Matasano*

  • Overview
  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Water
  • Business
  • Public Health

Overview

Matasano is located in the mountainous region of central Nicaragua in the department of Matagalpa. A typical house is made of wood. The community has access to a local health centre within the community. Additionally, there is a multigrade primary school and secondary school within the community, 50 students attend the primary school with three teachers and three classrooms. The primary school goes up to grade 6 but students have the option of attending secondary school on Saturdays, up to grade 12. 130 students attend the secondary school with four teachers and three classrooms. The majority of people in the community work as agricultural labourers.

Global Brigades is currently working with Medical Program in Matasano and has been since the first Medical Brigade in June 2017. In their communication with Global Brigades, the top three needs expressed were: the lack of/properly functioning latrines, limited access to potable water, and a shortage of medications. Matasano is on the waitlist for continuing Holistic Model implementation as part of Global Brigades’ strategic plan in Nicaragua.

Municipality: San Rafael del Norte
Department: Jinotega

*Brigades to this community are temporarily suspended at this time

Homes : 104
Population : 400
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : No
Electricity : Yes
Health Center : Yes
Community Health Workers : Yes
% of Homes with Latrines : 80%
Education : Up to 12th Grade
Distance from Lodging Facility : 16 km

Medical

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

HEALTH CARE ACCESS

Healthcare access in Nicaragua is structured by the Ministry of Health, based in the capital, Managua. From there, each of the fifteen departments has its own department hospital, which is overseen by the SILAIS administration (Sistema Local de Atención Integral en Salud). At the municipality level, there is a health centre (Centro de Salud) for every municipality within the department. While they are not hospitals, health centres in the municipality are typically staffed with one doctor, and two nurses, that can attend to patients with chronic, communicable, or noncommunicable diseases, as well as pregnancies. They, however, do not have the ability to perform surgeries.

Lastly, most but not all communities have a Puesto de Salud, a smaller health centre. These health centres are usually staffed with only one nurse and a rotating physician. Physicians are staffed in these health centres by Nicaragua’s Social Service. This is an initiative that requires Nicaraguan medical students to do two years of service in rural communities prior to graduating. The physician density in Nicaragua is approximately 1,099 people for every doctor.

According to the World Health Organization, there should be a maximum of 435 people per physician to qualify a country as having adequate access to medical attention. This density is significantly lower for the 40.6% of the population that lives in rural areas. It is for this reason that Nicaragua’s Social Service initiative brings medical students to these communities. However, access remains limited since these training physicians may be assigned to up to fifteen communities at a time.  

Matasano has access to a health centre within their community. Even with this access, it is important to note that medications, supplies, and materials are often not available in these health centres and are dependent on government funding. There is no access to private pharmacies. Additionally, as noted above, access to trained medical professionals is limited.

During their initial communications with Global Brigades, the top three illnesses in children that Matasano expressed are diarrheal diseases,  respiratory infections, and pneumonia. For adults, common illnesses are chronic diseases such as hypertension, respiratory infections, and arthritis. Without access to trained healthcare professionals and medications, chronic diseases can go unmanaged, leading to further health problems. Acute illnesses can also be severe and affect the quality of life.

85

Volunteers

1,489

Patient Consultations

108

Vision Screenings Provided

33

Health Education Workshops

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS

Matasano has ten Community Health Workers that are trained by the Ministry of Health monthly. Community Health Workers, or Brigadistas de Salud, work on a volunteer basis as advocates for healthcare within their communities. They are tasked with treating and preventing common illnesses, and some of their responsibilities include first aid, supporting and caring for pregnancies and newborns, and responding to emergency situations.

They are also responsible for following up with chronic patients to ensure the proper administration of medications and treatments to avoid further complications. Global Brigades is planning to establish a partnership with Matasano Community Health Workers and the Ministry of Health and is looking forward to providing these Community Health Workers with blood pressure cuffs, stethoscopes, glucometers, and first aid kits, to facilitate more impactful work. The presence of these volunteers and their advocacy for health within their community contributes to the sustainability of healthcare supported by Global Brigades’ Medical Program and is one of the most impactful disease prevention strategies in rural communities.

BRIGADE INFORMATION

Community members from Matasano attend Medical Brigades in the health centre of Matasano. This location has rooms for triage, consultation, dentistry and pharmacy stations. 

Matasano offers strong support to Medical Brigades from community volunteers. One way the 8-15 community volunteers assist is by running intake. Intake is the very first station of the clinic and is where the community volunteers write down the patient’s name, date of birth, community, and identification number. Additionally, community volunteers manage clinic organizations. They set up tables and chairs in the clinic prior to the brigade’s arrival as well as direct patients to the next medical station, once the clinic has opened for the day. Lastly, community volunteers lead adult health education sessions on sanitation and hygiene, chronic diseases, contraception, Women’s health, and water purification. Matasano’s community volunteers are essential to the efficiency and effectiveness of Medical Brigades.

AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED PER DAY: 780
NEARBY COMMUNITIES: CASA BLANCA, EL MANGO, LA AMISTAD, EL CASTILLO, SANTA ROSA

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN MATASANO

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
University of California- Riverside Medical Brigade June 2017 40 Texas A&M University Medical Brigade January 2018 45

Dental

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

DENTAL CARE ACCESS

While medical access is low, dental access is even more sparing. Dental services are not available within the community health centers, or even the municipality health centers. Instead, if a patient was needing dental care, they would be required to travel to one of the country’s fifteen department hospitals. This could be up to a 2-3 hour bus ride, with many needing to first walk or horseback ride to the bus stop.

179

Patient Consultations

130

Number of Extractions

132

Fillings Performed

26

Dental Education Workshops

BRIGADE INFORMATION

Community members from Matasano attend Medical Brigades in the health centre of Matasano. This location has rooms for triage, consultation, dentistry and pharmacy stations. Matasano offers strong support to Medical Brigades from community volunteers. One way the 8-15 community volunteers assist is by running intake. Intake is the very first station of the clinic and is where the community volunteers write down the patient’s name, date of birth, community, and identification number.

Additionally, community volunteers manage clinic organizations. They set up tables and chairs in the clinic prior to the brigade’s arrival as well as direct patients to the next medical station, once the clinic has opened for the day. Lastly, community volunteers lead adult health education sessions on sanitation and hygiene, chronic diseases, contraception, Women’s health, and water purification. Matasano’s community volunteers are essential to the efficiency and effectiveness of Medical Brigades.

AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED PER DAY: 780
NEARBY COMMUNITIES: CASA BLANCA, EL MANGO, LA AMISTAD, EL CASTILLO, SANTA ROSA

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN MATASANO

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
University of California- Riverside Medical Brigade June 2017 40 Texas A&M University Medical Brigade January 2018 45

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Matasano’s gravity system reaches 100% of the homes. However, the system was constructed in the early 1990s and is in need of repairs. Currently, some homes only have water four days a week, while others have water every day. This disparity is even greater during the dry season, from November to May.

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Matasano but has not yet begun with the Water Program. Now in the planning phase, the financing, delivery, and installation of a water system infrastructure, or repairs to existing infrastructure will start as soon as feasible.

Water System : Yes
Type of Water System : Gravity
% of Homes with Access to Water : 100%
Water Council : Yes

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Matasano but has not yet begun with the Business Program. In the planning phase, local staff is working with community members to assess the economic needs of the community, establish a community bank, and identify micro-enterprises that can benefit from on-brigade consultations. 

Currently, Matasano has a cooperative named, Mujeres de las Floridas. This women’s cooperative was formed in the early 2010s and consists of 22 members. The cooperative sells hens, as well as rents a grinder where families can pay to grind corn for tortillas. Other sources of income in the community are through agriculture, mainly coffee, corn, and beans. 

Community Bank : No
Community Bank Members : No
Economic Activities : Agricultural labor
Existing Microenterprises : Yes, Women's cooperative

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Matasano but has not yet begun with the Public Health Program. Now in the planning phase, the financing, delivery, and installation of household health infrastructure products will start as soon as feasible.

% of Homes with Latrines : 80%
% of Homes with Showers : 2%
% of Homes with Washing Station : 5%
Common House Materials : Wood

Local Reference Points

View the map to see the closest volunteer lodging facilities, hospitals, and other relevant points of reference.

  • Feature