Jones Jones: Sunrise Saving Lives in Nicaragua!
Our Speaker for February 11, 2021 was club member John Jones, who gave us the history and status of Sunrise’s Sábalos, Nicaragua Surgery Center. Sunrise first became involved in Sábalos in 2008, when we had our first dental and eyecare clinic in the area. Since 2008, Sunrise’s regular trips to Sábalos have helped over 20,000 eyecare and 1,200 dental patients in the region! John gave a few amazing statistics about Nicaragua: 80% of the population of Nicaragua live on less than $2.00 per day; Nicaragua is the 2nd poorest country in the Western Hemisphere; and about 40,000 people live in isolated communities that rely on the small health center in Sábalos. The only surgical center in the region has been in San Carlos, a 3-hour bus ride.
In discussions in 2009 about what Sunrise could do about the Sábalos health care crisis, Past President Don Floriani had a “go big or go home” moment: why not build a more robust medical center in Sábalos? The idea gradually took on its current form: We would build a fully equipped surgical center! Sunrise raised funds, planned construction, and dealt with Nicaraguan red tape until construction was complete in the summer of 2017. Once construction was complete, we turned towards purchasing and installing electrical (including air conditioning) and medical equipment. Sunrise, along with its local partner, the Rotary Club of Granada, obtained a grant from the Rotary Foundation for $62,000 (including Sunrise’s $25,000), to help with these costs. The total cost of the surgery center has been about $330,00 to date. The center still has needs, including a portable X-Ray machine, beds, chairs, and a variety of medical equipment. Our work is not done!
The new Sábalos Surgery Center is now in operation and includes an array of modern diagnostic tools, including ultrasound, patient monitor, autoclave, surgery room, and recovery room. Doctors in Sábalos are no longer limited to diagnosing problems with their brains and stethoscopes. John even showed us a video of an ultrasound procedure! We expect surgeries to begin soon.
Rafael and Ninoska Cerna, our long-time partners on this project, provided their insights. The surgery center is going to help 45,000 people in the region. Every emergency used to go to San Carlos, including appendicitis and gynecological. The terrible trip to San Carlos is now almost completely unnecessary. The ability to diagnose medical problems is already helping people! Rafael believes that a surgical team from San Carlos will do surgeries in Sábalos in the future. The surgery room will also be available for eye surgery!
Well done, John, for summarizing this Sunrise project and for your never-ending hard work and optimism on the project. It would not have been done without you. (Editor’s note: the construction and opening of a surgical center in Sábalos is a massive achievement that involved hundreds of Sunrise members and friends. Sunrise truly accomplished the unthinkable and we are now saving lives in Sábalos!)
