I know the most common image people have of the Mexican Red Cross is the dedicated people standing by the side of the road collecting donations. As a matter of fact, a handful of people teased me before I left asking me if I brought plenty of sunscreen because that's what I was going to be doing.

As luck has it, I arrived here during the two hardest hitting months of collection for the Red Cross: March and April. When I asked, the head of the clinic here said that for this specific clinic in Hermosillo, we need approximately 15 million pesos (1 million dollars) to operate for the year. Donations come in the forms of large checks from local businesses, obviously donations from the people, and lastly when people go to renew their car registration here with the government, they are asked if they want to make a voluntary donation to the Red Cross. 

Additionally, this year the Carlos Slim foundation donated 14.8 million pesos, an ambulance and 663 computers to the national organization in recognition of the indispensable and invaluable work the Red Cross organization does for this country. For anyone curious, Carlos Slim is a Mexican business magnate and investor who is the chairperson of Telmex and is worth $71.2 billion USD. In addition to the monetary donation, Telmex has pledged to match every peso donated by texting a certain number. I believe this outstanding support from businesses and the public shows how vital the Red Cross' work is in Mexico.

The moat on my way to work today.

Donation from a civil administration of the exports industry.

With poor water removal, the streets remain flooded for several days after a storm.

Sonora style enchiladas

A relatively small pothole...

A quick break in San Carlos with friends for the long weekend. 

Hello! It has been a while since I have posted, so I have lots to catch you all up on.

As I previously stated, I created an Excel spreadsheet which acts as a digital archive of all of the patients the specialist doctors have treated since January 2014. This archive includes the patients full name, their phone numbers, the doctor who attended them and their specialty, and finally whether they are a recurrent patient and the date of their last appointment. Additionally, I included the patients area of residency to try and focus fundraising efforts based on sociogeographical information. To be extra thorough, I sifted through the receptionist's books to match any names with phone numbers. This archive has over 1,000 patients and I hope that the staff continues to update this Excel spreadsheet as it is a convenient way to look up contact information. By Mexican federal law, I was not allowed to archive patient information of the general doctors here in the clinic so with their limited time off, they continue to add their own patient information.

My next project is to create an inventory of the medical equipment and infrastructure we have in the specialist's clinics and to label whether this equipment belongs to the doctors or the Red Cross. I will compare what we have here in the clinic to what is mandated by Federal Regulation and create a list of tools needed by each doctor for a better practice. Next, I will draft an email to organizations such as Project C.U.R.E.and InterVol, Recycling of Unused Medical Supplies, which collect medical supplies and equipment and donates to non-profit charities. I hope that our connection with the American Red Cross will facilitate this process.

With a little more than two weeks left here with my SRP, I am starting to realize how much I will miss the beautiful culture and people here. The solution? Indulge as much as I can before I leave!

More updates to come..

The view from one of the mountains surrounding the city.

A portrait in the entrance of the clinic.

All patient files of the Red Cross. As you can see, there aren't many.

During this time of year, bugambilias are everywhere you look. 

The view from a local prison-turned museum. On the adjacent hill, "Jesucristo Viene" or "Jesus Christ is Coming."

With my free time, I have been working nonstop as a chauffeur for my abuela. This job is good because it gets me out of the house and also has helped me learn the streets of Hermosillo, but goodness gracious I cannot possibly keep track of all of the bookstores we have been too. Additionally, as someone who suffers from narcolepsy, my abuela has asked me several times to go grocery shopping with her at times past midnight. However, this is not a complaint. Usually we go out to eat whenever we are in the streets so it's a fair deal.

#selfie

My abuelo just returned from a week at our cattle ranch which is about 5 hours away near Cananea, Sonora. Now that he is back I'm likely to be even more busy going on errands and constantly back and forth to the mechanic.

Hello! The high for today was 93 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning that it is now summer in Hermosillo.

This last week I have been working with my adviser, Paulina, on creating a new patient registration sheet. The previous format they had for patients was elementary, comprised solely of "Reason for the Visit" "Allergies/Previous Illnesses" and measurement of vital signs. This new registration we made is much more thorough and also complies with the Standard Clinical File of the Diario Oficial de la Federación. Moreover, in addition to the general practitioner patient registration sheet we made specified formats for the dentist, nutrologist, and psychologist. After reading pages upon pages about the standard clinical file, my adviser and I were able to compose a more professional patient file.

In addition to completing this patient registration sheet, I began the tedious progress of filing previous patient files into excel. In the hope of greater communication post-medical attention and for contact during fundraising months, I have been tasked with writing down the phone numbers, emails and neighborhoods of previous patients. This electronic archive will aid in keeping in touch with patients and also better focus the Red Cross' fundraising efforts based on geographic location of patients.

My new assignment for this week, in addition to keep working on the electronic archive, is to research what information is needed on a patient registration file for an ophthalmologist and dermatologist.

http://dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5272787&fecha=15/10/2012 

25 ambulances working out of the clinic

Tacos with shredded beef

Tacos de pescado