Buenos Vecinos de Boquete April Newsletter

[Boquete Health and Hospice]

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Working together……..    Last September, BHH received a urgent call from a Boquete community member requesting help for a young man who had fallen from a construction site. The 23 year old had been in the hospital several months and had multiple surgeries but the doctors said he would never be able to walk or work again. The family did not have resources to buy any equipment, especially not a hospital bed which would be needed to help take care of him. Since BHH guidelines are for short term use of equipment, he did not meet those guidelines but we wanted to help. After many calls looking for any organizations that might be able to help with this need a call was made to Tom McCormack. The Tom and Linda McCormack Foundation brings containers of used medical equipment to Chiriquí several times per year. Tom was willing to designate a bed that would fit the needs of the patient but the container would not be arriving for several months.    As with all request for beds, a home visit  was made by a BHH nurse administrator a few days after the patient arrived home from the hospital. He was in a regular twin bed propped up as best as the family could do with blankets and a few pillows. He was able to move his arms and legs but not in a fashion to be able to help himself. His family was very attentive to helping but were already running out of supplies to clean his tracheotomy and needed diapers as well. Indeed the family needed both a bed and other equipment needs.    After consulting with BHH board members a decision was reached to provide a hospital bed for this young man until the permanent bed from Tom McCormack could be received. While BHH does not provide diapers and other disposable goods, we did have some in the storage locker that had been donated. Those and other similar supplies were taken to the family and arrangements made to have a bed delivered to the home of his sister where he was staying,   Fast forward to March 2019….   The bed from BHH was used for 4 months until the permanent one arrived and hospice has kept in touch with the family and were able to provide a walker for him a few months ago.He is now able to walk, though slowly, with the help of a walker, his arms and legs much strengthened and the tracheostomy removed.  While he has not been able to return to work, the outlook for him is much brighter!  It took many calls and many volunteers from BHH and other organizations to make this happen and we were glad to be a part. Volunteers in Training In April there were two training opportunities for our volunteers. Volunteers learned how to take apart, assemble and transport the hospital beds that we deliver to clients from our Equipment Loan program. There is also ongoing training of volunteers to learn current CPR methods. The  goal for BHH is to train every restaurant employee, school employees and teachers, church members and every member of the community that wants to learn these life saving skills. Be watching for dates and location of these training sessions.   Blood Drive Invitation    Boquete Health and Hospice, in partnership with Hospital Regional and the Rotary Clubs, is hosting the FIRST EVER blood drive in this community on Saturday, June 15th from 7am-1pm at the Ruby McKenzie Center (a.k.a. the Animales Event Center).  Please join us in supporting this event. A single blood donation can help 3-4 people regain their health.  All blood donations deemed to be acceptable, will be banked as "credits" for future use by anyone in the community at no charge.  Choose to make a difference by donating or volunteering and spreading the word about this life saving initiative.     Our Mission Our mission is to provide palliative care for the terminally ill in order that they may experience death with dignity and limited pain; to inform and promote community health; and, to support people with health and wellness needs by providing information, equipment and volunteer services. To Make a Donation  BHHF functions with donations provided by the community. If you are interested in supporting the work we do, please make a donation. To make a financial contribution by check or cash contact Merl Will-Wallace,our treasurer,at [e-mail] to arrange a time and place to pick up your donation. You can also click here to make an online Paypal donation. For more information visit our website: http://www.boquetehealth.org We also have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/boqueteheartshandsandhelp/?ref=bookmarks  Please Like our page and share the contents with your family and friends. Confidentiality All patient information shared with any Boquete Health and Hospice volunteer is kept in the strictest confidence. To Contact Us Hospice/Health:  (507) 6781-9250 Blood Donor Program:  (507)-6590-2000 Email:  [e-mail] Email:  [e-mail]