La Madera

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

Overview

La Madera is located in the province of Coclé, in the western part of Panama. La Madera has a school that offers kindergarten to 6th grade. Most of the community members work in agriculture, farming corn, plantains and tending livestock. There is no health outpost in the community. La Madera has a gravity-fed aqueduct, but access to water to water is intermittent in the rainy season. The top needs expressed by the community were improvements to healthcare and business consulting.

District: La Pintada
Province: Coclé

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

Homes : 350
Population : 1500
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : No
Electricity : Yes
Health Center : No
Community Health Workers : No
Homes with Latrines : 10%
Education : Up to 6th grade
Distance from Panama City : 3 hrs

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.

The community of La Madera does not have any health facilities, and the nearest Centro de Salud is in the town of La Pintada. The top 3 illnesses that are prevalent in La Madera are diabetes, hypertension, and respiratory problems.

47

Volunteers

511

Patient Consultations

N/A

Vision Screenings Provided

10

Health Education Workshops

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS

A group of CHWs from East Panama, trained in 2019

The community of La Madera 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. La Madera 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

A brigader shadows a patient consultation in El Jobo, Panama

Medical and Dental Brigade clinics are hosted in La Madera’s school building. The various stations of the clinic are held in the classrooms. Each day of the brigade, an average of 3 educational workshops or charlas are facilitated with the clinic’s patients.

  • AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 399

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN LA MADERA

Chapter Date Number of Volunteers Chapter Date Number of Volunteers
University of Southern California Medical Jan 2020 28 Texas State University Kambia Medical Brigade January 2023 19

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.

292

Dental Patient Consultations

70

Extractions

N/A

Fillings Performed

213

Fluoride Treatments

BRIGADE INFORMATION

A dental charla in Ipeti Emberá, Panama

Medical and Dental Brigade clinics are hosted in La Madera’s school building. The various stations of the clinic are held in the classrooms. Each day of the brigade, an average of 3 educational workshops or charlas are facilitated with the clinic’s patients.

  • AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 399

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN LA MADERA

Chapter Date Number of Volunteers Chapter Date Number of Volunteers
University of Southern California Medical Jan 2020 28

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in La Madera 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 : 100%
Water Council : Yes

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in La Madera 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
Existing microenterprises : N/A

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

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

Homes with flushing toilets : 10%
Homes with latrines : 100%
Homes with bath/shower : 100%
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