Just Another Manic Monday

By all rights, Kathleen should be writing this.

But Kathleen has been in the hospital in California. We are immensely grateful for the excellent quality of care that Kathleen has received.

Nurse Martha checking in patients

But back home in Nicaragua, we are also concerned about our ability to continue giving quality care to the patients at the Nueva Vida Clinic, a project that Kathleen particularly has worked to develop over 16 years.

The services we provide at the Nueva Vida Clinic have expanded and improved… now our patients receive truly high quality care. We see 16,000+ patients annually from Ciudad Sandino with a special focus on the poorest barrio, Nueva Vida. Our patients are seen by our general practitioner, pediatrician, radiologist, orthopedist, and dentist. They receive medications, lab tests, ultrasounds, EKGs, PAPs, counseling and eyeglasses. We have developed comprehensive care programs for patients with chronic illnesses, HIV, new mothers, family planning, and at-risk girls.

But improved care also means increased costs, and our donations have not increased correspondingly. This means even our general operating money is going to cover clinic costs, leaving us financially stretched in every direction.

We don’t know what would have happened to Kathleen during her health crisis if she hadn’t had access to amazing health care, and it frightens us to think about it. But we do believe everyone everywhere should have access to that kind of care, not just those who can afford to pay for it.  

Orthopedist Dr. Perez examining patient

Here in Nicaragua, we can do our part to make sure people who need it are getting the best outpatient care possible. We remain committed to continuing to provide high quality care through the Nueva Vida Clinic, but we need your help.

It will cost $300,000 to run the clinic this year – which includes everything:  clinic staff salaries, medicines, exams, and supplies – or roughly $20 per patient visit. We know that cost is relatively low, but our patients can’t afford to pay $20. So we ask patients to contribute $2 toward the cost of their care, and the rest must be covered by donations.

We need to raise 10% of our annual clinic budget, $30,000 by August 15. This would cover the cost of 1,500 patient visits, or the equivalent of all the Mondays left in 2015.

Mondays are a particularly busy day for us: everyone who’s gotten sick over the weekend shows up, from small children to see our pediatrician, to elderly patients to see our orthopedist. A full waiting room, high fevers, high blood pressures, high blood sugars and hacking coughs are just another Manic Monday for the Nueva Vida Clinic [click here to see Manic Monday for yourself with our new video!].

We need you to help us cover the cost of those ManicMondays by August 15th. 

Here’s how:  [updated 11-2015]

• Share on your social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc). This is important: we need you to introduce us to your friends, raising this amount of money by August 15 means we need new donors! Here are some ideas for social media: 
• If you’re grateful for care you’ve received, donate and then share your #gratefulgiving story on your social media with our donation link 
• Take a selfie of your #ManicMonday and share it on your social media with our donation link
• Join us on social media: Facebook Twitter Instagram
• Send your good thoughts and prayers for the Nueva Vida Clinic and for Kathleen’s speedy recovery

THANK YOU!

Becca, for the Community

Just Another Manic Monday patient line-up at the Clinic