La Labranza*

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

Overview

La Labranza is located in the mountainous region of central Nicaragua in the department of Matagalpa. A typical house is made of cement block. The community has access to a health center in the neighboring community, Molinos Sur, 3 Km away. Within the community, La Labranza has a multigrade primary school that 60 students attend with three teachers and two classrooms. The primary school goes up to grade six, and there is no secondary school located in La Labranza. Most people in the community work as agricultural laborers.

Global Brigades is currently working with the Medical Program in La Labranza and has been since the first Medical Brigade in January 2017. In their communication with Global Brigades, the top three needs expressed were lack of latrines or properly functioning latrines, a health center needed within their own community, and limited access to employment. La Labranza is on the waitlist for continuing Holistic Model implementation as part of Global Brigades’ strategic plan in Nicaragua.

Municipality: Sébaco
Department: Jinotega

*Brigades to this community are temporarily suspended at this time

Homes : 172
Population : 1,031
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : No
Electricity : Yes
Health Center : No
Community Health Workers : Yes
% of Homes with Latrines : 50%
Education : Up to 6th Grade
Distance from Lodging Facility : 40 km

Medical

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

HEALTH CARE ACCESS

Healthcare access in Nicaragua is structured by the Ministry of Health, based in the capital, Managua. From there, each of the fifteen departments has it’s own department hospital, which is overseen by the SILAIS administrations (Sistema Local de Atención Integral en Salud). At a municipality level, there is a health center (Centro de Salud) for every municipality within the department. While they are not hospitals, health centers in the municipality are typically staffed with one doctor, and two nurses, that can attend patients with chronic, communicable, or noncommunicable diseases, as well as pregnancies. They however, do not have the ability to perform surgeries. Lastly, most but not all communities have a Puesto de Salud, a smaller health center. These health centers are usually staffed with only one nurse and a rotating physician. Physicians are staffed in these health centers by Nicaragua’s Social Service. This is an initiative that requires Nicaraguan medical students to do two years of service in rural communities prior to graduating.  The physician density in Nicaragua is approximately 1,099 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. This density is significantly lower for the 40.6% of the population that lives in rural areas. It is for this reason that Nicaragua’s Social Service initiative brings medical students to these communities. However, access remains limited since these training physicians may be assigned to up to fifteen communities at a time.  

La Labranza has access to a health center in a neighboring community, Molinos Sur, 3 Km away. Even with this access, it is important to note that medications, supplies, and materials are often not available in these health centers and are dependent on government funding. There is no access to private pharmacies. Additionally, as noted above, access to trained medical professionals is limited.

During their initial communications with Global Brigades, the top three illnesses in children that La Labranza expressed were pneumonia, parasites, and respiratory infections. For adults, common illnesses are chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Without access to trained healthcare professionals and medications, chronic diseases can go unmanaged, leading to further health problems. Acute illnesses can also be severe and affect the quality of life. 

43

Volunteers

1,079

Patient Consultations

N/A

Vision Screenings Provided

22

Health Education Workshops

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS

La Labranza has twelve Community Health Workers that are trained by the Ministry of Health monthly. Community Health Workers, or Brigadistas de Salud, work on a volunteer basis as advocates for healthcare within their communities. They are tasked with treating and preventing common illnesses, and some of their responsibilities include first aid, supporting and caring for pregnancies and newborns, and responding to emergency situations. They are also responsible for following up with chronic patients to ensure proper administration of medications and treatments to avoid further complications. Global Brigades is planning to establish a partnership with La Labranza Community Health Workers and the Ministry of Health, and is looking forward to providing these Community Health Workers with blood pressure cuffs, stethoscopes, glucometers, and first aid kits, to facilitate more impactful work. 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

Community members from La Labranza attend Medical Brigades in the primary school of La Labranza. This location has rooms for triage, consultation, dentistry and pharmacy stations.

La Labranza offers strong support on Medical Brigades from the community volunteers. One way the 8-15 community volunteers assist is by running intake. Intake is the very first station of the clinic and is where the community volunteers write down the patient’s name, date of birth, community, and identification number. Additionally, community volunteers manage clinic organization. They set up tables and chairs in the clinic prior to the brigade’s arrival as well as direct patients to the next medical station, once the clinic has opened for the day. Lastly, community volunteers lead adult health education sessions on sanitation and hygiene, chronic diseases, contraception, Women’s health, and water purification. La Labranza’s community volunteers are essential for the efficiency and effectiveness of Medical Brigades.

AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED PER DAY: 596
NEARBY COMMUNITIES: LAS MESAS, JUMAIQUI LA JOYA, SAN MIGUEL

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN LA LABRANZA

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
University of Virginia Medical Brigade January 2017 22 City University of New York (CUNY) Brooklyn College Medical Brigade June 2017 21

Dental

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

DENTAL CARE ACCESS

While medical access is low, dental access is even more sparing. Dental services are not available within the community health centers, or even the municipality health centers. Instead, if a patient was needing dental care, they would be required to travel to one of the country’s fifteen department hospitals. This could be up to a 2-3 hour bus ride, with many needing to first walk or horseback ride to the bus stop.

113

Patients Consultations

66

Number of Extractions

108

Fillings Performed

15

Dental Education Workshops

BRIGADE INFORMATION

Working closely with the Medical Program, the Dental Program provides fillings, extractions, and fluoride treatments as a standard part of medical brigades. Community members from La Labranza attend Dental Brigades in the primary school of La Labranza.

La Labranza offers strong support on Dental Brigades from the community volunteers. One way the 8-15 community volunteers assist is by running intake. Intake is the very first station of the clinic and is where the community volunteers write down the patient’s name, date of birth, community, and identification number. Additionally, community volunteers manage clinic organization. They set up tables and chairs in the clinic prior to the brigade’s arrival as well as direct patients to the next medical station, once the clinic has opened for the day. Lastly, community volunteers lead adult health education sessions on oral health and hygiene. La Labranza’s community volunteers are essential for the efficiency and effectiveness of Dental Brigades.

AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED PER DAY:596
NEARBY COMMUNITIES: LAS MESAS, JUMAIQUI LA JOYA, SAN MIGUEL

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN LA LABRANZA

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
University of Virginia Medical Brigade January 2017 22 City University of New York (CUNY) Brooklyn College Medical Brigade June 2017 21

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

La Labranza has not been identified as a community in need of partnership with Global Brigades Water Program. Currently,  La Labranza utilizes a gravity- based system. The system was constructed in the late 1990’s, and has in-home connections to 100% of the households. There are six elected Water Council members whose responsibility is to maintain the system and make repairs when needed. The community as a whole supports the system’s maintenance with their monthly water fee. 

 

Water System : Yes
Type of Water System : Gravity- based w/ in-home connections
% of Homes with Access to Water : 100%
Water Council : Yes

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in La Labranza but has not yet begun with the Business Program. In the planning phase, local staff is working with community members to assess the economic needs of the community, establish a community bank, and identify micro-enterprises that can benefit from on-brigade consultations. 

Community Bank : No
Community Bank Members : None
Economic Activities : Agricultural labor
Existing Microenterprises : N/A

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in La Labranza 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.

% of Homes with Latrines : 50%
% of Homes with Showers : 12%
% of Homes with Washing Station : 0%
Common House Materials : Cement block

Local Reference Points

View the map to see the closest volunteer lodging facilities, hospitals, and other relevant points of reference.

  • Feature