A holistic approach
The Los Robles health clinic grew out of Nica Agua, Comunidad Connect’s flagship health program in which residents earn ceramic water filters through community service. The filters have decreased diarrheal disease and kidney infections drastically since the project began and laid the groundwork for broader community health initiatives.
As construction began on the future clinic site, SE@G made arrangements with MedShare to donate medical supplies and approached Pasquel, a native of Ecuador with a longstanding interest in global health. During his and Rotberg’s November visit to Los Robles, it became clear that food insecurity, social stigma around exercise, and limited treatment options would be major challenges for the clinic.
“Some of the important interventions there are getting different options for the treatment of common diseases like hypertension, where patients are sometimes uncontrolled with single antihypertensive medications, without therapeutic alternatives,” Pasquel said.
He hopes the Nicaraguan ministry of health can eventually offer ways to monitor chronic diseases, response to therapy and potential side effects of medications — including, for example, periodic kidney function, cholesterol and hemoglobin A1C testing if needed.
In the meantime, Rotberg is developing a lifestyle intervention around healthy eating and physical activity for the clinic, which will focus primarily on preventive care and wellness programs. Building bridges
With the clinic now bringing on its first two nurses, Roberts is searching for resources for small-scale expansion. “I think it’s appropriate that we’re coming in structurally humble,” he said. “Part of this experiment is figuring out how to get resources into the developing world, and you end up with an organization that has to plan.”
For Roberts, building bridges between SE@G and other schools at Emory is a critical next step, and he envisions a productive partnership with the School of Nursing. “When you think about it,” he said, “everything that’s needed in Los Robles sits elsewhere on campus.”
Roberts and Goizueta students returned to Nicaragua in May with Wesley Longhofer, assistant professor of organization and management. Longhofer led a class of 17 undergraduates on a 10-day trip to Nicaragua to discuss development challenges with local nonprofit and for-profit organizations and to participate in service projects.
Source: Emory News Center
