Our Clinic
Providing Health
Medical Care Dispersion
*This graph is an accurate breakdown of our average monthly treatments. We currently treat just under 600 villagers each month.
The Medical Clinic
Mercy Clinic is our medical facility at Casa Angelina and is located at the entrance of the orphanage complex. At Mercy Clinic, we employ a medical director, pediatrician, general doctor, nurse, lab technician, and social worker. There are two entrances to the clinic—one used by the villagers who come for care and a private entrance for the children, staff, and volunteers of Casa Angelina. Every day the medical staff treat the local villagers from 8 a.m. to noon, seeing a minimum of 28 patients. Without Mercy Clinic, these people would receive little to no medical care. People live throughout the villages in the valleys and hills, which requires many of them to travel several miles to our clinic in order to receive quality and inexpensive health care. When someone arrives at our clinic, they are asked to give a small donation of $1.25 in order to pay for their consultation with the doctor. We have become a very important part of the culture in our area, and the word has spread from person to person that our clinic is open to any and all needs. We regularly see people who suffer from diabetes or high blood pressure, and we, in many cases, have become their regular healthcare provider. We also treat many people with acute skin problems, scabies, eczema, rashes, infections, pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, malnutrition, gastritis, urinary tract infections, parasites, and amoebas. Mercy Clinic is saving lives and directly affecting the health and lives of hundreds of people. We receive donated medications from teams that visit Casa Angelina throughout the year and also from Vine International (vineinternational.org), a non-profit organization specifically in Guatemala for the purpose of collecting and distributing medical supplies. They come to our clinic every three months to assess our needs and bring new supplies of fresh medication and other medical supplies. From our on-site pharmacy, we initially distribute the donated medication available to us. If we do not have the medication in the donated area of the pharmacy, the patient will buy medication that we have purchased ourselves at just a little above cost. The medication in Guatemala is very expensive; therefore, many people find it difficult to obtain the medicine they need. The very poorest people, some who earn only $3.00 US per day, are now able to come to our clinic and afford the care and medicine they desperately need. They are able to purchase important antibiotics for themselves and their families for just $1.50 or less.
A Greater Reach
Extending the Hands of Casa Angelina
The Breakdown
We employ six staff to ensure the health and well-being of our children and the villagers. These include a medical director, pediatrician, general practitioner, nurse, lab technician, and social worker. This team is always treating and helping patients. Mercy Clinic has an outside covered waiting area and inside waiting area, which are oftentimes both full of needy patients. There are two active treatment rooms, a doctor's office for consultations, a lab, and our own small pharmacy. We have a dental chair and area that are used by volunteer American dentists, who have done every imaginable procedure from exams to extractions and everything in between. Along with our full-time Guatemalan staff, we have occasional American medical teams that come and treat patients in this wonderful facility. We are grateful to be able to offer affordable and professional health care to our children, the widows we support, as well as the public from the surrounding villages. Mercy Clinic is on site, located at the front of the property of Casa Angelina. It has its own private entrance for the public that is fenced and gated, maintaining the security of the orphanage.read more
Killer Bee Attack
Six-year-old Elieze went with his 75-year-old grandfather to help him clean up his land that is located a couple of miles from Mercy Clinic. Shortly after arriving at the land, they saw a black cloud of killer bees swarming straight toward them. Elieze's grandfather tried to protect him, and they attempted to run away from the bees, but they were attacked. They managed to get close to Mercy Clinic when Elieze's grandfather yelled for help and collapsed in the middle of the road. They were both screaming in pain when our staff heard their cries and ran to aid them. They each suffered more than 500 bee stings to their heads, necks, and upper bodies alone. The clinic staff practically tore off their clothing to trap the bees that were still on them and then proceeded to give them both an injection to prevent an allergic reaction. The staff began pulling out every single stinger. In the meantime, the nurse called the fire department to come and take them to the hospital (20 minutes away) and also the paramedics at the hospital to prepare them for the victims' entrance. The entire time they were in the clinic, Elieze was crying and vomitting from the pain and bee venom. About 40 minutes after the call was made, Elieze and his grandfather were taken by ambulance to the hospital where they were kept under observation for two hours and then sent home. In two short hours, five more victims came to the clinic for help, many of them with more than 100 stingers in their heads and necks. Even one of our staff members was attacked when he went up the road to rescue Elieze's 90-year-old great-grandfather. The day following the attack, our clinic staff visited Elieze at his house and found that he hadn't received any treatment at the hospital. Our nurse administered another shot for allergies and pain. It was then that Elieze told us the story about the bees and how he thought he was going to die. His mother cried as she thanked the staff for saving her son. We also visited Elieze's grandfather and great-grandfather, both of whom thanked the staff over and over for saving their lives. Two weeks after the incident, Elieze was visited at his home again. This time he went outside to show the staff that he wasn't swollen anymore and that he was doing very well. Without Mercy Clinic, these people could have died and wouldn't be here to tell their stories. We are so grateful that we were able to be used in this capacity.read more