Friday, January 20, 2006
Missions Ministries opens clinic in Juarez, Mexico
I've been on two housebuilding trips with Missions Ministries, and took my daughter on one. It was a great short term experience and I highly recommend it. On the first trip, swinging a hammer, speaking to Mateo in my (very broken) Spanish, I told him I was a doctor. He asked me what on Earth I was doing swinging a hammer, and I replied that people need houses. He told me to come back and "build bodies" next time.
So now they have built a clinic in Juarez. It is a beautful facility with rooms, food, and a nice modern clinic area with multiple exam rooms. I got to see it in a rough state on the second trip. It's a long one day drive, a short flight to El Paso from Denver. Here is a note from Jeff Varnell, MD, surgeon:
Jim – thanks again for your help with our Missions Ministries in Juarez. As you know, we have constructed a family Health Center in the colonias (the poorest section) of Juarez. This is part of a larger complex including housing, a cafeteria and meeting area for the missionary groups that come down to build houses and churches and volunteer in the Health Center. The Center itself has four exam rooms, two dental chairs, a pharmacy, a lab area, and a minor procedure room, with office and administrative space. Our mission is to provide care for the families in the area, for acute minor illnesses and chronic problems with an emphasis on education and prevention, and we plan on maintaining records for recurring patients. Typical teams would consist of 5-15 volunteers who would work for 2-5 days. They would present to El Paso (either driving or flying) where we would pick them up for transportation over the border (passports are helpful, but usually only birth certificates of driver licenses are necessary). \We would ask that teams bring medications so we can keep up our stock in the pharmacy; additionally there would be charges for room and board. You can see some photos and descriptions on our website at www.missionsministries.org . Teams are welcomed at any time during the year but we ask for as early notification as possible to avoid conflict with other building and medical teams. You can also call me with any questions at 303-437-3655.
Jeff Varnell
So now they have built a clinic in Juarez. It is a beautful facility with rooms, food, and a nice modern clinic area with multiple exam rooms. I got to see it in a rough state on the second trip. It's a long one day drive, a short flight to El Paso from Denver. Here is a note from Jeff Varnell, MD, surgeon:
Jim – thanks again for your help with our Missions Ministries in Juarez. As you know, we have constructed a family Health Center in the colonias (the poorest section) of Juarez. This is part of a larger complex including housing, a cafeteria and meeting area for the missionary groups that come down to build houses and churches and volunteer in the Health Center. The Center itself has four exam rooms, two dental chairs, a pharmacy, a lab area, and a minor procedure room, with office and administrative space. Our mission is to provide care for the families in the area, for acute minor illnesses and chronic problems with an emphasis on education and prevention, and we plan on maintaining records for recurring patients. Typical teams would consist of 5-15 volunteers who would work for 2-5 days. They would present to El Paso (either driving or flying) where we would pick them up for transportation over the border (passports are helpful, but usually only birth certificates of driver licenses are necessary). \We would ask that teams bring medications so we can keep up our stock in the pharmacy; additionally there would be charges for room and board. You can see some photos and descriptions on our website at www.missionsministries.org . Teams are welcomed at any time during the year but we ask for as early notification as possible to avoid conflict with other building and medical teams. You can also call me with any questions at 303-437-3655.
Jeff Varnell
