Post from Amy V...

San Pancho is absolutely beautiful. The accommodations exceeded my expectations and everyone I've met so far has been very friendly and sincere. I felt a bit like a fish out of water as I adjusted to the concept that I do not have control over my space and my working environment in the same way I do back home in clinic. I've been forced to step out of my comfort zone and really focus on team-work and it has been great! It was really uncomfortable to let go of the feelings of control that I like to follow in order to feel prepared, but it was a huge stress relief when I finally relaxed and let Mexico in :) I feel that I have learned so much and grown as an individual in many ways in this short time. I am excited for what I will learn and accomplish in the next 3 weeks! Adios until the next post.

Day 10...

Apologies to our followers who have been waiting for a report. We've had busy days. The pictures below will illustrate what we have been doing.

Getting to know the malecon (main avenue).

2nd night in San Pancho.

Orchid Farm Tour in Las Lomas.

We toured the area and saw beautiful orchids and indigenous plants in Las Lomas.

The trailhead.

Hearing about the love story between the palm and the fig tree.

The other group with Vincente.

Over the bridge.

End of tour...resting area. Bebidas for all.

Back to San Pancho lunching with our tour guides, Alejandro y Vincente.

Spanish lessons with Rosa.

Calle Latina Circulo. 

Waiting for the kindergarten children to come. We were 30 minutes early, as the teacher forgot to call Glades to let her know that it was "pool day" and that they will be in at 930 instead of 9.  We made good use of the 30 minutes by taking a quick 10 minute walk to the beach and back. ;-)

The presentation was held under this big palapa.

Kristy and Sarah tried to blend in.

Alison, Amy, and Devon in the background.

And we're off to screen the first of 30 children.

This year, we are following similar protocol as public health dental hygienists in Victoria,
using tongue depressors for oral health inspection.

Tanya and Jamie hamming it up for the camera. 

Beautiful smiles!

Alison and the rest of the gang were focused.

Stevalise (right) was our interpreter/presenter.

Sarah and Devon were impressed with how cooperative these kids were.

Amy  and her mini-Amy!

This classroom was a perfect place to hold the caries screening. We were able to assess the children's
oral health  quite efficiently.

Each child was sent home with a packet that contained a toothbrush, toothpaste,  Spanish pamphlets on early childhood caries and brushing and flossing instructions for their parents or caregivers.

Amy learned how to say, "Circulo" many times to explain the motion used when brushing.

Pink toothbrush for a girl who likes pink! Way to go, Sarah!

How's the neck, Amy? 

There was no break in the action which was great. The packets were labeled and stored in the
principal's office until the end of the day.

We were almost done after almost two hours of oral health presentation and caries screening.

The 2013 field school team on their first school presentation with Stevalis.

Pool day in the kindergarten school in San Pancho!

Camosun College was well-represented today. We saw 30 children, 13 of which had decay.  Although it is still a large percentage of the class, the # of children who presented with decay has decreased since the beginning of the field school. Today was encouraging.

Later that afternoon, we left for La Penita for a short excursion.

A full van, including plants for Glades' garden.

By 8am, the next day, we were at the hospital to start our 3-day stint. The hospital lent us two of these beds and Amy and Sarah tried their hand at stand-up dentistry. Fortunately, the room had an air-condition.

This gentleman did not have an appointment but he had a question for us while he was waiting in the wait area for another health issue. Unfortunately, he had many oral health issues also. He was in  pain due to severe periodontal problems and is swollen from his cheek to his neck. We sought the help of the resident hospital dentist and asked if she could prescribe some antibiotics and a referral to a dentist in his area. She was able to do both and our patient was keen on finding a dentist right away in his area.  He lived about an hour away.

Kristy showing good positioning.

On the first day at the hospital, we worked in pairs to make the transition from CC clinic to these makeshift clinics a little easier. The students did very well.

There were three dental chairs in this open room.  As there are always people  in the hallway,  this scene is common first thing in the morning. The students are getting a lot of attention.

Our set up was divided into three rooms. The two dental chairs in the clinic, two hospital beds in one of the medical rooms (see above), two beach chairs, and 1 bench in the hallway room. Glades borrowed plastic crates from the community center,  which we covered and used as tables/carts.

This was inside the dental clinic. The chair is more than 40 years old. We organized a 4 bucket infection control management area which worked well. Supplies were all kept on top of the dentist's table for easy access.

I rotated the students in our 7-chair set up during the three days that we were in the hospital. This is Chair #7. On the other days, Jaime occupied chairs 1 and 4. It all worked out nicely.

Amy tried her best to work in chair #1. 

Lunch time at the La Contina. Tortas (sandwiches) for 25 pesos!

Back to the hospital for our afternoon appointments. 2-6pm. We are bringing back all our more-involved patients for additional treatment. We saw a handful of people that we were able to complete in one session. We saw many children (where Tanya was of most help), as she did many of the screenings. We had at least 3-4 people on the waitlist, in case  people did not show up. For the most part, we did well in scheduling those patients as cancellations and no-shows were also part of our days. Glades organized all our patients and did most of the bookings prior to the start of the clinic.

Sarah and Alison with their new backpacks from La Pineta.

Happy ninas!

Tanya's ability to speak in Spanish was invaluable. Here she is, screening one of the three siblings pictured here.

That's our dispensary in the background. Nice straight back, Alison.

Devon making do with her 5'11'' height. Found a stool that she can sit on while working on Alejandrina.

Cords?...what cords?

Coaching and assessing Devon's work.  Great to see the students improving each day.

Jamie...remember you are a left-hander!!! How about we move you back to the left of the client? ;-)

Nearing past the 10 hour mark and still smiling! Way to go,  Sarah and Jamie!  Clean-up time!

Devon is organizing the instrument bag.

Group photo...all equipment, supplies on hand at the end of a productive, rewarding three days!

First thing to do at the hotel: take a shower! It was 7pm and a balmy 28 degrees.

The walk back to the hotel is less than 10 minutes. Thank goodness.


Until next time, followers. The next activities are oral health presentations in the primary school. We have three days scheduled there to see 260 children, ages 5-15...then 2 more days at the hospital beginning  next  Sunday!