Partnering with a local organization, our health clinic serves the indigenous population with free medical care including general healthcare, dental care, and gynecological services. Every family who has received a home from From Houses to Homes has free access to the clinic, as do our students and their families. The clinic is located in Pastores where we have treated over 30,000 patients.
With a population of over 17 million, Guatemala is the most populous nation in Central America (World Bank 2021) yet spends the least amount of government resources on health than any country in the region. Guatemala's health sector relies heavily on nonprofit organizations. Sadly, common health issues and preventable diseases are often left untreated such as chronic malnutrition, cervical cancer, diabetes, maternal mortality, and hypertension.
PURPOSE
The San José Medical Clinic was created in 2011 with the goal of helping individuals achieve high levels of health through outpatient and preventative care, all while respecting their cultural traditions.
Gynecological care
Our medical clinic has a part time gynecologist. Cervial cancer is the leading cause of death among Guatemalan women. In fact, less than half of Guatemalan women have ever been screened).
Dental care
From a young age, many of our patients have gum disease caused by improper oral hygiene. Our medical clinic has a full time dentist
Counseling
Our full-time counselor works mostly with women and children. Our staff is trained to handle situations that range from violence to trauma, from sexual abuse to grief.
Growth and development
clinic
We regularly evaluate and assist children in their first few years of life who display abnormalities in growth and/or development. We conduct weekly home visits, provide health education for mothers as well as the medical attention needed. At our school Kemna’oj, the growth and development clinic takes place every 3 months. We weigh and measure each child and monitor they growth as well as discuss and advise Mothers on nutrition or dental care for example.
Reproductive health
education
We provide regular reproductive health education by organizing small group sessions. These are conducted at our school. Each session focuses on different topics.
From general sex education to sexual abuse, the aim is to help and educate girls and women. Guatemala has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in Latin America. .
Mother and child
program
This program focuses on educating and helping new mothers. We hold small group sessions on a regular basis. The topics are different and we invite midwives, social workers and nurses to lead these sessions.
