AMPATH Mexico
Submitted by: Beth Felker
AMPATH/MAPAS México Priorities:
Evaluate, define, and care for NCDs that Mexico and Texas share
- Continue conducting home visits including for patients with advanced NCDs
- Community-based model for cancer prevention & early detection: Aug 29 & 30, 2024: Promotoras comunitarias training workshops and community education day with additional attendees September 11.
Provide care and follow-up to the main causes of morbidity and mortality in the state of Puebla
- During community visits, provided care and coordination for hospital referral for a recent above-the-knee amputation to help with wound care, insulin initiation, and home therapy; provided care for a patient with renal failure; and continue working with the health center to coordinate referrals to secondary and tertiary care
Participate meaningfully in addressing the social determinants of health and translate health promotion and healthcare provision to the community
- Oct 16-17, 2024: Planned Multidisciplinary Health Outreach: Working on preparations, logistics, and training will involve the medical school and teaching hospital core clinical specialties (IM, pediatrics, OB/GYN, ultrasound), physical therapy, nutrition, as well as participation from the dental school and psychology to provide holistic preventive and treatment services.
- Nutrition Working Group: Continue to plan for the UT group’s trip to Puebla in September for the entire group (UT, FCP, BUAP) to set up classroom hydroponics units, build a school garden, and thus launch the project.
Build capacity in public health and healthcare delivery
Pasantes:
- AMPATH/MAPAS México pasantes: onboarding our new AMPATH/MAPAS México medico pasante to our clinical team.
- Training all pasantes with BUAP university social service assignments to prepare them for community health outreaches
Spanish Language program:
- 3 Dell Med psychiatry residents completed their exchange rotation with positive experiences both helping to teaching introductory psych to medical students at BUAP and observership in the psych hospital.2 pediatric residents arrived in late August to start their 3-week medical Spanish and cultural immersion rotation.
- 2 Dell Med third year students currently are in Puebla at the Spanish Institute focusing on language skills with the goal to be able to participate in AMPATH program later in the year when they have advanced in their language proficiency
Nursing UT- BUAP MOU: under review by university legal prior to final signatures
- Our Clinical Team Lead helped to co-teach the first BUAP community psychology classes to provide background on AMPATH/MAPAS, our catchment communities, and the mental health needs as these psychology students. Accompanied by their professor, they will have longitudinal activities in the communities this fall
- This fall, the San Francisco Xochiteopan primary healthcare center has a larger health workforce with 3 general practitioners (GPs), 3 medico pasantes, 2 nurses, and 1 nurse pasante. We have developed a good early collaboration with the new doctor in-charge and the medico pasantes have been joining our clinical team on home visits which is strengthening linkages between the health center and the community.
- Launching a medicine donation drive since access to medications is still one of the biggest concerns in the communities (interview on TV BUAP
Train and research to elevate the primary care system and public health
- Health Informatics group: Late Aug subgroup met re: a MOU between BUAP and UT’s respective data sharing entities. Sept 17 a subgroup met re: Education Exchange. Sept 23 full group will meet to access progress and plan future actions.
- Diabetes Task Force: Finalizing the IRB protocol for a more detailed needs assessment to inform this model.