some highlights of the week in the photos below!
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