Erin Miller

So, after my last post on my adventure in Costa Rica, I felt like it would be a good time to discuss some of the work I have been doing here in order to convince everyone that I am not just sitting in hammocks and swinging through canopies.
Along with my work at the Albergue, I have also started a Diabetics Club. I knew almost nothing about diabetes before I got here, but the lab director mentioned that there was a large need for educational charlas on diabetes at the hospital. So I did some web research, made some posters, and now we have a group of about 30 diabetics meeting each week at the hospital. I primarily discuss diet and exercise, and we are going to bring in guest speakers such as doctors, nutritionists, psychologists, microbiologists, etc. to speak to the club. One of the nurses at the hospital has taken an interest in the project and is volunteering her time to come to the meetings and help organize the club. She will make sure that it continues once I am gone. Only one of the 30 club members has her own glucometer. The other diabetics must come to the hospital to get their blood drawn and checked any where from once a month to once a day. There are some people working on getting some glucometers donated to the project, and I bet they could use some pictures, so here they are.


The roof on the hospital leaks, and therefore, there are water marks all over the ceilings and walls of the hospital. The hospital was considering trying to repair the roof, but they have decided that they will likely expand the hospital by building vertically, which will, eventually, fix the problem of the leaking roof. However, a temporary waterproof roof has been donated to the hospital to put over the operating rooms to prevent water-born bacteria from growing on the walls and ceilings in the operating area. So, the hospital needed someone to repaint the ceiling in the operating room and we have been working on it over the past couple of weeks. They still need some more work, but I think the pictures are worth it, just for our outfits.


The work at the Albergue continues to go well and I am working on finding some way for the project to continue once I am gone. Thank you all again for your donations to that project.