Newsletter - September, 2018
| September, 2018 Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." Matt. 25:40 Published by the Society of the Good Shepherd, P. O. Box 122, Amberson, PA 17210. (717) 349-7033 |
A set of doors. When we think of ministry needs, a set of doors is probably not something that comes to our minds. However, doors can be potentially life-saving. Recently, the Society of the Good Shepherd was asked to purchase a set of such doors. Let me tell you the story. Siguatepeque, the center of the Society’s work in Honduras, is located 30 miles from the city of Comayagua. Although there are several health clinics in and around Siguatepeque, the closest actual hospital is Hospital Santa Teresa in Comayagua. One of the local directors of the Society, Luis Vega, has made many a midnight trip to Hospital Santa Teresa, transporting desperately ill persons there. In fact, this hospital sees approximately 13,000 patients every month.
In Honduras the public health care system is free (or supposed to be free). Yet because of corruption, negligence, or lack of government funds, hospitals lack a lot of basic essentials and even medications for patients. Hospital Santa Teresa is no exception. In 2004 the hospital was evaluated and given a dismal 57% performance rating. In response, a local civic leader, Marco Tulio Padilla, organized a community committee to help raise and manage funds to improve the hospital. This committee has overseen a number of projects to upgrade the hospital facilities. For example, they oversaw the construction of an enclosed waiting room for the emergency room. They also installed ceramic tile on the floors in the lab and in the pediatric wing of the hospital, which allows for easier cleanup and a more sterile environment.
One of the needs at the hospital was a set of commercial-grade metal-and-glass doors separating the surgery wing from the rest of the hospital. In fact, one of the factors for which Hospital Santa Teresa had been faulted was the non-sterile environment of the surgery wing. The surgery wing is situated right in the center of the north section of the hospital. There are 5 different access points into the surgery wing: the emergency room, the X-ray department, the maternity ward, the administrative department, and a patient waiting room.
The amount of people coming in and out with access to the surgery wing was more than 300 people a day. Yet, the only thing separating all of this traffic from the operating rooms was a set of dilapidated wooden swinging doors. This made a sterile environment impossible. Yet, a clean, bacteria-free environment is essential for operating rooms! With the old doors, the risk of infection was high, with potentially life-endangering consequences. So getting a new set of doors was imperative!
The local committee looked into the cost of obtaining a set of sturdy metal doors that would bar access to unauthorized personnel and isolate the surgery wing from the rest of the hospital. At the same time, the doors had to be wide enough to admit patients on portable beds. The committee finally found a company that sold such doors, but the cost for a pair of double doors was a little over $1400.00, including installation. Neither the hospital nor the committee had the funds to pay for such a set of doors!
Blessedly, Dr. Violeta Castellanos, the director of the hospital, is familiar with the work of the Society of the Good Shepherd. For many years, she had been the director of the rural health clinic in Taulebé, where the Society had constructed a maternity ward years ago. So she contacted the Society to see if we would be willing to provide the funds for the needed doors. When we heard of the strategic importance these doors would play—and the lives that might be saved by their installation—we didn’t hesitate to provide the funds.
With these funds, the committee purchased and installed two sets of double doors that completely isolate the surgery wing. Recently Hospital Santa Teresa was given a new performance evaluation. Because of the various changes the committee has been able to bring about over the years, including the new doors for the surgery wing, the hospital has now been given a 90% performance score! Below is a statement of gratitude to our donors from Dr. Violeta: “We, the staff of Hospital Santa Teresa, are so very thankful for your generous donation. We are grateful to partner with you in caring for the Honduran population and thankful for the gift you gave that allows us to bless the men, women, and children that need it the most. A couple of doors may seem insignificant to many. Yet, for us and for our surgeons, it means a safer place in which to work. For our patients, these doors mean a more sterile environment, which can result in a faster recovery period, and the risk for dangerous infection is minimized. For our health department, a couple of doors mean we now have the opportunity to serve our patients with excellence. We thank you, and we appreciate you!”
The Society of the Good Shepherd, P. O. Box 122, Amberson, PA 17210 • (717) 349-7033
Click on the following link if you would care to make a donation to the work in Honduras: Donations
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