Juan Hombron

  • Overview
  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Water
  • Business
  • Public Health

Overview

Juan Hombron is located in Cocle, in the western part of Panama. The typical house is made of cement blocks or bricks. There is a multi-grade primary school in Juan Hombrón that offers up to 6th grade. The current water system in place in community is a turbine aqueduct. There is no health facility in Juan Hombrón, which means community members must travel 50 minutes to Antón to attend a health center. Most of the community members work in land agriculture, a labor position, or fishing. The three top needs expressed by Juan Hombron were improved schools, churches, and roads.

Corregimiento: Chiru
District: Antón
Province: Cocle

*The above image of a landscape in Coclé, Panama does not necessarily reflect the appearance of the community of Juan Hombron.

Homes : 80
Population : 200
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : No
Electricity : Yes
Health Center : No
Community Health Workers : No
Homes with Latrines : unknown
Education : Up to 6th grade
Distance from Panama Office : 102 kilometers

Medical

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

HEALTH CARE ACCESS

Even though Panama is a country with a lot of economic growth, this growth does not apply equally to all Panamanians, especially those in rural areas. This results in stark inequality when it comes to healthcare access. The Panamanian Ministry of Health (MINSA) provides two different types of health facilities throughout rural Panama: Centros de Salud and Puestos de Salud. Centros are the larger of the two, often found in municipalities, and typically have at least one physician on staff at all times with nurses and potentially a dentist. Puestos are found sporadically in rural communities and generally have a single nurse available. 

Even with this coverage, the Centros frequently lack a full pharmacy and the staff capacity to see every patient each day. After walking long distances or paying for a bus, rural visitors to the Centros can expect long wait times given the limited staff and resources to meet the demand from all neighboring communities. The physician density in Panama remains around 630 people for every one doctor. According to the World Health Organization, there should be a maximum of 435 people per physician to qualify a country as having adequate access to medical attention.

There is no health facility in Juan Hombrón. The closest Centro de Salud is in the town of Antón, about 50 minutes away.

55

Volunteers

165

Patient Consultations

10

Health Education Workshops

N/A

Vision Screenings Provided

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS

A group of CHWs from East Panama, trained in 2019

The community of Juan Hombron does not yet have Community Health Workers. Global Brigades Panama Medical Program is working diligently to train volunteers as CHWs in its partner communities as part of the Holistic Model. Juan Hombron will receive training as soon as possible to further support the health of its community members.

Community Health Workers, or Agentes Comunitarios en Salud (ACeS), work on a volunteer basis as advocates for healthcare within their communities. Their primary responsibilities include: educating community members to prevent common illnesses, providing emergency first aid, supporting pregnant mothers and newborns, and following up with chronic patients. The presence of these volunteers and their advocacy for health within their community contributes to the sustainability of healthcare supported by Global Brigades’ Medical Program and is one of the most impactful disease prevention strategies in rural communities.

BRIGADE INFORMATION

A brigader assists with triage at a clinic in Juan Hombron

Medical and Dental Brigade clinics are hosted in Juan Hombron’s school building. The various stations of the clinic are held in the classrooms. Volunteers assist with intake and triage, and shadow local doctors, dentists, and pharmacists. Each day of the brigade, an average of 5 educational workshops or charlas are facilitated with the clinic’s patients.

  • AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 141

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN JUAN HOMBRON

Chapter Date Number of Volunteers Chapter Date Number of Volunteers
University of South Florida Medical December 2018 33 University of Houston Medical May 2019 22

Dental

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

DENTAL CARE ACCESS

A brigader treats a young patient with fluoride in Juan Diaz

Working closely with the Medical Program, the Dental Program provides fillings, extractions, and fluoride treatments as a standard part of medical brigades. Most community members do not have regular access to dental care due to the lack of a dentist within a reasonable distance.

116

Dental Patient Consultations

55

Fluoride Treatments

20

Number of Extractions

N/A

Fillings Performed

BRIGADE INFORMATION

A brigader assists with triage at a clinic in Juan Hombron

Medical and Dental Brigade clinics are hosted in Juan Hombron’s school building. The various stations of the clinic are held in the classrooms. Volunteers assist with intake and triage, and shadow local doctors, dentists, and pharmacists. Each day of the brigade, an average of 5 educational workshops or charlas are facilitated with the clinic’s patients.

  • AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 141

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN JUAN HOMBRON

Chapter Date Number of Volunteers Chapter Date Number of Volunteers
University of South Florida Medical December 2018 33 University of Houston Medical May 2019 22

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Juan Hombron but has not yet begun with the Water Program. Now in the planning phase, the Water Program will begin implementing a new water system or any necessary repairs to existing infrastructure as soon as feasible.

Water System : Yes
Type of System : Turbine aqueduct
Homes connected to water : 100%
Water Council : Yes

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Juan Hombron has not yet begun with the Business Program. Now in the planning phase, a community bank will be established as soon as feasible, followed by market studies and investment in an anchor business to provide additional capital.

Community Bank : No
Community Bank Members : N/A
Economic Activities : farming
Existing microenterprises : kiosk & a bar

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Juan Hombron but has not yet begun with the Public Health Program. Now in the planning phase, the financing, delivery, and installation of household health infrastructure products will start as soon as feasible.

Homes with flushing toilets : N/A
Homes with latrines : N/A
Homes with bath/shower : N/A
Common house materials : Concrete blocks