Primeros Pasos is a clinic in rural Guatemala that has a comprehensive outlook on health care. With the collaboration of health professionals, health educators, volunteers, and community leaders, Primeros Pasos offers quality and affordable health care and health education to the rural, underserved communities of the Palajunoj Valley of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. Primeros Pasos works in the Palajunoj Valley, a rural valley in western Guatemala with high rates of communicable diseases, malnutrition, and untreated chronic diseases. Primeros Pasos is the only reliable and affordable source of local health care for the residents of the Palajunoj Valley.
Primeros Pasos has a long-term vision for the improvement of healthcare in the Palajunoj Valley, integrating its clinical healthcare service with health education and preventative care. Primeros Pasos seeks to maximize existing resources, partnering with communities and other organizations to find efficient solutions to health care challenges.
They incorporate and combine clinical care, health education, and community outreach programs to effectively provide preventative and primary care.
Clinical Care: Primeros Pasos provides primary care, dental services, lab exams, vaccinations, gynecological/obstetric care and medications for the approximately 15,000 people living in the valley. Their clinical staff includes a physician, a dentist, a lab tech, and a dental assistant. Rotating medical students from the University of San Carlos and foreign universities supplement the capacity of their full-time clinical staff. There are approximately 7,500 patient visits at Primeros Pasos each year.
Children’s Health Education: Primeros Pasos has developed a large health education program in the community for children and a growing health education program for women. Primeros Pasos gives approximately 500 health education workshops in the Palajunoj Valley covering age specific topics such as hygiene and nutrition, the environment, natural disasters, children’s rights, domestic violence, drugs, delinquency, puberty and several others.
Healthy Schools Program: Through the Healthy Schools Program, Primeros Pasos brings health care and health education to rural schools and day care centers in the communities they serve. Each day, a class from one of the schools in the Valley arrives at the clinic. The children each receive a medical and dental check-up and participate in an exciting and interactive health education program. The day not only provides students with immediate clinical care, but also tools for bettering their hygiene habits and preventative measures to improve their quality of life.
Women’s Health Education Program: The “Stairway to Good Health” Program aims to raise health awareness and provide the women and caretakers of the Valley with the health information they need to empower themselves to make vital healthcare decisions that affect the lives of themselves, their children and families. Primeros Pasos is able to provide workshops that are designed to address health issues and concerns effecting families and communities that the clinic serves, and more importantly, women specific issues that often times are sensitive subjects. There are currently 75 active women in the program in 6 different community groups and the program is looking to start two new groups this year.
Service Learning & Volunteerism: Primeros Pasos is a center for health education, serving as a primary care rotation for Guatemalan medical students from the University of San Carlos – Quetzaltenango and for foreign students who participate in away rotations under the supervision of Primeros Pasos’ attending physician. Each year, over 100 students and volunteers work at Primeros Pasos. The volunteers are at the heart of the clinic’s operations and with their continuous help and support, Primeros Pasos is able to offer an incredible amount of services with few resources.
Cost-Effective Care: Primeros Pasos is a very cost-effective operation, providing medical services to over 7,000 patients and health education to thousands more for approximately $50,000. Primeros Pasos receives approximately 80% of its funds from the Inter-American Health Alliance (IAHA), its U.S. non-profit partner. Click here for more information about IAHA.
For more information about Primeros Pasos or to apply to volunteer as a health educator or a medical volunteer, please visit their website.
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