"PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE"

A 45 year old female came to our clinic seeking help with her diabetes and was recovering from major abdominal surgery. She is employed as a gardener and due to her surgery was unable to work for several months, therefore having no income and no way to help herself. In Mexico there is no welfare as in the United States. During her hospital stay her diabetes was diagnosed and she was sent home with insulin and prednisone. Our patient has never learned to read and was unable to understand the discharge instructions. It took our staff many days to get her Diabetes under control due to the fact that she was taking the wrong dose of her prednisone. We donated a Glucometer and test strips tot he gardener along with several weeks of diabetic teaching so she could take self control of her diabetes. Our non-profit paid for her initial hospital stay, transportation to the hospital for her post-surgical visits, our clinic visits for wound care, blood tests and her insulin.  We discovered that she could not get on Mexican health insurance because she did not have her birth certificate. She did not know her exact date of birth but did know her birth place and parent’s names. We applied and paid for her birth certificate and she is now able to acquire health insurance and other benefits. As of this time, we still donate insulin and pay for her laboratory testing. She is now empowered to be able to take control of her health needs. The Americans who had employed Laura donated a substantial amount of the money we spent on her care.

Her total care to this point is over $35,000 pesos. We expect to monitor our patient for a few more months.

Our non-profit was advised of a 12 year old female who had scoliosis. Her family had limited income and was unable to provide all the medical care that she needed. The doctors wanted to try to use a corset (back brace) to see if it would help before they went to the extreme of surgery. A local business man, Dennis Riley, paid for the transportation to mainland Mexico for the corset fitting. East Cape Community Urgent Care Clinic paid for the corset, x-rays and monthly doctor visits. One year later, she has outgrown the corset and we were prepared to buy another one. At her doctor visit they discovered she had made remarkable improvement and does not need the corset or surgery. She is able to run and play now with the other children and her life is vastly improved.

Cost of corset: $9,000 pesos

ECCUCC was informed of an elderly lady whose health was deteriorating in our community. We went to her house and discovered a 76 year old female who was in chronic heart failure with accompanying problems. Our care has included hospital costs, oxygen, medications, and laboratory tests.

Our non-profit has paid close to $10,000 pesos in giving this patient an enhanced quality of life.

We assisted a young mother who had a deaf, 2 year child. The child had been tested and was found to be a good candidate for a cochlear implant. This device would allow the youngster to be able to hear. The mother held several fund raisers but was still short of her goal. East Cape Community Urgent Care Clinic contributed the remaining $7,000 US dollars for the implant. Today the child is 3 and in kindergarten classes, hearing and learning. 

This is a testament to the generosity of our East Cape community and a mother's love.

In December, 2009 a young male was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. His injuries included a total evulsion of the heel area of his right foot. The 44 year old did not have the money for an extensive skin graft. If the procedure was not done, he would not be able to do his job as a gardener and no longer be able to provide for his family. Our non-profit intervened and paid for the procedure. The patient is now working.

Cost of the skin graft was $1,000 US dollars.

A member of a nearby community, Santiago, came to us for help in the care of one of their elderly neighbors. The 78 year old female had a large sized decubitus on her tail bone and is bed-confined. The family did not have the financial means to take care of her medical condition. The Delegado of the town agreed to pay for the ambulance and our non-profit has paid for the wound care. The patient is brought by ambulance 3 times a week to our clinic. Our staff has worked tirelessly to improve this painful wound. At the start of treatment her decubitus was large enough to put your fist into it. Now it is almost closed and very small. We will continue the care until the wound is totally closed.

The cost of her treatment will be over $4,500 pesos.

East Cape Community Urgent Care Clinic assisted a family in the town of  La Rivera with their 16 year old son. The teenager was having seizures and the parents did not have the money for his medical evaluation. The non-profit paid for his diagnostic testing which included several electrocardiograms and his medication for 6 months until the family’s income could sustain his medical care.

This cost was over $5,000USD

An eight year old girl came into our clinic with difficulty breathing. At the time she was living in an automobile with her father and brother. She was diagnosed with pneumonia, given breathing treatments, x-rays and medications. ECCUCC paid for her initial office visit and follow-up care.

Cost to the non-profit was $ 1,500 USD

A 33 year old male was brought to our clinic in a diminished state of consciousness. He was examined by our doctor and immediately transported to the hospital. The patient was diagnosed with having epileptic seizures due to a brain lesion. Our non-profit paid for his ambulance, hospital stay, electrocardiogram, and multiple CT scans. We have continued to monitor his progress and have paid for his seizure medications and laboratory testing. He is back to work part-time. His employers have reimbursed our non-profit most of the money we have devoted to his care.

Cost of care on this patient has been over $30,000 pesos.