Rural Medical Teams
Will provide an opportunity for Guatemalan people living in rural villages to receive medical care they wouldn’t be able to afford or access otherwise. Families can see a doctor, receive medication, and if necessary, be referred to one of our clinics for ongoing care. Our medical
teams help identify patients who need a more regularly scheduled care plan. Teams consist of
providers (doctors, nurse practitioners, or physician assistants), nurses, and other medical or non-medical personnel. Teams stay in Chichicastenango and serve the villages surrounding those larger communities. All supplies and medications are packed in suitcases and are brought with the team each day. Teams set up a triage station, doctors’ offices, pharmacy, and follow-up education stations in schools, community buildings, or churches in local communities. Each general medicine provider sees approximately 30 patients per day.
We recommended the following team composition for rural medical teams :
● Minimum two general medicine providers
● Two pharmacists or trained providers for pharmacy dispensing
● A nurse to staff a triage station for each provider (the number of triage stations should equal
the number of providers). If non clinical personnel will staff the triage station, adequate training should be provided prior to commencement of the mission trip.
● Two support personnel
Rural Dental Teams
Will serve together with Rural Medical Teams or as standalone teams.
Providing dental care in the rural villages gives people an affordable opportunity to receive essential, quality dental procedures. Without dental teams, rotting teeth and cavities often go untreated and can become dangerous. Teams consist of dentists, assistants, and other dental or non-dental personnel. Similar to our Rural Medical Teams, dental teams stay in Chichicastenango and serve the villages surrounding those larger communities. Corrugated plastic dental chairs are provided by Salud y Paz and assembled by the team at each site. All supplies and medications are packed in suitcases and are brought with the team each day. Due to the context in which we work, Salud y Paz Rural Dental
Teams perform extractions and refer to our central clinic for restorative procedures. Dentists serving on Rural Dental Teams typically see a range of 15-20 patients per day..