Information
Where does Hospital Escuela work:
Click map to enlarge
Hospital Escuela
Leon, Nicaragua
Fundraising for Supplies for Brattleboro Nurses in Nicaragua
Hospital Escuela, by Debra Kitzmiller
May 20, 2012
Another huge aspect to our preparations was gathering supplies and donations for our trip. The doctors at the hospital had given us a short list of supplies that were needed, and we were compiling our own list of breastfeeding and teaching materials that we needed. We didn’t know how much money we needed, but we figured we better start fundraising in order to purchase the materials.One of the best things that we did was start a facebook page. We called it Brattleboro Nurses in Nicaragua, and encouraged our friends to share and like our page, to increase our visibility. We also figured out how to put a “fundrazr” tab on our facebook page, to make it easier for people to make donations. In the end,...
Putting together a course on lactation, in Spanish
Hospital Escuela, by Debra Kitzmiller
May 20, 2012
So here we were, 3 nurses from Vermont scrambling to pull together a 5 day course on lactation to teach to a group of nurses at a hospital in Nicaragua. This part of the story actually makes me very proud.We started researching like crazy, mostly using the internet. We read about breastfeeding worldwide and its impact on global health. We learned about the current climate of breastfeeding in Nicaragua, including statistics for breastfeeding initiation and continuation rates. We discovered that their national government was making public statements on the importance of breastfeeding for improving the health of women and babies, but at the same time were giving out free formula to government workers (a counterproductive measure, if you are trying to improve breastfeeding success.) We...
How "Brattleboro Nurses in Nicaragua" came to be
Hospital Escuela, by Debra Kitzmiller
May 20, 2012
As my first Omprakash post, I am going to try to recapture a bit from a very magical time in my life: a time when a dream of an adventure outside of my normal life turned into a reality. I had been talking with a group of local women, all of us wanting to explore the possibility of international volunteer work. Most of us had traveled, or volunteered before, but most of us had families with young children and careers that made it feel a little farfetched to incorporate an international trip into our lives. At least, that’s how I felt.Originally we were 7 women, but as our meetings progressed we whittled ourselves down to three of us, who work together as nurses in a hospital based...
Vermont Nurses Heading to Hospital Escuela in Leon!
Hospital Escuela, by Kyle Dempsey
March 13, 2012
http://www.reformer.com/ci_20126163/bmh-nurses-prepare-service-project?IADID=Search-www.reformer.com-www.reformer.comThree nurses from Vermont found out about the Hospital Escuela in Leon through Omprakash will be departing this week to teach courses about lactation and newborn care and delivery methods.They've done some wonderful fundraising work and have been working hard to put the trip together!Will post futher updates!
International aid at Hospital Escuela featured in Nicaraguan National Newspaper
Hospital Escuela, by Kyle Dempsey
December 18, 2011
http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/nacionales/92054This article features comments by Dr. Montes, the hospital's sub-director who helps to set up volunteer opportunities at the hospital.
Volunteer Blog—Kyle Dempsey from January 2010
Hospital Escuela, by Kyle Dempsey
January 22, 2011
After fundraising in the Spring, I was eager to get back to the Hospital Escuela (HEODRA) and continue working at hospital over my school’s winter break. I looked forward to brining the money we had raised to the hospital and finally putting it to use. Shortly after booking my ticket, I was e-mailed a news article from a local newspaper about woman who had been collecting reusable medical supplies from local hospitals. The article stated that she had over 10,000 pounds of medical supplies and was hoping to bring the supplies to needy health clinics and hospitals abroad. As I read the article, an idea quickly sprang into my mind: HEODRA is a wonderful and needy project abroad and this woman had tons of medical supplies; we should form a...
Fundraising In May 2009
Hospital Escuela, by Kyle Dempsey
January 17, 2011
Beginning at the end of December 2008, I spent another month volunteering in the hospital during my college’s winter break. This time around, however, I tried to identify ways in which I could benefit the hospital, while continuing my studies in the United States. While working in the emergency room one afternoon, I quickly found the answer when a fulltime doctor explained to me that his yearly salary was ~$5,000 (US currency). Compared to doctor salaries in the US, this sum was quite shocking. More importantly, it made me realize that the amount of money I had spent to travel and live in Nicaragua could have paid for an additional fulltime, well-trained physician to be working in the hospital for the entire year! Furthermore, I had always witnessed the hospital’s...
Volunteer Blog—Kyle Dempsey from July 2008
Hospital Escuela, by Kyle Dempsey
January 11, 2011
07/29/2008 When I arrived in Nicaragua, the new environment immediately challenged me. I arrived the night of a huge hurricane that significantly damaged the pacific coast. Electricity or water were unavailable for more than a week, and it took me a few days to adjust to the language, find a place to stay, and to get things setup in the hospital. Nicaragua is far more informal in terms of scheduling meetings and following up on appointments than many other country’s are, so it initially took some time to connect with Dr. Montes—the hospital’s sub-director and volunteer coordinator— and to get my volunteer placement fully established. One afternoon, I persistently waited in the long line of people outside of his office and, late in the afternoon, was able to meet with him...
Volunteer Logistics for the Hospital Escuela in Leon, Nicaragua
Hospital Escuela, by Kyle Dempsey
January 11, 2011
Setting Up the Volunteer Placement:Setting up a volunteer experience can sometimes be challenging because the volunteer coordinator is also the hospital’s sub-director, meaning that he receives huge volumes of e-mails. I recommend e-mailing him a few times, and if he doesn’t respond, simply call his office (e-mail and phone number are available on the partner page). The directors of the hospital are constantly inundated with patients coming by to talk about various issues, so it may take time to connect with Dr. Montes. When you call, you will be connected with his receptionist. Simply explain to her that you are an international volunteer and ask her if he is available. If he is not available, ask when he will be available and tell her that you will call back at...