ProSorata

ProSorata works to help the women and children from Sorata receive medical care in order to restore their health as quickly as possible.There is a small, local clinic that does not have a doctor, lab or X-ray facilities. When the local clinic cannot meet the needs of the patient, the clinic advises families to go to La Paz to seek further care. La Paz is a three hour trip away. This is out of the financial reach of most families from Sorata and prohibits people from getting the care they need.

In these cases, ProSorata steps in to help. ProSorata:

• Educates families regarding what medical interventions are possible
• Instructs on how to access state insurance if they qualify
• Organizes and pays for all transportation and accommodations for the trip to improved medical facilities
• Arranges doctor’s appointments
• Accompanies families to appointments
• Arranges lab work, X-rays and surgeries when necessary.
• ProSorata pays all costs associated with care that is not covered by the national insurance system.

Additionally, ProSorata ensures that the children and spouses remaining in Sorata (while family members seek care in La Paz) have resources to buy food and basic supplies, as there is frequently a loss of income when a family member is treated. ProSorata also participates in home visits when the families have returned to Sorata and arranges follow up care as needed.

In the past year, ProSorata has helped over sixty five families access advanced medical care.

Community Health Helper Model:

ProSorata employees people from Sorata as community health helpers, to accompany families to La Paz, to the doctors’ appointments, and to provide follow up service once the families are back in Sorata. Most of our community helpers also speak Aymara. This is tremendously important, as a number of the moms who come to La Paz speak only Aymara and need translation to thoroughly understand the diagnosis and options. The community helpers are invaluable when it comes to helping build the understanding necessary in cross cultural care among the families, ProSorata volunteers and the health care providers.

Maternal health:

In 2005, ProSorata was created to help children with obvious medical needs get care. We quickly saw that the health of the families depends largely on the health of the mom and in 2006 we expanded in a large way to include maternal care. We see everyday that if the mom is not of good health, neither is the family. Additionally, in our experience, older school age children stop attending school to help take care of the family. The faster health is restored, the faster the kids are back in school. In the past year, ProSorata has helped over forty moms seek health care that was inaccessible and unaffordable to them without our support. We often encounter women who have had chronic, untreated illnesses that with proper diagnosis and treatment are readily manageable, such a diabetes and epilepsy. Normally, with medication, these women are functioning fully within two months. We see advanced complications of parasites, untreated infections and nutritional deficiencies. Because of a lack of postpartum care, and routine gynecological care, we also see women who have serious gynecological needs often requiring surgery.

Children’s Health

The children who have more complicated medical needs continue to come for health care as well. We accept any family who approaches us with a child whose needs cannot be met in the local clinic. This includes working with children with congenital issues such as clef palate, children who are deaf, children with immune system issues and a variety of needs. We see children with nutritional defiencies and frequently children who have been seriously hurt in accidents.

Recently Oswaldo, the little boy born without an iris in either eye and with childhood glaucoma, came for a check up and to get new glasses. A five year old named Edgar broke his arm two years ago and the family did not have money to pay for the surgery to reduce the fracture. We met him last year. Since then, he has been down to have the fracture properly set with a plate and screws. He came to have the screws surgically removed. We also arranged for a physical therapist to visit him in Sorata and teach the family how to help him to regain his arm strength. We help children who are deaf to get hearing aids, Additionally we are working with a small boy from a remote pueblo with serious stomach problems. He had exploratory surgery this summer and still comes down for treatment from our pediatrician. At the moment, we have a young man here in the Hospital Arco Iris who is beginning what will be a long process of surgeries and IV antibiotic treatment in hopes of saving his leg that has a severe tibial staph infection.