Sponsor the Care of a Latin American Burned Child

The Board of Directors of Coaniquem BCF, the independent US arm of Coaniquem Chile, had their annual meeting in Chile this year with visits to both the original clinic in Santiago and the newest clinic in Conception. (All Board Members paid all of their own travel expenses.) During the visit to the Coaniquem campus in Santiago the Board members were able to inspect the new Laser device purchased, in part, with the $50K  donated to Coaniquem BCF in honor of Lloyd Baysdorfer, a long time supporter. This device utilizes a laser beam to create micro-perforations in scar tissue to keep the burn scar tissue more soft and pliable… promoting healthy tissue around and beneath it.  This approach speeds up the recovery and reduces the possibilities of severe scarring.  Twelve patients have received their first procedure, and are scheduled for the second one. The patients are from Guatemala, Peru, Argentina and Bolivia and range in age from six to twenty years old. All have severe burns on their head, neck and face.

The Santiago Clinic, whose main function is the long term treatment of burns in children, also provides three other functions:

• Professional “Learn and Leave” programs in which physicians, technicians, and therapists from all over South and Latin America come to learn the intricate procedures for the long term treatment of the youthful burn victims.
• Burn prevention educational programs focused on pre-school and kindergarten students. These programs are currently in 50% of the Chilean schools and the goal is to reach 100% by 2024.
• Research aimed at burn recovery techniques and infection mitigation. One study is looking at the use of phages to attack and eliminate the bacteria that can infect wound tissues and interrupt and complicate treatment.

 The visit to the Conception Center was very enlightening. This clinic is brand new and the attention to the needs of child patient. The Clinic was decorated with the aid of a project of the College of Art and Design in Pasadena, California. The various treatment areas are themed with different animals. For example, the surgery area theme is that of a lion…the bravest of animals. The artwork is placed low on the walls of the clinic…right at the eye level for children. This new clinic hopes to treat 500 patients each year, reaching up to 2,000 in 4 years. Another goal is to reduce the number of children with burns in the area (15,000 children each year, according to our estimates).

The other two Chilean Burn Centers are in Antofagasta, and Puerto Mont. The four centers span a region stretching 1,000 km north and south of Santiago, the Main Treatment Center of Coaniquem.

Coaniquem continues to expand its impact in South and Latin America, focusing on Argentina, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. In collaboration with local medical teams, Coaniquem representatives are constantly searching for patients that could benefit from COANIQUEM’s new technologies. 

Links:

• Home page for Coaniquem Burned Children Foundation
• Home page for Coaniquem in Chile