Buenos Aires

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

Overview

Buenos Aires is located in West Panama in the district of Chame. The typical house is made of cement blocks or bricks. Children in the community typically attend school up until the 9th grade. There is a health post in Buenos Aires that hosts mobile clinics from the Ministry of Health every few months. The next closest health facility is in the town of Bejuco, which is a 15 minute walk down the road. The current water system in the community is a well and the community has a water committee in place. Most of the community members work in agriculture or construction. The top needs expressed by Buenos Aires’s inhabitants during their initial communications with Global Brigades include labor stability, improved access to water, and improvements in dental health.

Corregimiento: Buenos Aires
District: Chame
Province: Panamá Oeste

Homes : 1000
Population : 2500
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : No
Electricity : Yes
Health Post : Yes
Community Health Workers : No
Homes with Latrines : 95
Education : Up to 9th grade
Distance from Panama Office : 62 kilometers

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 has a Puesto de Salud, and there is a Centro de Salud in the nearby town of Bejuco. Community members in Buenos Aires expressed that the top 3 most prevalent illnesses are the common cold, diarrhea, and lice.

157

Volunteers

790

Patient Consultations

29

Health Education Workshops

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS

A group of CHWs from East Panama, trained in 2019

The community of Buenos Aires 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. Buenos Aires 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.

Medical Brigaders give a charla at Buenos Aires’ primary school, 2019

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 14 educational workshops or charlas are facilitated with the clinic’s patients.

  • AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 255

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN BUENOS AIRES

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Ohio State University Medical Brigade May 2016 36 University of Virginia Medical Brigade January 2017 21
Albion College Medical Brigade December 2018 22 University of Texas Austin Medical Brigade May 2019 34
Davidson College & Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Medical Brigade May 2020 18

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.

 

451

Dental Patients

222

Fluoride Treatments

126

Extractions

25

Fillings

Medical Brigaders give a charla at Buenos Aires’ primary school, 2019

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 14 educational workshops or charlas are facilitated with the clinic’s patients.

  • AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 255

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN BUENOS AIRES

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Ohio State University Medical Brigade May 2016 36 University of Virginia Medical Brigade January 2017 21
Albion College Medical Brigade December 2018 22 University of Texas Austin Medical Brigade May 2019 34
Marquette University Dental Brigade January 2023 26

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.

Water System : Yes
System Type : Well
Homes connected to water : 100%
Water Council : Yes

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 : No
Community Bank Members : N/A
Economic Activities : agriculture or construction
Existing microenterprises : fruit stands

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 flushing toilets : 95%
Homes with latrines : 100%
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.

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