Buenos Aires, Darien

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

Overview

Buenos Aires is located in Southern Panama. Community members in Buenos Aires work in agriculture and skilled labour, the typical house is made of zinc and wood, and children in the community typically attend school up until the 8th grade. Buenos Aires doesn’t have a health post in the community so community members have to walk to the nearest health post to get medical attention. The current water source is in Chucunaque 45 minutes away by car. The top needs expressed by Buenos Aires’s inhabitants during their initial communications with Global Brigades include access to basic health services, organising a ¨junta comunal¨, access to the main road, and a recreational centre.

District: Chepigana
Province: Darien

Homes : 55
Population : 500
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : Not Started
Electricity : Yes
Health Center : No
Community Health Workers : Active Implementation
% of Homes with Latrines : 94%
Education in the Community : Up to 8th grade
Distance from Lodging Facility (km) : 0 KM

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.

Buenos Aires doesn’t have a Puesto de Salud in the community, so the community members have to travel to Meteti to have health care access. Community members in Buenos Aires expressed that the top 3 most prevalent illnesses are the common cold, diarrhoea, and parasites.

264

Number of volunteers

898

Patient Consultations

N/A

Vision Screening

22

Health Education Workshops

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS:

Buenos Aires has 1 Community Health Worker that is currently in training. 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 Buenos Aires’ school building. The various stations of the clinic are held in the classrooms. Each day of the brigade, an average of 4 educational workshops or charlas are facilitated with the clinic’s patients.

  • AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: +300

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN BUENOS AIRES:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
California State University East Bay June 2012 31 Rutgers University-New Brunswick Medical May 2015 37
University of Virginia Medical May 2014 32 Oakland university Medical May 2015 43
Pennsylvania State University January 2017 32 University of Virginia January 2019 25
Ohio University Medical January 2019 25 Milwaukee Brigades Medical January 2019 25
State University of New York (SUNY) Stony Brook Medical May 2019 33

 

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.

 

264

Dental Volunteers

178

Patient Consultations

111

Number of Extractions

63

Fluoride Treatments

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN BUENOS AIRES:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
California State University East Bay June 2012 31 Rutgers University-New Brunswick Medical May 2015 37
University of Virginia Medical May 2014 32 Oakland university Medical May 2015 43
Pennsylvania State University January 2017 32 University of Virginia January 2019 25
Ohio University Medical January 2019 25 Milwaukee Brigades Medical January 2019 25
State University of New York (SUNY) Stony Brook Medical May 2019 33

 

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Buenos Aires but has not yet begun with the Water Program. If there is a need, the Water Program will begin implementing a new water system or any necessary repairs to existing infrastructure following the Engineering Program’s evaluation and recommendations.

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Buenos Aires but has not yet begun with the Business Program. Now in the planning phase, a community bank will be established as soon as feasible, followed by market studies and investment in an anchor business to provide additional capital.

 

Community Bank : Not Started
Community Bank Members : None
Economic Activities : Agriculture, manual labour
Existing Microenterprises : Mini stores and eateries

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Buenos Aires but has not yet begun with the Public Health Program. If there is a need, the financing, delivery, and installation of household health infrastructure products will start as soon as feasible.

% Homes with Latrines : 94%
% Homes with Eco-Stoves : 0%
% Homes with Water FIlters : 0%
% Homes with concrete floors : 94%
% Homes with bath/showers : 0%
Common House Materials : Wood and zinc

Local Reference Points

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

  • Feature