OSHP UPDATE

 Several days ago, I received an email from Lesley Pierce at OSHP her with answers to some of the questions I had posed before I left regarding some specific numbers and situations of children typically on the waiting list for residential care. There are currently:

• 44 pediatric resident spaces (42 filled as of 4/28/11)

Of the current children,

• 7 are legally abandoned wards of court
• 4 are not recognized by their families (informally abandoned)
• 31 have families with varying levels of involvement (from bare minimum to frequent contact)

Regarding the waiting list,

• there are generally 10 children on the waiting list per bed in the hospital  (per Lesley, this is drawn from her translation of official hospital documents and not reliable first-hand knowledge)
• Pneumonia is the largest culprit in the death of children with cerebral palsy on the waiting list- both bronchopneumonia (related to an 'illness') AND aspiration pneumonia (common in children who have difficulty swallowing properly, the risk of which can be GREATLY REDUCED using safe, simple, proper feeding practices).

This information pertaining to the waiting list certainly supports the work we'll be doing with the families of children involved at OSHP. If there are in fact 400+ families waiting to bring their children to OSHP, that means there are 400+ children living in the same conditions that warranted their referral to OSHP in the first place. While some of those families may have no interest in receiving any support or education, some families are trying as best they can to care for their child and wishing there was some some sort of help available.

The email I received from Lesley at 7:50pm yesterday is another, sadder testament to the importance of this project.

"Just an update.  Today I learned that one of my at risk patients died at home over the holidays, which further proves to me the need for what you are planning on doing here."

 

It's hard to imagine a place where children languish and pass away in their own homes with their own parents by their sides; where doctors may not visit if other family members have outstanding bills; where a call to 911 is impossible and can not save a child in severe medical distress... 

Guatemala is just one of them.