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Platanilla Medical Access

Platanilla is a community located in the hills of Eastern Panama, off the

Pan-American highway, near the town of Torti.  Due to its remote location,

Platanilla has a small sub-center of health.  The sub-center is not staffed

with doctors, but it does have a community health worker that is trained

to treat a few common illnesses; otherwise, community members

must travel either to the health center in Torti (30 minutes away) or the

hospital in Chepo (2-3 hours away).  Additionally, the Panamanian Ministry

of Health stocks sub-health centers with only a few rudimentary

medications that are unable to meet all of the needs of Platanilla.

 

Community Demographics

Platanilla is home to about 300 people and has about 80 homes,
with an average of 3-4 inhabitants per home.  Platanilla is removed from the

Pan-American Highway by a few miles, so there are not many communities

in its immediate vicinity.

 

Brigade Site Information

With the cooperation of the Education Ministry and the local school

director, Medical and Dental Brigades host clinics in the community

school. The school consists of six classrooms and a comedor

(cafeteria-type room) so we have the ability to set up each clinic station

in its own classroom. Volunteers will see an average of 80-100 patients

per day. Additionally, patients in Platanilla come from neighboring

communities such as Rio Congo; some may travel up to several

hours by horseback or foot to seek treatment.

 

Past Brigade Information and Statistics

Medical Brigades Chapters that Worked in Platanilla
Medical Brigades Chapter	Date	Volunteers	Clinic Days	Charla Topic
Chapman University	May 2012	56	3
Duke University	December 2013	23	3
CUNY Macaulay Honors College	August 2013	55	3
Texas A&M	January 2014	40	3
University of Puget Sound	May 2014	24	3
Wellesley College	January 2015	27	3
Louisiana State University	May 2015	36	3
Montclair State University	January 2016	31	3	Oral Health

 

Medical Numbers
Brigades Chapter	Patients	Healthcare Professionals	Referrals
Chapman University	521	4	0
Duke University	382	4	0
CUNY Macaulay  Honours College	160	4	0
Texas A&M University	198	5	0
University of Puget Sound	247	7	11
Wellesley College	293	7	0
Louisiana State University	309	2	4
Montclair State University	378	5	6

 

Dental Numbers
Brigades Chapter	Patients	Extractions	Fluoride Treatments	Dental Restorations
Texas A&M University	87	35	51	0
University of Puget Sound	78	75	8	0
Wellesley College	96	88	38	0
Louisiana State University	128	67	64	17
Montclair State University	140	84	47	0

 

Last Update: June 2016

 

Visit Other Programs in Platanilla

Global Brigades strives to implement a model of Holistic Development in communities through a system of collectively implementing health, economic, and education initiatives to strategically meet a community's development goals. Learn more about the other programs being implemented in Platanilla:

 

BusinessEnvironmental Human Rights  Microfinance Public Health