MEDLIFE’s Winter Mobile Clinics provided quality healthcare to 4,217 people in the communities surrounding Lima. Beyond that, 51 of those people were enrolled in our patient follow-up program and we want to introduce you to a few of them so you can see the lasting impact Service Learning Trips have on individual lives.
Why Patient Follow-Up?
While our Mobile Clinics bring quality healthcare directly to the poor, we know that when patients are simply referred to local hospitals for treatments at the end of the week they often fail to receive the actual treatment they need. Our year-round patient follow-up program offers patient care to supplement and help navigate the complex systems across our sites – providing financial resources for treatments, emotional support, nutritional assistance for malnourished families, and educational resources to help individuals better understand their conditions.
These are a few of the amazing women we met this winter. They are getting quality healthcare and treatments, all thanks to your dedication to the Movement and specifically your participation in Service Learning Trips. Join a trip today!
Let’s meet some of our Lima winter Mobile Clinic follow-up patients!
Nora
Nora adores her two children, a 9-year-old and a 2-year-old.
But it has been hard for her since being diagnosed with Type II diabetes last February. During her most recent pregnancy, she was considered high risk because she had two previous miscarriages and she began to experience intense depression. Then her 2-year-old was born very prematurely, which caused a series of complications – including a heart problem. Nora continued to struggle with depression during this period, causing her to gain weight and heightened her risk for diabetes.
Nora has lost 30 kilograms (approximately 66 pounds) since her diabetes diagnosis. The next steps in her treatment will include a full kidney panel, a change in diet with increased exercise, and a referral to meet with a psychologist. Our team is here to support Nora in any way possible – and we’re hoping the results from her kidney panel are normal so she can return to her kids happier and healthier than ever!
Mileydi Marlene
Mileydi Marlene has a tumor on her cheek that the doctor believes to be a growth of the bone, which she said she’s had since she was a little girl.
The Peruvian public health insurance company, Seguro Integral de Salud, offered to cover a small portion of an operation, but since it is a complicated surgery it would cost at least double what they’ve offered. Frustrated, she turned to a MEDLIFE Mobile Clinic for support.
Mileydi Marlene is going to have an exam of the tumor as well as an appointment with a plastic surgeon to see what next steps can be taken to remove it, and our team will be with her every step of the way!
Kimberly
Kimberly has rosacea – a condition that causes redness and often small, red, pus-filled bumps on the face. While she is taking precautionary measures to care for herself, we referred her to a dermatologist. Our MEDLIFE nurses joined her at the appointment, and the doctor prescribed her topical medications to ease her condition.
However, the medications have to be prepared by a lab – they can’t just be bought over the counter. So MEDLIFE Lima Nurse Carmen brought the prescription to a pharmacy to have it prepared, and then gave Kimberly the medication and instructions on how to apply it at a follow-up appointment. Kimberly will have a check-up in a month with the dermatologist where we hope to hear positive results!
Thanks to all our Winter Service Learning Trip participants for their hard work on Mobile Clinics!
Are you interested in joining the Movement and supporting patients like Nora, Mileydi Marlene, and Kimberly on a Mobile Clinic? There is still time to sign-up for a spring or summer Service Learning Trip!
