Sorá

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

Overview

Sorá is located in the province of Panamá Oeste. Sorá is home to about 2500 people and is primarily a Latino community. The community has a water system and access to a health post.  Students have the option to attend school up until 9th grade. It takes an average of 1 minute to walk from house to house in Sorá . Most households in this community are made of cement blocks and zinc. 95% of families in this community work in agriculture. Some of the needs the community expressed were improvements to health services, better security, and opportunities for employment.

Corregimiento: Sorá
District: Chame

Homes : 570
Population : 2500
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : No
Electricity : Some homes
Health Center : No, only post
Community Health Workers : No
Homes with Latrines : N/a
Education : Up to grade 9
Distance from Panama City : 1.5 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.

Sorá has a Puesto de Salud in the community, and the nearest Centro de Salud is $2 bus ride away in the town of Chame. The most common illnesses in Sorá are the common cold, rheumatism, and cancer. 

137

Volunteers

970

Patient Consultations

N/A

Vision Screenings Provided

152

Health Education Workshops (approx)

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS

A group of CHWs from East Panama, trained in 2019

The community of Sorá 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. Sorá 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, West Panama.

Medical and Dental Brigade clinics are hosted in Sorá’s school building. The various stations of the clinic are held in the classrooms. Volunteers assist with intake and triage, then shadow local doctors, dentists, and pharmacists. Each day of the brigade, an average of 22 educational workshops or charlas are facilitated with the clinic’s patients.

  • AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 306

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN SORÁ:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
University of Texas San Antonio Medical May 2016 43 University of Virginia Medical January 2017 21
Purdue University Medical Dec 2018 37 Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals Medical June 2019 13
University of Notre Dame Medical Brigade March 2022 23

 

Dental

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

DENTAL CARE ACCESS

A dental charla in Ipeti Emberá, Panama

In 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 dentist within a reasonable distance.

356

Dental Patient Consultations

229

Fluoride Treatments

85

Extractions

1

Fillings

BRIGADE INFORMATION

A brigader shadows a patient consultation in El Jobo, West Panama.

Medical and Dental Brigade clinics are hosted in Sorá’s school building. The various stations of the clinic are held in the classrooms. Volunteers assist with intake and triage, then shadow local doctors, dentists, and pharmacists. Each day of the brigade, an average of 22 educational workshops or charlas are facilitated with the clinic’s patients.

  • AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 306

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN SORÁ:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
University of Texas San Antonio Medical May 2016 43 University of Virginia Medical January 2017 21
Purdue University Medical Dec 2018 37 Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals Medical June 2019 13

 

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Sorá but has not yet begun 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 Sorá but has not yet begun with the Business Program. Now in the planning phase, a community bank will be established as soon as feasible.

Community Bank : No
Community Bank Members : n/a
Economic Activities : agriculture
Existing microenterprises : 3 small grocery stores

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Sorá 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 toilet : N/a
Homes with latrine : 95%
Homes with bath/shower : 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