| Leadership Letter
Happy May everyone!
As we all know, April showers bring May flowers, and we are all hoping for rain soon to bring Boquete back to life.
Our new President, Dr. Rod Gottula, will begin his presidency in May. We welcome his expertise with hospice care and are looking forward to increasing our home visits during the rest of 2023.
April has been a very busy month at BHH. We postponed the New Volunteer training until early June and are planning another Being Prepared workshop at the Animales building on May 18. Kelly Honyak, Sandra Cripe, and attorney Juan Contreras will present.
Our newest committee, Community Outreach, spearheaded by Lesley Hughes, has been very busy contacting the local representantes to educate them about the services BHH offers. A meeting with the mayor's office took place on April 5.
Our newly formed CPR team, headed by Bob Honyak, held its first class on April 12, following the general meeting. The class was full and we plan to schedule these classes regularly as needed. Donna Robinson, Michael Polacek, Kelly Honyak, and Bob Honyak are trainers at these events.
The Equipment team recently purchased two new hospital beds to add to our inventory. Hospital beds are much in demand for end-of-life situations. The cost of one bed is $1,000.The Respiratory team also had some repairs and replacements on their equipment. Our goal is to have the equipment needed on hand for our community. That is why your donations are so important to us. Thank you for continuing to donate and please consider a monthly recurring donation.
See you at the general meeting on May 10, at 10am in the Animales building. Local snake expert Mike Hill will present on "Snakes of Boquete."
Kat McKay
Vice President, Operations | | |
Don't Miss Our May General Meeting!
Mike Hill Presents "Snakes of Boquete"
We would like to extend a warm invitation to the community to attend our next general meeting, to be held Wednesday, May 10, at 10am in the Amigos de Animales Event Center in Alto Boquete.
Local snake expert Mike Hill will tell us ways to identify and misidentify snakes, how most | | | snake bites occur, and what to do—and not to do— if you are bitten. He'll also describe common venomous and non-venomous snakes in and near Boquete, and answer your questions.
Mike is a retired fish and wildlife biologist from California. He earned His Bachelor's degree in Fisheries from Humboldt State University in 1983, and his Master's degree in Agriculture, specializing in Soil Science, in 2009. His career highlights include using electricity to catch fish, and he once wrested a bull elk to the ground almost by himself. He describes himself as a herpetologist in a loose sense of the term, and has had a love of reptiles since he was a child. He spent many of his early days catching lizards and snakes in the outskirts of Los Angeles. He caught his first rattlesnake when he was about 12 and has handled dozens of venomous snakes since then. He retired in late 2018 and relocated with his wife to Panamá, which is his version of paradise due to the incredible fishing and abundance of wildlife, especially reptiles. | | | This 90-minute workshop is packed with information you need to know. The workshop addresses legal, financial, and emotional considerations when facing the end of life in Boquete. This is the fourth workshop of the year and it continues to be popular. This workshop is two-thirds full, so don't delay signing up. To register, complete the form at the link below or send an email to prepared@boquetehealth.org. | | | Dra. Shannon Tuer Delivers Information-Packed Presentation to Full House at April General Meeting
Our April 2023 general meeting drew a crowd of more than sixty to a comprehensive presentation on local healthcare options by Dra. Shannon Tuer. Dra. Tuer, known locally as Dra. Shannon, is affiliated with the Clinica Especializada and the Clinica Doctor Care, both private clinics in Bajo Boquete. She is fluent in Spanish and English, and also serves as medical advisor to Boquete Health and Hospice.
Editor's note: The following information is believed to be accurate as of publishing, but BHH and Dra. Shannon strongly advise patients to always check in advance which services are available, where, and for whom.
Dra. Shannon began with a rundown of our hospital options in the area, which are all in David. The private hospitals there are Centro Médico Mae Lewis, Hospital Chiriquí, Hospital Cooperativo, and the Clínica Hospital Cattan. These are the hospitals most expats use most of the time.
There are also two public hospitals in David, mostly serving Panamanians. One is the women's and children's hospital, the Hospital Materno Infantil Jose Domingo de Obaldía. The other is the Hospital Régional Rafael Hernández de Chiriqui, also called the Social Security hospital. Régional has the area's only trauma center, and they can also evacuate you via air to Panama City if necessary. Dra. Shannon emphasized that all snake bite victims must go to Régional as it is the only local facility equipped with antivenom.
Dra. Shannon noted that private hospitals in Panama will generally require you to pay an amount in advance. This amount can be considerable, perhaps as much as $5,000. It can be paid in cash or via credit card, and may be lower if you have private insurance. The payment serves as a sort of retainer; any excess will be returned if the cost of care does not exceed the amount you paid up front.
While Boquete does not have a hospital of its own, it does have two public clinics that provide a range of medical services at no or low cost to both Panamanians and expats. The MINSA clinic in Boquete is the Centro de Salud, adjacent to the Romero supermarket. The Social Security clinic in town is the Policlinica, across the street from the fire department (the bomberos).
There are at least half a dozen private clinics with one or more doctors in Bajo and Alto Boquete. Dra. Shannon cautioned that private clinics do not take any insurance. You are responsible for paying your bill in full and filing your own insurance claims if applicable. Most clinics, both public and private, prefer to be paid in cash, and some accept cash only.
Dra. Shannon also warned the audience that ambulance service here is not what they might be used to in their home countries. Ambulances in Panama are generally slow to get to you and not well equipped. The MINSA and Social Security ambulances have paramedics and IV fluids, but are not quick to respond. The bomberos' (fire department) ambulances have paramedics, IVs, and O2 in their ambulances, but they are generally called only to traffic accidents.
Another option is using Dra. Liliana Boya's private ambulance service, based in Alto Boquete. Dra. Boya's driver is her husband, who is a paramedic, and their ambulance is equipped with IVs and oxygen. Dra. Shannon suggested keeping a few thousand dollars in cash on hand for medical emergencies, as well as for funeral home expenses and obtaining the death certificate if necessary.
Moving on to the topic of laboratories, Dra. Shannon said a written prescription is not needed for lab work, but the patient must know which tests are required. She mentioned that labs here are much less expensive than in the United States, with a full blood panel costing about $150 (in the US, they average over $400 and can be as much as $1,000). Labs in Panama accept cash and credit cards for payment. The audience was cautioned that not all laboratory tests are available in Panama.
From laboratories she moved on to pharmacies, and as Dra. Shannon said, we have about a million of them in town. They do not all carry large quantities of all medications, however. You may not be able to find your particular medication. In some cases, your doctor may have to change your medication. You may be offered a generic and it may or may not be cheaper than the name brand.
Prescriptions are required for certain medications. Dra. Shannon also mentioned that prescription medications tend to be very expensive here and some patients are able to purchase only a few pills at a time. However, certain medications are very reasonably priced here and may be even cheaper than in other countries.
A jubilado discount of 20% is applied to medications. Sometimes you can obtain a further discount by purchasing a large quantity of a medication. If you wish to be reimbursed by international insurance for any prescription medications, you must take care of that paperwork yourself.
As for vaccinations, they are all available at the MINSA clinic in Boquete except for yellow fever, which can only be obtained at the MINSA clinic in David (close to the bus terminal). Dra. Shannon advises patients to check availability in advance. The pneumonia vaccine PneumoVax 23 is generally available in Panama, but the shingles vaccine Shingrex is not, as it is very expensive and cannot be stored for long.
According to Dra. Shannon, the prevalence of cancer in Panama is fairly high, with colon and breast cancer the most common. Mammography, endoscopy, and prostate exams are available at many locations in our area.
Dra. Shannon also had some advice for the crowd of mostly senior expats regarding things to do before they get sick or have an accident. First, establish a relationship with a primary care physician who can get to know you, your conditions, and medications.
If you have your own doctor, Dra. Shannon emphasized, that doctor will be the one notified when you die, and he or she will write the death certificate. Dra. Shannon specifically warned that if there is no doctor who knows the person and their conditions, the police must be called in the event of a death at home, so that a medical examiner can declare the death. The police will consider the home a crime scene, which can complicate the process. Instead, people should have primary care physicians, and caregivers should call those physicians in case of a death at home.
Once you turn seventy, Panama requires a doctor to certify that you are healthy enough to drive. Only gerontologists and internists are permitted to provide this certification. Your regular physician is probably not qualified (even if, as Dra. Shannon said, they know you better than the specialists!). You must obtain this certification every two years after age seventy if you wish to keep driving.
In Boquete, professional hospice care (at the end of life) and respite care (when you are experiencing an extended but not fatal illness) are provided to Panamanians via the Social Security (CSS or Caja de Seguro Social) system. The public hospital Régional in David and the MINSA clinic in Boquete also have hospice/palliative care programs. For palliative care, Régional serves insured Panamanians only, while the MINSA clinic in Boquete also serves expats, with or without insurance. Dra. Shannon notes that patients should doublecheck which services are available where.
Boquete Health and Hospice had to suspend its volunteer hospice programs during Covid, but is starting back up again with four households currently being served. Dra. Shannon also mentioned that opioid painkillers like morphine are not as readily used in palliative care in Panama as in the US.
BHH would like to thank Dra. Shannon for her comprehensive overview of health care services in our area. Thanks as well to everyone who came out for the meeting. If you would like to see the entire 45-minute presentation on video, please head over to our YouTube channel using the link below. | |  | | If you missed April's information-packed presentation by Boquete's own Dra. Shannon Tuer, or you were in attendance but you'd like to review it, you can watch the entire 45-minute here. Be sure to bookmark it for future reference and subscribe to our channel for more valuable video content. | | | Sign Up Now for the June 17 Blood Drive and Matching Donations
Dear Boqueteńos,
I need to take a few minutes to highly commend Boquete Health and Hospice. It is an amazing addition to our community and functions purely with hard-working volunteers.
Approximately 16 years ago it was legally formed into a foundation, and they have done a fantastic job providing services to the community since then. They raise funds to purchase medical equipment to loan to the community and have accumulated a warehouse of equipment which they loan out without charge. Call or WhatsApp 507-6781-9250 for help.
The bi-annual blood drives held by BHH in conjunction with Hospital Régional have been a huge help to the community. I have been one of the fortunate ones who has gratefully received blood when I needed it. Please help by donating blood! The next blood drive is June 17, to celebrate World Blood Donor Week.
There are three ways you can help the Blood Donor Program: - Donate blood. It's quick and easy to donate blood!
- Get others to donate. People want to help, but sometimes need encouragement.
- Join the Matching Fund Drive by pledging a dollar amount for every pint collected.
The blood bank staff sets up at the Animales Event Center in Alto Boquete. Arrive at your assigned time and you will be done within half an hour or so. This also facilitates your next donation as you will already be in the blood bank system. After giving blood you will be treated to a tasty snack and live music by Scott McConachie. Who knew donating blood could be so fun?!
You can pre-register to donate blood by one of four ways: - Email blood@boquetehealth.org.
- Sign-up using the one of the links below for English or Spanish speakers.
- Send a WhatsApp text to 6590-2000.
- Call 6781-9250.
And remember, please contribute to this vital program by contributing to the matching fund using the link below. You can contribute a specific amount of money or contribute an amount per pint donated. You can also set a cap on the total amount you'll donate if you're matching each pint.
Thank you BHH and your Blood Donor Program,
Caesar Sherrard
| |  | | Watch this video about the upcoming blood drive on June 17. | | | CPR Training Delivered to Full Class
This month we resumed hands-on CPR training classes with our talented trainers Bob Honyak and Kelly Hawkins Honyak. A full class got to observe, learn, and practice their new skills on medical manikins.
The American Heart Association now recommends hands-only CPR for onlookers (non-medical professionals); mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is no longer recommended in most cases. Chest compressions alone have been found to be more effective and safer.
If you're interested in learning CPR or refreshing your skills, make sure you're following our Facebook page and are subscribed to our newsletter so you hear about our next free class! | |  | (Above) Dana Yavitz practices check compressions while Chad Wildman, Phil Rose, Bob Honyak, and Kathie Rose observe (left to right).
Right: Bob Honyak demonstrates check compressions while Kelly Honyak explains the process.
| |  | | A full class listens to trainer Kelly Honyak as she explains why mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is no longer recommended with chest compressions. | | | Community Outreach Meets Local Government
The newly formed Outreach team got off on a great start, Wednesday, April 5, when Dr. Rod Gottula, Luis Botero, and Lesley Hughes met with four of the six local representantes for Bajo Boquete, Los Naranjos, Palmira, and Caldera at their weekly meeting. The team introduced them to Boquete Health and Hospice and give them information about our services and programs. Luis translated and Sr. Roger Pitti, the representante for Caldera, who has worked with BHH several times and was happy to speak about his experiences with our services.
The team's next step is to set up meetings with the individual representantes and their community leaders to further introduce our services and discuss how we can help the community.
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Try Something New!
Volunteer for BHH
You'll never be bored when you try something new. There's really no limit to what you can do. ~Dr. Suess | | | BHH is always exploring new, creative, and exciting ways to provide potential volunteers with comprehensive information about our organization. We constantly challenge ourselves to find new ways to educate and inform new volunteers about our ongoing services.
We are always looking for new volunteers. A medical or hospice background is not required. We are not a medical provider. Our teams are diversified. We invite you to volunteer for one of our teams focused on a variety of areas including IT, training, marketing, newsletters, social media, blood donation, hospice care, or providing hospice, equipment, respiratory services, music, or meals. Our monthly meetings held on the second Wednesday of each month highlight specific topics of community interest.
The previously announced April New Volunteer Training class has been rescheduled to early June. While we are reviewing/revising our training program we invite you to learn more about us at boquetehealth.org and complete a new volunteer form to begin the process of exploring volunteer opportunities at BHH. | | |
Volunteer Needed in Key Role
As Boquete Health and Hospice continues to grow and provide more services to the Boquete community, we are looking for a volunteer to help in the following position, and there are always opportunities for additional volunteers to contribute in other areas.
Hospice and Family Care Team Lead
The Hospice and Family Care team Lead is a critical role at BHH that oversees volunteers who are providing hospice and home support to patients and their caregivers. As a Team Lead, you, along with our team of PCCs, assess the needs of our hospice patients and patients needing home support.
Depending on the patients' specific needs, you will organize volunteers who will provide services and medical equipment. You will work with patients and their families to monitor the patients' progress, and be available to answer volunteer questions as they support patients. A healthcare background is needed, as well as strong organizational skills. This position offers a flexible time commitment since you will be working with a team.
If this role sounds like something you'd enjoy doing, or if you're interested in learning more about other volunteer opportunities, please get in touch as soon as possible by calling +507 6781-9250 and completing a volunteer application form here. | | | |
