|
We are also evaluating with Caritas Lima the need to add another floor level (2nd phase) to the only partly two-story, split-level
structure. Here again, much of the labor cost would be absorbed by community volunteers.
In 2004, we are co-financing (along with other institutions) the development of a unique "healthcare net " (Red de Salud), which supports medical needs of
48 poverty-area parishes with a combined population of more than one million inhabitants. In this pilot project,
nine parishes with medical dispensaries and/or clinics (Manchay is one of these) support an additional 32 parishes that don't have medical facilities. Each of the
48 parishes has a team of 3 - 5 healthcare volunteers to market the archdiocesean healthcare services. These include daily very low cost medical exams and consultations, plus very low cost prescriptions and healthcare items. Additionally, every Sunday (in rotation) one of the
nine parishes with medical facilities is visited by a team of 8 - 12 government-contract physicians, several nurses and the healthcare volunteers for eight hours and attend the public free of charge. "Carlos Hedreen" has already conducted two "open house" campaigns and the first resulted in 1,500 and the second in 2,500 medical consultations! This scale of success is also evident in other parishes.
NOTE: The "healthcare net" has already shown positive results towards obtaining accurate statistical information of common diseases in the communitites, which has led to more efficiency in choosing offered medical specialties, as well as the stocking of particular medicines and healthcare items. Medical records of thousands of individuals (especially children) are being compiled for the first time. It has also moved Caritas Lima to design and build a modern phamaceutical distribution facility with state-of-the-art inventory controls. And, the Archdiocese of Lima decided to move its downtown polyclinic to an outlying poverty-stricken parish, for a more "hands on" approach, closer to its patients.
In 2004, we expect to help Caritas Lima obtain more than $1 million in pharmaceuticals, medicines and healthcare items (wholesale prices) from U.S. charitable institutions and individuals. The donations are destined for the "healthcare net" and for archdiocesean pharmacies, i.e. "Carlos Hedreen" in Manchay. We accomplish this by co-sponsoring container shipments of medical items from the U.S. - our foundation pays all shipping and handling costs. This way, we can "leverage" $10,000 shipping expenses (cash expenditures) with medical merchandise donations (per container) of approximately
$100,000 - $200,000. In effect, your personal donation to us of, say, $500 can result in
$5,000 - $10,000 of benefits (wholesale)!"
|
Project 2003 - 2004