Before Morgan Clark started working at Duke University Hospital, she worked for Impact Global Health Alliance Global. She experienced what it is like to live, and in many instances survive, in a remote, rural village in the northern mountains of Guatemala. There, she helped provide preventative healthcare to mothers and children.
After returning to North Carolina and beginning her employment at Duke, she noticed that the local community had many healthcare needs that could also be addressed by preventative measures similarly, to what she saw happening in Guatemala.
Ventanilla de Salud sign in the waiting room.
Now as a volunteer for Impact Global Health Alliance Global she helped develop the Ventanilla de Salud, a monthly health screening service, focus on prevention and early detection of common issues, offered in partnership with the Guatemalan Consulate in Raleigh, NC. Each month, members of the community that don’t have access to quality health care can receive a basic health care screening and consultation with a healthcare professional.
After collecting the results, participants get to review and discuss their results as well as obtain information about local referrals to low-cost health care resources; they even get assistance in making a follow-up appointment. The ultimate goal is to increase the community’s knowledge about their health, preventative health care, and what resources they have available close to their home.
To provide reliable health care screening services every month, a large team of healthcare professionals needed to be recruited. This multidisciplinary team included doctors, nurses, physician assistants, social workers, nursing assistants, translators, students, and more. They have all become an essential part of this team.
A nursing assistant taking blood pressure.
This project has had immense growth in the past two years. It would have not been possible without the long-lasting partnership between Impact Global Health Alliance Global and the Guatemalan Consulate and Morgan’s vision, tenacity, and hard work. When it began, about seven individuals were being screened per day. Today, that number has increased to an average of 35 participants, almost maxing out the availability of the healthcare providers. Three consultation rooms are running simultaneously and over 300 individuals have been referred to the appropriate resources in their own communities.
No doubt, this is one of Morgan’s proudest accomplishments, also one of Impact Global Health Alliance Global tangible ways to adapt, offer solutions, and evidence-based practices to achieve maximum health benefits for impoverished communities.
A nurse providing consultation and referral.
With her support, Impact Global Health Alliance’ proven methodology, and the partnership with the Guatemalan Consulate, we are eager to see how the Ventanilla de Salud continues to expand its reach and impact, while we identify what more can we do for the immigrant populations living in the Carolinas.
Donate now or volunteer your time and talents, so you can help make this project an on-going solution for the many who are still at risk.
