MMM and Rotary Bring Chiapas Medical Professionals to Eastern Sierra

Four licensed medical professionals from the southern Mexican state of Chiapas—two early-career MDs and two professional midwives—will arrive at LAX this coming Saturday, the 16th of January, for a week’s medical training and international professional exchange in the Eastern Sierra.

As the final piece of the successful 2015-16 Chiapas Austere Medicine Vocational Training Initiative, the project is part of a multi-pronged collaboration between Mammoth Medical Missions, Inc., and the Rotary Clubs of Bishop Sunrise, Bishop, and Oriente de Tuxtla, Mexico.

Other elements of the initiative have included the provision of hands-on medical skills-training at a rural hospital in the highlands of Chiapas, one of the poorest regions in Mexico, a disaster medicine seminar in collaboration with Chiapas State Civil Protection authorities, and a no-cost general surgical rotation for the underserved population of Los Altos de Chiapas.

Major funding was provided for all components of the initiative through a Global Grant from Rotary International supported in part by local and regional Rotary Clubs and individual members, with significant logistical, material and volunteer support from Mammoth Medical Missions, Inc.

Candidates for this pilot exchange program were selected from among participants of skills-training sessions in Chiapas in May of 2015, based on interest, aptitude, professional experience, and a commitment to return to practice and transfer skills gained for the benefit of the marginalized population of Los Altos de Chiapas. Participants will be traveling to the United States on U.S. State Department-approved visas.

The four participants are: Ofelia Pérez Ruiz (licensed professional midwife and indigenous Mayan interpreter); Lucía Guadalupe Silva Martínez (licensed professional midwife); Itzam Fuentes Gómez, MD; and Yamileth Anaya Rivera, MD. They will stay with local families in Bishop and Mammoth during their visit.

Under the guidance of Mammoth Medical Missions-affiliated physicians Dr. Martha Kim at Northern Inyo Hospital and Dr. Richard Koehler at Mammoth Hospital, participants will complete a 4-day round of observation and learning in subjects ranging from obstetrics and maternal health to general surgery support and hospital protocol.

For more information contact: Ramona Delmas, radel@gmail.com, 520-140-1023