A Message from the Blood Donation Program Coordinator Charlotte Lintz
There is no blood bank for any of the hospitals in Chiriqui. Thus, for everyone, obtaining blood in any emergency situation is difficult.
For almost all situations, the ONLY way to receive blood at any hospital is to ask donors to come and donate for you at the hospital. You cannot purchase blood from the hospitals, but you can pay someone to donate for you at the hospital. This is not always the safest way, since some people can feel compelled by money to withhold information about their medical histories. In emergency situations, the staff at the hospital or the firemen will donate blood, but there is often an expense involved.
For these reasons, Boquete Health and Hospice Foundation maintains a blood donor list for all residents of the Boquete area and provides guidelines for prospective donors. This list is not published or shared in any way.
You can volunteer to donate blood by putting your name on the list of people to be called if someone needs blood of your type at Chiriqui Hospital, Mae Lewis Hospital or the Regional Hospital. Your blood type is on your Panamanian driver's license. It may be on your U.S. or other license. You can get your blood typed by paying a small fee at any lab. The cost is usually around $5-$10.
The confidential list is maintained by two volunteers. We will find donors for you whether you have volunteered to give blood or not. Giving Blood is not a requirement for receiving blood. Our Spanish is not good so there must be an English speaking contact person.
When you volunteer to donate, some hospitals can take several hours to run the tests. They will take your phone number & call you back to donate. We are looking for donors, no matter what your age!
For more information and the criteria for donating blood, go to our website:
http://www.boquetehealth.org Once you are on the website go to
More and then click on
Criteria for Donating Blood
How We Help
In late July, an elderly Panamanian woman named Magarita fell and broke her hip. She had hip replacement surgery a few days later. A family friend who is a member of Boquete Health and Hospice helped the family contact BHHF to find out what services would be available to the family. Betty Landis and her bilingual neighbor Yari made a home visit. They assessed the medical equipment needs and determined that Magarita didn't need a hospital bed but would benefit from having attachable sides fit to the bed to prevent her from falling out of the bed. A walker was also provided to use once she gained her mobility.
Several days later another member from BHHF visited the family. Magarita's son and daughter both report that this visit was very helpful to all of the family members. Magarita had been sent home from the hospital after her surgery with no instructions to the family how to care for her. The family is grateful for the training they were given to learn how to move their mother, the best method to have her get up and start moving again and how to care for her while she is bedridden. They expressed warm feelings of appreciation for the services and compassionate treatment they received from the BHHF volunteers
BHHF Health Fair Just a few weeks ago, Boquete was buzzing with care and concern for its residents. The Boquete Health Fair on October 22, 2017 was an energetic event promoting health and wellness to all locally.
Panamanians were lining up an hour early to get their blood glucose tested. There was rarely an empty seat at any of our eleven vendors' tables.Many were lucky enough to win certificates for free lab work, doctor visits, dental exams or cleaning, 24-hour blood pressure monitoring, and more.
Dra. Sue King and Dra. Digna Diaz, Dentist Dra. Luz Barria, Chiriqui Hospital, MINSA, the Policlinica, Revilla pharmacy and Laboratoria Analytek answered questions and educated, provided medical testing, and promoted health and wellness to residents of Boquete.
The folks at
RodnyDirect and
AAC were constantly busy answering medical and security questions.
Keep It Simple Panama helped so many trying to navigate the Panamanian medical system. And, our dear friends at
Foundation Pro-Integration showed how they help and how you too can help those less fortunate.
Yes, we promote health and wellness but Boquete Health and Hospice Foundation was also proud to show how we serve the sick and dying in Boquete. Our
hearts, hands, and help are here for you.
The first BHHF Health fair was a success! Thank you to all who helped put on this event; and, thank you to those who came to promote health and wellness in Boquete. For more photos, check out our website:
http://www.boquetehealth.org 
We Have a New Look on our Website! Come see our new improved website. We've had a face lift. The website can now be viewed in many languages. Just click on the Google translation at the top. To check out our new website go to:
http://www.boquetehealth.org
Please take 1 minute to view our descriptive video. Click on the link: https://youtu.be/EbYmYqBRs3Y 
To Make a Donation: BHHF functions with the donations provided by the community. If you are interested in supporting the work we do, please make a donation. To make a financial contribution by check or cash contact Laurie Collier, our treasurer, at
lojocollier@yahoo.com to
arrange a place and time to pick up your donation.
For more information, visit our website:
www.boquetehealth.org
We also have a Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/boqueteheartshandsandhelp/?ref=bookmarks
Please Like our page and Share the contents with your friends and families.
To Contact Us
Hospice/Health: 507.6781.9250
Blood Donor Program: 507.6590.2000
E-mail: boquetehospice@gmail.com
E-mail: boquetehealth@gmail.com
Confidentiality
All patient information shared with any Boquete Health and Hospice volunteer is kept in the strictest confidence.
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