Healthcare for Pregnant Women in Nicaragua

Dear Awesome Supporters:

In the final weeks of January, our Board of Directors traveled together to Nicaragua for our annual meeting – and to see Clinica Verde open and serving patients. We wish you could have been there with us!

Between January 9 and 31, we served 837 patients: 624 women, 213 men, 231 children under the age of 9. Our Clinic Director, Jennifer Owen, reports that common concerns include bronchitis, pneumonia, dehydration and diabetes. We have a superb, committed staff in place on the ground and excellent leadership moving forward. 

Said Owen: "I see evidence every day that we are making tangible changes in people's lives, and I see places where we can grow and improve every day. People are proud to be able to come to a facility like this, and people are very proud to work here. There is a really special kind of joy in coming to work every day, confident that you have a stellar staff in place that is committed to achieving the mission of Clinica Verde in a measurable way. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and that is going to require a lot of resources. But I know we are doing something that matters, and I know we have the right team in place. That's a pretty great place to be in, one month into operations." 

Thank you for believing in Clinica Verde and our work to create a new model of care for families living in poverty. Clinica Verde belongs to the community, but it is there because of people like you.

Please don't hesitate to contact me personally if you have questions or ideas for our work in the world.

Saludos,

Susan 

susan@clinicaverde.org

Links:

• Short video about our clinic opening. (By Brian Capener)

Dear Awesome Supporters:

On Friday, Dec. 16, Clinica Verde held a training day for all of its new employees. I delivered a welcome and congratulation to the team in Nicaragua via Skype at 6:30 a.m. Pacific and our leaders on the ground took over from there – doing an superb job orienting the group to the work ahead.

Our employee manual and job descriptions were distributed and reviewed, and Dr. Incer led a presentation that reviewed our mission and goals, standards of care and service, protocols, and the spirit and culture of excellence we expect to impart from Day 1. 

Local staff from the Ministry of Health joined the group for lunch and got to know the team and our goals, while discussing ministry requirements and expectations. We look forward to partnering with local government agencies so that we can support each other's goals.

Our new Director, Jennifer Owen, helped to organize and oversee the day, doing the fabulous work we've grown to realize is second nature to her. We are thrilled to announce that Jennifer has agreed to serve in Boaco for a full year to help lead our services and develop our organization on the ground at this critical stage of our growth. She is a blessing beyond anything we imagined.

Thank you so much for your continued commitment to our work in the world. Clinica Verde belongs to the community and each of you who have supported it, and we feel a great responsibility to serve all of our constituents with excellence, determination and respect.

As I reminded our team on Friday morning, we are servants to the poor. I shared these words from Peter Drucker: "Rank doesn't confer privilege or power. It imposes responsibility." Ours is to care for impoverished women and children with professionalism and love.

We wish all of you a holiday season filled with health and hope.

Gratefully,

Susan

Links:

• www.clinicaverde.org