CURRENT NEWSLETTER: SEPTEMBER, 2002 in this issue:

Why?..........
           The general population asks our volunteers this question every day. During each visit to Honduras, we are given new insights, more energy and a greater love for the work that is being done. 
          Not too long ago, I was helping with the supplies and organization of the warehouse space in Honduras. I ran across a small box. I opened it. It contained several airway tubes. I was very surprised that it had not been taken up to the neonatal unit, which is only 2 minutes from the warehouse space. A bit disappointed, I started to lecture the Honduras CAMO staff of the importance of this small tube. It would mean the difference between life and death. Left in a box, the tubes could do nothing for a dying child, but in the hands of a doctor, this small tube could be used to open an airway. This tube could keep a baby breathing.... on and on I lectured, then I stuck it in my pocket thinking to myself, " I'll take it up later..." and in my pocket it went. 
          Seconds later it hit me. My words to the staff a minute earlier rang in my ears. Kathy, this tube means life or death now! I pulled it out of my pocket and told one of the staff, "Hurry, take this tube to the neonatal unit." He asked me, "Who should I give it to?" I told him that Dr. Romero would need it. 
          "Go!" I yelled. 
          As he walked into the neonatal unit. Dr. Romero was attempting to open the airway of a newborn. The baby was blue. The tube Dr. Romero was using was too large. The staff member of CAMO simply held out his hand and said, "Do you need this?" 
          The baby's airway was opened and the baby became pink. Dr. Lillian Romero's eyes filling with emotion and welled with tears. She looked at her staff and simple said, "You see, there are guardian angels." 
          It truly was a miracle. 
..........Today He Went Home!
It is normal for me to visit the wards in Honduras, just to see how everything is going. I hear the sounds of the machines donated; the hissing sounds of the ventilator pumping air into the patient and the deflation and inflation of the working mechanisms of the ventilator. Knowing that only 8 years ago this patient would be dead because that equipment would not have been available. The nurses work with confidence because they now have the knowledge to perform their tasks. 
          I ask them how it is going. Blanca, the head nurse, pulls me to one side, "Kathy, look at that old man sitting on the end of the bed. He is going home today." I look at him, wondering why she would point him out to me. I watch as his son places his cowboy hat on him and prepares his towel and belongings to make the journey home. Other family members join in the joyous preparation. Turning to Blanca, the question came to mind, "Why are you showing me this patient?" She took my hand and said, "He is going home today. He had been bitten by a snake and had been on the ventilator for one month, and today he is going home." 
          Her hand grew tight around mine. Our eyes met, and at that moment, I understood the great gift that she had just given to me and to all of us who ask the question why. 
          Today he went home. 
 

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We Know it Works
          The National Committee of Resuscitation of Honduras (NCRH) has been very active and classes are given on a monthly basis. CAMO will run a mega-training program beginning November 3rd through November 10.This will allow us to train approximately 50 additional instructors for the country. They will become instructors for basic CPR and Advanced CPR. It is difficult to bring new ways of treating people into such a poor medicalI system. We are fortunate to have volunteer doctors and nurses who are committed to bringing their country up to a standard of care. 
          Dr. Grabiel Cardona sat with me during the last planning session for the NCRH. His voice lightened and he commented, "You know it works." 
          I asked, "What works?"
          "The program last week," he replied. "We had a cardiac arrest come into the emergency department. We ran the advance life support protocol with all the donated equipment. 
          I questioned, "Did the patient live?"
          He responded with a beautiful smile, "Yes, he has already returned home." 
          We would like to have three training centers in Honduras by the end of 2003. Each center requires $ 10,000.00 of equipment to get started. If anyone has access to heart monitors or defibrillators, please send them to us at the main office so that the biomedical engineers can check them out. If you have an ambulance service in your area, call them to see what they have done with their old monitors/defibrillators. We need at least 150 monitors so that each emergency room and medical wards have at least one or more monitors. Too often in Honduras, people die due to no medical equipment in the hands of the professional at the right time. Please help us build this program. Please get involved. 

Excavation of donated land for the new distribution plant in Honduras.

First brick being laid by Dr. Arturo Rendon (Left) who donated the land, Executive Director Kathy Tschiegg (Middle), and the Fundacion CAMO President, Juan Carls Elivir (Right)

1. Clean space to receive and distribute medical supplies throughout Honduras. 
2. Two training rooms for medical education 
3. National Committee of Resuscitation Honduras (NCRH) Head Offices 
4. Coordination site of CAMO's 14 programs 
5. Medical supplies & equipment storage for patients who need them short term i.e.... crutches, walkers, etc. 

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In the USA
Carl Edwards will be joining us full time for two months, then on a part time basis. Welcome to the staff here at CAMO! Carl will be loading trucks and helping with different presentations and communications necessary with all the upcoming activities in Honduras. He will be filling this position during Kathy Tschiegg's, Acting Director and Founder, medical leave of absence. Everything will continue as normal. We have a great group of volunteers and a hard working team of staff members. It will be exciting to see the new ideas and the developments that will happen from these dedicated people. 

A Note from the CAMO staff: It was with trepidation that the staff and volunteers of CAMO received the news of Kathy 's leave of absence this past month. Please keep Kathy in your thoughts and prayers as she recovers from a recent surgery. She is doing well, but will need prayer support to regain her strength. We love you, Kath! Thank you Kathy for preparing us for this task. Take the necessary time to heal in body and spirit. Come back refreshed to see the fulfillment of the on going projects, both here in the states and those in Honduras. Best wishes are received daily from your many friends and colleagues. 

Kidron Folk Festival Concert 
          The second annual Kidron Folk Festival Concert was held on Saturday, August 10th, 2002 at Dan and Phebe Wesman's farm near Kidron. The pastoral setting was the ideal place to relax, kick back and listen to fabulous, fun folk music by national artists as well as local talent. People were scattered over the hillside with chairs and blankets on the ground. It was a wonderful opportunity for families and friends to come together. The weather cooperated again this year with sun and mild temperatures. From 5:00-6:00 p.m., a catered meal was served. After dusk, a power point video highlighting CAMO's work was shown on a large screen. Music, composed and sung by local talent, Becca Rossiter, accompanied the video. It was a very moving experience. 
          Money received from ticket sales, drinks and snacks was donated for Central American Medical Outreach's medical mission to Honduras, a Central  American country that experiences extreme poverty.
 

Rebecca Rossiter and family  performing at the Kidron Folk Festival  2002

     If you were unable to attend, you missed a great day. Put us on your calendar for next year, in late summer or early fall. Again, a special thank you to Dan & Phebe Wesman for making this concert possible, and a sincere thank you to all of our sponsors who are making a difference in the world. God Bless you all. 

The Bottom Line
          The first quarter of this year the 14 programs in Honduras provided life-changing services to 5,000 patients. At this rate, 20,000 people will have received services such as; prosthetic legs, hearing aids, wheelchairs, ultrasound, eye surgery, dental care, endoscopy and other surgical procedures. This doesn't include the miscellaneous crutches, canes, food for orphans, bandages, etc..... We are able to do this on a budget of $150,000 per year. That's about $7.50 per person. This doesn't include the 1.5 million dollars of donated medical supplies that are processed, shipped and integrated into the poor hospitals and clinics. 
 

Dr. Douglas Morgan and Dr. Richard Dominquez

Gastroenterlogy Table and Instruments

          Dr. Douglas Morgan and Dr. Richardo Dominquez will finish their research on stomach cancer at the end of this year. The development of this gastroenterlogy department is complete with a new addition of an echocardiogram machine. Special thanks to the St. Paul's Episcopal Church for their financial assistance in the improvement of this facility. 

Mobile Medical Equipment Repair Vehicle (MMERV) 
     This project will be finished by September 15, 2002. Special thank you to Rotary International and the 19 participating clubs that donated money to make this possible, and a special thank you to the University of Texas at Austin for contributing in the research department. The MMERV will allow for the transportation ofbiomedical engineers and diagnostic tools across Honduras. It is a self contained workspace and storage area for supplies that are needed for repair and maintenance of equipment in the public hospitals and Fundacion CAMO Honduras clinics throughout Honduras. 
          The Honduras National Public Health Organization  (CENAMA) has sixteen biomedical engineers that service all of the medical equipment in the entire country. Currently, those engineers must travel via public transportation with only the diagnostic tools and equipment they can carry. This system greatly inhibits their ability to repair, get parts and maintain the nation's medical machinery. This project provides CENAMA with a vehicle, replacement parts, and the diagnostic tools to repair and maintain medical equipment. Special thanks to Dr. Kenneth Diller of Austin Texas with design assistance and Jackie Knoxs with the paper work and grant writing. 

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Calendar of events:
September 6-12 - Wayne County Fair CAMO Booth
September 18 - Wayne County Safety Fair for the Amish
September 30 - Shipment to Honduras
November 3-17 - Teams to Honduras 
December 30 - Shipment to Honduras
February 16 thru March 14 - Teams
 

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