Planteles de San Martín

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

Overview

Planteles de San Martín is a community located in the municipality of Choluteca within the similarly named department of Choluteca. The community lies in the southern region of Honduras, where temperatures usually soar in the upper nineties to over one hundred degrees Farenheit. There are approximately 450 people living in Planteles de San Martín and there are 99 homes. Most community members work in agriculture. Children have the opportunity to attend kindergarten in their own community before being required to travel to surrounding communities to continue their education. Planteles de San Martín’s inhabitants are interested in better access to medications, latrines, and improvements to their water system.

Municipality: Choluteca
Department: Choluteca

Homes : 99
Population : 450
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : Yes
Electricity : Yes
Health Center : No
Community Health Workers : Yes
Homes with Latrines : 23%
Education : Kindergarten
Distance from Lodging Facility : 21 km

Medical

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

HEALTH CARE ACCESS

The Honduran government provides two different types of health centers throughout rural Honduras: Centros de Salud Médico Odontológico (CESAMOs) and Centros de Salud Rural (CESARs). CESAMOs 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. CESARs are found sporadically in rural communities and generally have a single nurse available. Even with this coverage, it is important to note that medications, supplies, and materials are often not available in these health centers and the physician density in Honduras remains at around 1,220 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 centre in Planteles de San Martín. The nearest CESAR is located in San Martín, approximately 1.5 kilometres away. This health center only sometimes has the necessary medications and Planteles de San Martín’s inhabitants do not have access to a private pharmacy. The most commonly reported illnesses in Planteles de San Martín are the common cold, respiratory issues, diarrhoea, dengue, and chikungunya.

51

Volunteers

121

Patient Consulations

61

Vision screenings provided

N/A

Health Education Workshops

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS

The community of Planteles de San Matrín has 13 trained Community Health Workers. Global Brigades Honduras’ Medical Program is working diligently to train volunteers as CHWs in its partner communities as part of the Holistic Model. 

Community Health Workers, or Guardianes de Salud, work on a volunteer basis as advocates for health care within their communities. While this is an existing program in Honduras and Guardianes de Salud is identified by other organizations and some health centres, Global Brigades is able to bridge gaps in access to training and provide more comprehensive technical skills. Our CHWs are some of the very few Guardianes de Salud to receive certification from the Honduran government. Our CHWs 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. Additionally, CHWs provide support for brigades that are hosted in their area. At the completion of their training, CHWs are equipped with basic medical supplies and equipment provided by Global Brigades and its partners. The presence of these volunteers and their advocacy for health within their community contributes to the sustainability of health care supported by Global Brigades’ Medical Program and is one of the most impactful disease prevention strategies in rural communities across the globe.

BRIGADE INFORMATION

Community members in Planteles de San Martín attend Medical and Dental Brigade clinics hosted in Los Hatillos 1’s school building. The various stations of the clinic are held in the school’s four classrooms. Doctors are able to spend an average of ten minutes with each patient. More information is available on the Los Hatillos 1 profile.

MEDICAL/DENTAL BRIGADES IN PLANTELES DE SAN MARTIN

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Launch HighSchool Health TeleSquad October 2020 10 Indiana Wesleyan University Medical TeleBrigade November 2020 24
Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences Medical TeleBrigace June 2021 17

Dental

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

DENTAL CARE ACCESS

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.

28

Dental patients

35

Number of extractions

BRIGADE INFORMATION

Community members in Planteles de San Martín attend Medical and Dental Brigade clinics hosted in Los Hatillos 1’s school building. The various stations of the clinic are held in the school’s four classrooms. Doctors are able to spend an average of ten minutes with each patient. More information is available on the Los Hatillos 1 profile.

MEDICAL/DENTAL BRIGADES IN PLANTELES DE SAN MARTIN

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Launch HighSchool Health TeleSquad October 2020 10 Indiana Wesleyan University Medical TeleBrigade November 2020 24
Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences Medical TeleBrigace June 2021 17

Engineering

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Planteles de San Martín but has not yet begun with the Engineering Program. Now in the planning phase, the evaluation of the community’s existing water system and design of any necessary improvements will start as soon as feasible.

Water System : Yes
Type of System : Mixed (Water Tank with Pump)
Homes with Access to Water : 60%
Water Council : Yes

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Planteles de San Martín but has not yet begun with the Water Program. Now in the planning phase, the implementation of any improvements to the community’s existing water system will follow the Engineering Program’s assessment and start as soon as feasible.

Water System : Yes
Type of System : Mixed (Water Tank with Pump)
Homes with Access to Water : 60%
Water Council : Yes

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Planteles de San Martín but has not yet begun with the Business Program. Now in the planning phase, the Business Program will conduct an evaluation of the existing community bank as soon as feasible, followed by market studies and investment in an anchor business to provide additional capital.

Community Bank : Yes
Community Bank Members : 58
Economic Activities : Agriculture
Existing Microenterprises : None

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Planteles de San Martín and has just begun with the Public Health Program. The financing, delivery, and installation of household health infrastructure products began in January 2019.

198

Volunteers

12

Number of Latrines Constructed

25

Number of Eco-Stoves Constructed

16

Number of Water Filters Installed

PUBLIC HEALTH VOLUNTEERS IN PLANTELES DE SAN MARTIN

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Syracuse Area* & Rutgers University-New Brunswick Medical Brigade January 2019 33 College of William and Mary Medical Brigade March 2019 26
Pennsylvania State University Medical Brigade March 2019 24 Central Michigan University Medical Brigade March 2019 34
Rice University Medical Brigade & University of Western Ontario Medical Brigade May 2019 37 University of North Texas Medical Brigade May 2019 20
Cornell University Medical Brigade & John Hopkins University Medical Brigade May 2019 24

Local Reference Points

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

  • Feature