Caballero

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

Overview

Caballero is located in the province of Coclé, west of Panama City. The community is comprised of mostly Latino families. A typical house there is made of cement blocks and zinc. Caballero has a primary school that offer from kindergarten to 6th grade. For middle- and high-school, children must take a bus half an hour to the community of Antón. Most of the community members work in agriculture or work in hotels in the nearby tourist area of Antón. There is a health outpost in the community that hosts a mobile clinic from the Ministry of Health every 3 months. All of the homes in Caballero are connected to a gravity-fed aqueduct, but the water must be rationed in the dry season. Caballero does not have a community bank or cooperative. The top needs expressed by the community were improvements to the health outpost, improvements to the school, and more opportunities for business within the community.

District: Antón
Province: Coclé

*The above image of a landscape in Coclé, Panama does not necessarily reflect the appearance of the community of Caballero.

Homes : 50
Population : 1000
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : No
Electricity : Yes
Health Center : No- only outpost
Community Health Workers : Yes
Homes with adequate sanitation : 90%
Education : Up to 6th grade
Distance from lodging facility : 1 hr

Medical

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

HEALTH CARE ACCESS

Even though Panama is a country with a lot of economic growth, this growth does not apply equally to all Panamanians, especially those in rural areas. This results in stark inequality when it comes to healthcare access. The Panamanian Ministry of Health (MINSA) provides two different types of health facilities throughout rural Panama: Centros de Salud and Puestos de Salud. Centros are the larger of the two, often found in municipalities, and typically have at least one physician on staff at all times with nurses and potentially a dentist. Puestos are found sporadically in rural communities and generally have a single nurse available. 

Even with this coverage, the Centros frequently lack a full pharmacy and the staff capacity to see every patient each day. After walking long distances or paying for a bus, rural visitors to the Centros can expect long wait times given the limited staff and resources to meet the demand from all neighboring communities. The physician density in Panama remains around 630 people for every one 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.

Cabellero has a Puesto de Salud, but when community members need to see a doctor or dentist they must travel to the nearby town of Antón for a Centro de Salud. The most prevalent illnesses in Caballero are common colds, renal failure, and chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension.

10

Volunteers

73

Patient Consultations

6

Health Education Workshops

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS

A group of CHWs from East Panama, trained in 2019

The community of Caballero does not yet have Community Health Workers. Global Brigades Panama Medical Program is working diligently to train volunteers as CHWs in its partner communities as part of the Holistic Model. Caballero will receive training as soon as possible to further support the health of its community members.

Community Health Workers, or Agentes Comunitarios en Salud (ACeS), work on a volunteer basis as advocates for healthcare within their communities. Their primary responsibilities include: educating community members to prevent common illnesses, providing emergency first aid, supporting pregnant mothers and newborns, and following up with chronic patients. 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

Medical and Dental Brigade clinics are hosted in Caballero’s school building. The various stations of the clinic are held in the classrooms. Each day of the brigade, an average of 12 educational workshops or charlas are facilitated with the clinic’s patients.

  • AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 133

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN CABALLERO

Chapter Date Number of Volunteers Chapter Date Number of Volunteers
Columbia University Medical Brigade January 2020 10

Dental

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

DENTAL CARE ACCESS

Working closely with the Medical Program, the Dental Program provides fillings, extractions, and fluoride treatments as a standard part of medical brigades. Most community members do not have regular access to dental care due to the lack of a dentist within a reasonable distance.

 

49

Number of Dental Patients

11

Extractions

40

Fluoride Applications

A dental charla in Ipeti Emberá, Panama

BRIGADE INFORMATION

Medical and Dental Brigade clinics are hosted in Caballero’s school building. The various stations of the clinic are held in the classrooms. Each day of the brigade, an average of 12 educational workshops or charlas are facilitated with the clinic’s patients.

  • AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 133

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN CABALLERO

Chapter Date Number of Volunteers Chapter Date Number of Volunteers
Columbia University Medical Brigade January 2020 10

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Caballero 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
System Type : Gravity Aqueduct
Homes connected to water : 90%
Water Council : Yes

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Caballero 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.

Community Bank : No
Community Bank Members : N/A
Economic Activities : agriculture, construction, tourism
Existing Microenterprises : kiosks

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

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

Homes with flushing toilets : 30%
Homes with latrines : 60%
Homes with baths/showers : N/A
Common house materials : concrete blocks

Local Reference Points

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

  • Feature